Roscoe Tanner was Mayor of Bancroft, West Virginia (on the Poca River) from 1877 to 1878. Mr. Tanner was much interested in the Poca River Fish Days Celebration. He understood that his predecesor has made a fatal error in causing a fish hat to become more or less permanently affixed to his head. Wanting to continue the idea of wearing a fish hat, Mayor Tanner cleverly created a fish hat that was worn on the sides of his head. This was easily removed after the celebration. His success created a good deal of interest in the fish hat, and subsequently the Poca River Fish Days Celebration contained a fish hat competition until its unfortunate end almost 25 years later. Mr. Tanner was not re-elected to office, but that was the result of his running off with Widow Meadows. This stamp was issued by the Poca Post in a block of 16 stamps in the denomination of 1.35 pu (Poca Units). |