Today is West Virginia’s 159th birthday. On June 20, 1863 West Virginia became the 35th state of the U.S. It was formed after breaking away from Virginia during the Civil War and admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863 under a proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln. West Virginia is the only state to be admitted under presidential proclamation. That makes it the only state that was created by carving out its territory from another state without that states permission or approval.
Like all the staes, there are a number of things that make it unique and it has its share of “firsts.”
• West Virginia was the first state to have a sales tax. The tax went into effect on July 1, 1921.
• West Virginia was a bit indecisive in choosing its state capital. The original capital was Wheeling, until it became Charleston in 1870. It was changed to Wheeling again in 1875, and then back to Charleston again in 1885.
• In a West Virginia community by the name of Mole Hill, the residents voted to change the name of their city to Mountain — literally making a mountain out of a mole hill.
• In 1859, John Brown, an abolitionist, led a raid on the national armory at Harper Ferry because he was trying to arm a planned slave rebellion. He was ultimately tried at the Jefferson County Courthouse and hanged.
• The youngest soldier to enlist in World War I, Chester Merriman, was from Romney, West Virginia. He was 14 when he signed up.
• The country’s first public spa opened in 1756 in Berkley Springs, West Virginia (The town was then named Bath — it was part of Virginia.)
• George Washington’s brothers built estates in West Virginia that are still standing. Charles Washington built Happy Retreat in 1780 and Samuel constructed Harewood estate, that was the location for James and Dolley Madison’s wedding in 1794.
• Although West Virginia is best know for coal mining, Salt mining used to be a major industry in the state, particularly in the Kanawha Valley. Before the industry started to decline, salt mining reached its peak in the 1850s.
• The Greenbrier resort, noted for its underground bunker built to house congress in case of a nuclear attack, was once a hospital. During World War II the U.S. Army bought it and converted it to a hospital, where more than 24,000 soldiers were treated over the course of four years.
• In 1931 a Bluefield radio station broadcast a murder trial. It was the first time a murder trial had been broadcast in the United States.
• West Virginia native Chuck Yeager was the first pilot to break the sound barrier.
• The Oakhurst Links was the nation’s first golf course — the course is located in White Sulphur Springs.
• A West Virginian is credited with starting Grandparents Day. Marian McQuade of Oak Hill started the holiday.
• Outdoor advertising began in West Virginia — it got its start with Mail Pouch tobacco ads painted on the sides of barns….
So Happy Birthday West Virginia — it’s a great place to live. The sun doesn’t always shine in West Virginia, but the people do…..
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