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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nToday is West Virginia Day and is a state holiday. On April 20th, 1863, President Lincoln issued a proclamation to formally admit West Virginia into the Union on June 20th, 1863, giving West Virginia the distinction of being the only state in the Union to have acquired its sovereignty by proclamation of the President of the United States. If my math is correct, this is West Virginia\u2019s 160th birthday.
West Virginia almost wasn\u2019t named West Virginia \u2014 the state was originally going to be named \u201cKanawha\u201d to honor a Native American Tribe, but after its succession from the Commonwealth of Virginia, officials wanted Virginia to be part of its name.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s some more interesting things you may not know about \u201calmost Heaven \u2014 West Virginia:\u201d
\u2022 West Virginia is the only state completely within the Appalachian Mountain range.
\u2022 Outdoor advertising got its start in Wheeling when the Bloch Brothers Tobacco Company painted bridges and barns with \u201cTreat Yourself to the Best, Chew Mail Pouch.\u201d
\u2022 The first rural free delivery mail service took place in 1896 in Charles Town (through the Post Office Department\u2019s pilot program to determine the feasibility for rural delivery for the rest of the country.)
\u2022 Cecil Underwood made history in 1956 when he became the state\u2019s youngest governor at 34 \u2014 he made history again in 1996 when he became the state\u2019s oldest governor \u2014 he was elected when he was 74.
\u2022 West Virginia is the third most forested state.
\u2022 The State Capitol dome is higher than the dome on the nation\u2019s capitol \u2014 it\u2019s 292 feet tall.
\u2022 The USS West Virginia was hit during the attack on Pearl Harbor \u2014 the mast from the ship is located on the West Virginia University campus \u2014 in front of Oglebay Hall.
\u2022 The first brick street in the world was laid in Charleston (on Summers Street.)
\u2022West Virginia holds the record for having the most towns named after cities in other countries\u2026. among others, they include Athens, Berlin, Cairo, Calcutta, Geneva and Shanghai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Depending on your point of view, West Virginia can be considered as either the most northerly of the southern states or the most southerly of the northern states.
But whatever \u2014 our home state is rich in history and beauty and the people here do drive cars. We have indoor plumbing. We even use knives and forks. The sun doesn\u2019t always shine here, but the people do.
Happy Birthday \u2014 West Virginia.
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Happy Birthday to what is now my home state, West Virginia. West Virginia was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, by proclamation \u2014 signed by President Abraham Lincoln. Today is West Virginia Day and is a state holiday. … Continue reading