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 Facts About
West Virginia (as of 2006)
 
European settlers began arriving in this
area by significant numbers in the mid-1700s, causing numerous conflicts
among the French, British and local Indians - reaching its destructive
peak during the French and Indian War. Opposition to southern slavery
here was made famous by the raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers
Ferry, led by the abolitionist John Brown. West Virginia's refusal to
secede from the Union during America's Civil War gave it a unique place
in history, and in fact, it became the only U.S. State (or land) taken
from another (Virginia) without its permission. Famed for coal mining,
glass-making and mineral springs, the beautiful State of West Virginia
is home to rugged, green mountains and very few stretches of flat land.
Capital:
Charleston
Population:
1,801,873
 Entered the Union:
June 20, 1863
As the: 35th
State
Motto:
"Mountaineers Are Always Free"
Nickname: "The
Mountain State"
Flower: Big
Rhododendron
Bird: Cardinal
Song: "West
Virginia, My Sweet Home," "The West Virginia Hills" and "This is West
Virginia."
Origin of Name:
West was added to this area of Virginia when it would not secede from
the Union during America's Civil War.
Points of Interest:
Blackwater Falls, Monongahela National Forest, Northeast Panhandle,
Civil War History and Cultural sites, and any of the seasonal ski
resorts in the eastern mountains.
Bordering States:
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Kentucky.
Numerous Facts & Trivia:
West Virginia is the only state in the Union to have acquired its
sovereignty by proclamation of the President of the United States.
West Virginia is considered the southern most northern state and the
northern most southern state.
Mother’s Day was first observed at Andrews Church in Grafton on May 10,
1908.
West Virginia has the oldest population of any state. The median age is
40.
Jackson's Mill is the site of the first 4-H Camp in the United States.
The world's largest sycamore tree is located on the Back Fork of the Elk
River in Webster Springs.
The first state sales tax in the United States went into effect in West
Virginia on July 1, 1921.
On January 26, 1960 Danny Heater, a student from Burnsville, scored 135
points in a high school basketball game earning him a place in the
Guinness Book of World Records.
The first federal prison exclusively for women in the United States was
opened in 1926 in West Virginia.
Cecil Underwood is the nation's oldest governor. He turned 77 on
November 5, 1999.
The New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville is the second highest steel
arch bridge in the United States. The bridge is also the longest steel
arch bridge (1,700 feet) in the world. Every October on Bridge Day, the
road is closed and individuals parachute and bungee cord jump 876 feet
off the bridge. Its West Virginia's largest single day event and
attracts about 100,000 people each year.
The first major land battle fought between Union and Confederate
soldiers in the Civil War was the Battle of Philippi on June 3, 1861.
One of the nation's oldest and largest Indian burial grounds is located
in Moundsville. Its 69 feet high, 900 feet in circumference, and 50 feet
high. An inscribed stone was removed from the vault and is on display at
the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
West Virginia's nickname is the Mountain State and its motto is
"Mountaineers Are Always Free."
Some famous individuals from West Virginia include: Pearl Buck (author),
Peter Marshall (television host), Chuck Yeager (test pilot /Air Force
General), Don Knotts (actor), Mary Lou Retton (Olympic gold medallist
for gymnastics), and Kathy Mattea (country music singer).
Nearly 75% of West Virginia is covered by forests.
West Virginia covers about 24,000 square miles and has a population of
about 1.8 million.
15% of the nation's total coal production comes from West Virginia.
According to the crime index for 1997, West Virginia had the lowest
crime rate in the country.
West Virginia’s Memorial Tunnel was the first in the nation to be
monitored by television. It opened November 8, 1954.
The first rural free mail delivery was started in Charles Town on
October 6, 1896, and then spread throughout the United States.
West Virginia was the first state to have a sales tax. It became
effective July 1, 1921.
The first steamboat was launched by James Rumsey in the Potomac River at
New Mecklensburg (Shepherdstown) on December 3, 1787.
A naval battle was fought in West Virginia waters during the Civil War.
United States Navy armored steamers were actively engaged in the Battle
of Buffington Island near Ravenswood on July 19, 1863.
On February 14, 1824, at Harpers Ferry, John S. Gallaher published the
"Ladies Garland," one of the first papers in the nation devoted mainly
to the interests of women.
Organ Cave, near Ronceverte, is the third largest cave in the United
States and the largest in the state.
A variety of the yellow apple, the Golden Delicious, originated in Clay
County. The original Grimes Golden Apple Tree was discovered in 1775
near Wellsburg.
West Virginia has an mean altitude of 1,500 feet, giving it the highest
average altitude east of the Mississippi.
The first iron furnace west of the Alleghenies was built by Peter Tarr
on Kings Creek in 1794.
One of the first suspension bridges in the world was completed in
Wheeling in November 1849.
Outdoor advertising had its origin in Wheeling about 1908 when the Block
Brothers Tobacco Company painted bridges and barns with the wording:
"Treat Yourself to the Best, Chew Mail Pouch."
Moundsville is the site of the continent’s largest cone-shaped
prehistoric burial mound. It is 69 feet high and 900 feet in
circumference at the base and was opened on March 19, 1838.
The first electric railroad in the world, built as a commercial
enterprise, was constructed between Huntington and Guyandotte.
On September 10, 1938, the Mingo Oak, largest and oldest white oak tree
in the United States, was declared dead and felled with ceremony.
Coal House, the only residence in the world built entirely of coal, is
located in White Sulphur Springs. The house was occupied on June 1,
1961.
The world’s largest shipment of matches (20 carloads or 210,000,000
matches) was shipped from Wheeling to Memphis, Tennessee, on August 26,
1933.
Daniel Boone made his last survey of Charleston on September 8, 1798. He
left the state in 1799.
William Tompkins used natural gas to evaporate salt brine in 1841, thus
becoming the first person in the United States to use natural gas for
industrial purposes.
The last public hanging in West Virginia was held in Jackson County in
December 1897.
The first glass plant in West Virginia was at Wellsburg in 1815. The
first pottery plant was in Morgantown in 1785.
In May 1860, the first well in the state for producing crude oil was
drilled at Burning Springs.
Stone that was quarried near Hinton was contributed by West Virginia for
the Washington Monument and arrived in Washington in February 1885.
West Virginia University was established on February 7, 1867 under the
name of "Agricultural College of West Virginia."
Bailey Brown, the first Union solider killed in the Civil War, died on
May 22, 1861, at Fetterman, Taylor County.
On May 31, 1910, the Supreme Court held that the Maryland-West Virginia
boundary was the low-water mark of the south bank of the Potomac River.
The first spa open to the public was at Berkeley Springs, West Virginia,
in 1756 (then, Bath, Virginia).
The Christian Church was begun in West Virginia by Alexander Campbell in
Bethany.
Mrs. Minnie Buckingham Harper, a member of the House of Delegates by
appointment in 1928, was the first African American woman to become a
member of a legislative body in the United States.
Chester Merriman of Romney was the youngest soldier of World War I,
having enlisted at the age of 14.
The first brick street in the world was laid in Charleston, West
Virginia, on October 23, 1870, on Summers Street, between Kanawha and
Virginia Streets.
Learn more at 50states.com
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