Charleston WV – The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history.
To read more, go to e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia at www.wvencyclopedia.org.
Aug. 26, 1863: Union and Confederate forces collided in what became known as the
Battle of White Sulphur Springs. The next morning, with ammunition nearly depleted, Union
General William Averell retreated to his base without accomplishing any of his objectives.
Aug. 26, 1918: Mathematician Katherine Johnson was born in White Sulphur Springs.
For 33 years, Johnson worked for NASA, making calculations for manned space flights,
including the Apollo 11 moon landing. In 2015, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Aug. 27, 1902: Mary McClain, known professionally as “Diamond Teeth Mary,” was
born Mary Smith in Huntington. McClain was a blues legend who performed at Carnegie Hall,
the White House, the Apollo Theatre and the Cotton Club.
Aug. 28, 1900: Harrison H. Ferrell Jr. was born in Chicago. Known as “the Dean” to
generations of students, he was professor of German, 1928–66, at West Virginia State College
(now University) and served as dean and in other capacities from 1930 until 1970.
Aug. 29, 1880: Ceramist Frederick Hurten Rhead was born in England. He designed the
famous Fiestaware line of tableware while working for Homer Laughlin China in Newell,
Hancock. It was introduced in 1936.
Aug. 29, 1952: A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Mercer County to mark the
beginning of construction of the West Virginia Turnpike. Initially, most of the turnpike was just
two lanes because officials believed revenues would be too low to finance four lanes.
Aug. 30, 1862: Confederate raiders under the command of General Albert G. Jenkins
attacked and occupied Buckhannon, where they captured 20 prisoners and 5,000 stands of small
arms.
Aug. 31, 1945: The USS West Virginia led American battleships into Tokyo Bay two
days before the formal surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945.
Sept. 1, 1671: Thomas Batte, Robert Hallom and Thomas Wood set out from Petersburg,
Virginia, to explore west of the Appalachian Mountains. Batte and Hallom are credited with
being the first explorers to document the New River. Their expedition later bolstered England’s
claims to the Ohio Valley.
Sept. 1, 1777: Fort Henry, located at what is now Wheeling, was attacked by Indians for
the first time during the Revolutionary War. Nearly half the militia were lured outside the post
and killed. The fort would be attacked again in 1782.
Sept. 1, 1907: Walter Phillips Reuther was born to German immigrant parents in
Wheeling. Reuther was a founder of the modern labor movement and a long-time president of
the United Auto Workers.
Sept. 1, 1921: By this date during the Battle of Blair Mountain, miners had captured half
of the 25-mile mountain ridge and were ready to descend upon Logan. President Warren Harding
placed the strike zone under martial law, and ordered federal troops and a squadron of bomber
aircraft into the state.
e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia is a project of the West Virginia Humanities
Council. For more information contact the West Virginia Humanities Council, 1310 Kanawha
Blvd. E., Charleston, WV 25301; (304) 346-8500; or visit e-WV at www.wvencyclopedia.org.
