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.
Oct. 16, 1859: John Brown and his raiders captured the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, but they were soon besieged by townspeople, local militia and federal troops. The raid galvanized the nation, further alienating North and South and drastically reducing any possible middle ground for compromise before the Civil War.
Oct. 16, 1918: Dale Troy “Stoney” Cooper was born in Randolph County. He, his wife Wilma Lee and the Clinch Mountain Clan played country music on WWVA radio in Wheeling for a decade before spending the next 20 years on the Grand Ole Opry.
Oct. 16, 1922: The Rev. Leon Sullivan was born in Charleston. In 1977, Sullivan initiated the original Sullivan Principles, a code of conduct for companies operating in South Africa. The Principles were among the most effective efforts to end the system of apartheid.
Oct. 17, 1901: Folk artist S. L. Jones was born in Monroe County. He was widely recognized for his hand-carved, painted wood sculptures. His works are in the collections of the National Museum of American Art, Museum of American Art, Museum of American Folk Art, and West Virginia State Museum.
Oct. 18, 1941: William “Billy” Cox was born in Wheeling. He is one of two bassists to have played regularly with legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix.
Oct. 19, 1894: Historian and illustrator Julius Allan DeGruyter was born in Charleston. A self-taught painter and illustrator, DeGruyter’s art appeared in numerous exhibits and is represented in the collections of the State Museum. The artwork includes scenes of early Charleston.
Oct. 20, 1990: The current USS West Virginia (SSBN-736) was commissioned. The USS West Virginia is an Ohio Class Trident ballistic missile submarine that is 560 feet long, 42 feet wide, and displaces 18,750 tons when submerged.
Oct. 21, 1865: Bishop Matthew Wesley Clair Sr. was born in Union. He was one of the first African Americans elected as a bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Oct. 21, 1918: Governor Hulett Smith was born in Beckley. In the 1964 gubernatorial primary, Smith carried 53 of the state’s 55 counties, receiving more votes than his three opponents combined.
Oct. 22, 1693: Lord Thomas Fairfax was born in Kent, England. He inherited five million acres in Virginia, land that included much of present West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle.
Oct. 22, 1734: Frontiersman Daniel Boone was born in Pennsylvania. In 1788, Boone and his family settled near the mouth of the Kanawha River at Point Pleasant. He represented Kanawha County in the Virginia General Assembly in 1791.
Oct. 22, 1821: Collis P. Huntington was born in Harwinton, Connecticut. In 1869, Huntington purchased the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway and set about extending its tracks from Richmond across southern West Virginia to the Ohio River. There, in 1871, he established a new city bearing his name.
Oct. 22, 1922: Fiddler Wilson Douglas was born in Clay County. Influenced by fellow old-time musician French Carpenter, Douglas developed a unique style of playing that continues to inspire younger generations. In 1992, he received the Vandalia Award, West Virginia’s highest folklife honor.
Oct. 22, 1977: Construction of the New River Gorge Bridge was completed after three years of work. The Fayette County bridge is one of West Virginia’s best-known landmarks. It is the third-highest bridge in the United States and third-longest steel span in the Western Hemisphere
