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.
Nov. 5, 1891: Alfred Earle “Greasy” Neale was born in Parkersburg. He was one of West Virginia’s greatest all-around athletes.
Nov. 5, 1922: Cecil Underwood was born at Josephs Mills in Tyler County. Underwood, West Virginia’s 25th and 32nd governor, served as the state’s youngest and oldest chief executive.
Nov. 5, 1927: Musician “Ellie” Mannette was born in Trinidad and helped popularize steel drum music worldwide. In 1992, he became an artist-in-residence at WVU, coordinating the school’s steel drum program. In 1999, he was named a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow, the nation’s highest arts honor.
Nov. 6, 1863: Confederate troops led by Brig. Gen. John Echols were defeated at Droop Mountain by a larger federal force led by Brig. Gen. William W. Averell. This was one of the most important Civil War battles fought on West Virginia soil.
Nov. 6, 1923: A methane gas explosion killed 27 men inside the Glen Rogers coal mine in Wyoming County. The mine, which opened in 1921, became one of the state’s largest. A total of 160 fatalities over a 31-year period occurred at the mine before it was closed.
Nov. 7, 1775: The historic Forks-of-Cheat Baptist Church was organized about six miles north of Morgantown. It is the oldest church with continuous records west of the Alleghenies in West Virginia.
Nov. 7, 1943: During World War II, Medal of Honor recipient Herbert J. Thomas Jr. was killed in the South Pacific. Thomas, who grew up in South Charleston, died by throwing himself on a grenade, saving his fellow squad members. WVU Medicine’s Thomas J. Memorial Hospital in South Charleston is named in his honor.
Nov. 8, 1936: It’s Wheeling Steel, a half-hour musical variety radio program, debuted over WWVA in Wheeling. The program was an instant success with local audiences and later became a nationwide sensation.
Nov. 8, 1936: Politician Darrell McGraw was born in Wyoming County. He served on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals (1977-89) and was West Virginia’s longest-serving Attorney General in history (1993-2013). He died in 2024.
Nov. 9, 1874: Matthew Mansfield Neely was born in Doddridge County. He was the 21st governor of West Virginia. Nov. 9, 1952: The Huntington Museum of Art opened as Huntington Galleries. The museum is located on more than 50 acres in the Park Hills section of Huntington.
Nov. 10, 1777: Cornstalk, his son Elinipsico, and the sub-chief Red Hawk were murdered in captivity by enraged settlers who blamed them for two recent killings. Cornstalk, a Shawnee leader who lived in what is today southeastern Ohio, had commanded Indian forces at the Battle of Point Pleasant.
Nov. 10, 1861: A Confederate cavalry force of more than 700 attacked a Union recruit camp at Guyandotte in Cabell County.
Nov. 10, 1978: The New River Gorge National River was established by Congress. It was designated a National Park and Preserve in 2020.
Nov. 10, 1979: The last home game was played at Old Mountaineer Field at West Virginia University. More than 38,000 people attended the game, in which WVU nearly upset highly ranked Pitt.
Nov. 11, 1922: Jane Taylor Cox George was born in Possum Hollow, Roane County. As a 4-H leader, she introduced young people to traditional crafts and dance in Kanawha, Putnam, Mercer, Monroe, and Roane counties, helped oversee the first Mountain State Art & Craft Fair in 1963, and was a longtime contributor to the Vandalia Gathering and other festivals.
Nov. 11, 1929: The Memorial Arch was dedicated on Armistice Day in Huntington. The Memorial Arch stands at the intersection of 11th Avenue and Memorial Boulevard. The arch pays tribute to Cabell County soldiers who fought in World War I.
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.
