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Coal Industry
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1797
Salt furnaces in Kanawha County began Other events that happened on or around 1797 Jesse Bennet, wife, and daughter moved to Mason County Buffington purchased the island, now Buffington Island Elisha Brooks built the first salt furnace in the Charleston area Book issued in Shepherdstown by P. Rootes and C. Blagrove William Clendenin moved his family to Mason County George Clendenin died in Marietta, Ohio Jesse Bennet and family moved to Point Pleasant Patrick Gass family located in Brooke County The General Assembly created Brooke County from northern Ohio County William Parson and Samuel Tanner settled in the Jackson County area John J. Allen was born Elisha Brooks built his salt furnace on land from Joseph Ruffner Simon Kenton lost his wife in a fire The Impartial Observer was founded in Shepherdstown Pleasants County saw its first permanent settlers. Anne Newport married William Royall Lewis Ruffner was born Walter Newman built a tavern at Point Pleasant The William Little family settled Littleton Wheeling became the county seat of Ohio County Oceana was established
1815
James Otis Watson was born in Fairmont Other events that happened on or around 1815 Roman Bath house constructed in Morgan County at Berkeley Springs State Park Dr. Richard Ellis Putney set up practice in Malden Claude Crozet ended term with Napoleon at his defeat at Waterloo The stockade at Fort Lee was torn down Patrick Gass returned home to Brooke County after the War of 1812 Stockton's Tavern, later known as the Glen Ferris Inn, was built by two Irishmen Reported 52 salt furnaces were operating along the Kanawha River for a distance of ten miles east of Charleston A small settlement began to farm near the present day eastern corporate limits of Hurricane Joseph Johnson was elected to the House of Delegates Maps for the Virginia Board of Public Works began being published Daniel Ruffner built Holly Grove mansion in Charleston Asa Shinn laid out town lots in present Shinnston The daughters of Charles Wells laid out town lots for Sistersville Middlebourne became the county seat of Tyler County The first general conference of the clergy of the Church of the United Brethren was held A log House was built in Union Cabell County troops fought at the Battle of New Orleans
1840
90 furnaces produced a million bushels of salt annually Other events that happened on or around 1840 Management at Sweet Springs opened a new hostelry Gordon Battelle received a B.A. from Marietta Collegiate Institute (Marietta College) John Carlile was admitted to the bar Castlerock community began Eli Moore graduated from Jefferson College William Howe given patent for the Howe truss system G. W. Hammond demolished Ferdinando Fairfax's plantation, Shannon Hill, and built the present dwelling in Jefferson County Fayette County's first census recorded 3,924 residents Two communion cups from this year are among the antiques of the Forks-of-Cheat Baptist Church John Hale moved to the Kanawha Valley Mill Island was built as a private house John H. Hall invented the first working interchangeable firearms manufacturing system for breechloading rifle at Hall's Rifle Works Chester Hubbard graduated as valedictorian from Wesleyan University of Connecticut The first church was built in the Jackson County area Jackson County's population was 4,890 Construction of the James River & Kanawha Canal was completed between Richmond and Lynchburg Joseph Lightburn moved to Lewis County Kanawha Salines Presbyterian Church was constructed Mifflin Marsh began selling stogies to steamboat crews and passengers for four for a penny John Chapman erected the first house in New Cumberland All bridges on the Northwestern Virginia Turnpike were completed William P. Rathbone and his sons purchased 12,000 acres at Burning Springs Run in Wirt County. Census provided numerical proof that the white population of the Trans-Allegheny exceeded that of the rest of the state Benjamin Stickley was licensed as a United Brethren evangelist German members of the United Brethren in Baltimore migrated to Braxton County The Rathbones purchased land at Burning Springs Female Academy in Union (Monroe County) started Locust Hill was built by Lucy Elizabeth Washington The Wine family first settled in Braxton County
1852
James Watson organized the Montana Mining Company Other events that happened on or around 1852 The congregation of the African Zion Baptist Church formally organized for the black community of Malden. Lemuel Chenoweth designed and built Philippi's covered bridge. Buckhannon was chartered Archibald Campbell graduated from Bethany College Martin Delany published The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, And Destiny of the Colored People of the United States William Edwards opened his first coal mines on Paint Creek Thomas Moore Jackson was born Jacob Jackson was admitted to the bar Anna Maria Reeves married Granville E. Jarvis George Smith Patton graduated the Virginia Military Institute La Belle Ironworks was founded Robert E. Lee became superintendent of West Point Weston's first bank opened its doors Thomas Lake Harris and James L. Scott jointly led the Mountain Cove Spiritualist community The Wheeling Intelligencer was established The Ritchie Mines was discovered by Frederick Lemon Shinnston was chartered as a town by the General Assembly David Strother contributed 20 illustrations to John Pendleton Kennedy's Swallow Barn: A Sojourn in the Old Dominion George Summers was elected circuit judge of Kanawha County Grafton emerged as a city A major flood hit Virginius Island James O Watson joined with Francis H. Pierpont to open a mine in Fairmont Wheeling had a library The Wheeling Intelligencer began The Potomac River flooded The Shenandoah River flooded
1860
25 independent coal companies were organized Other events that happened on or around 1860 Psi Chapter of Beta Theta Pi was established Archibald Campbell's paper The Intelligencer only paper in Virginia to endorse Abraham Lincoln's presidency Archibald Campbell's paper The Intelligencer was the only paper in Virginia to endorse Abraham Lincoln's presidency Bethany College was the only institution of higher education in Western Virginia Allegheny College opened in Blue Sulphur Springs Stephen Elkins graduated from University of Missouri Daniel Farnsworth was elected to abortive term in House of Delegates of General Assembly Fayette County population at 5,997 Another German newspaper was established in Wheeling John Hale became the owner of a large salt works Hancock County reported only 2 slaves in population of 4,445 First railroad in Hancock County received its charter Nancy Hart and family moved to Roane County Morris Harvey left his service as Fayette County sheriff The Ices Ferry Ironworks closed due to lack of adequate transportation and the depletion of iron ore and fuel resources Reported 28 charcoal iron furnaces had been constructed in West Virginia Reported four Wheeling ironworks produced cut nails John Jacob left the University of Missouri to study and practice law Four short stone piers were placed under Jefferson Rock to stabilize it Joseph Johnson served as a member of the electoral college George Latham opened his practice in Grafton McDowell County had a population of 1,533 The Monongalia Academy, Morgantown Female Academy and Woodburn Female Seminary educated white students Summersville was incorporated The Rathbone Well, West Virginia's first major oil well, was drilled. Reported 174 baptisms at St. John's Chapel, Monroe County Rezin Davis Shepherd built a building for Shepherdstown's use Traveller took top prizes at the Lewisburg fair Census counted 1,428 residents in Tucker County Virginia chartered six new western turnpikes Webster County population was 1,555 The first permanent settler of Webster Springs was Polly Arthur Wheeling had 14,083 people Samuel D. Karnes leased an acre from the Rathbones
1867
Only 490,000 tons of coal were produced in West Virginia Other events that happened on or around 1867 Dr. James Dye was born in Chloe Delta Tau Delta revived its Bethany Chapter Marmaduke Dent enrolled in classes at WVU Sisters established a benevolent school for poor children in Parkersburg Joseph Diss Debar involved West Virginia in the Paris Exposition Easton Roller Mill began operation Stephen Elkins served as New Mexico's attorney general Palatine was incorporated Work on Grafton National Cemetery began Grantsville was named for Ulysses S. Grant Hamlin was chosen as county seat of Lincoln County Thomas Harris served in the House of Delegates The Clarksburg Independent School District was established Mother Jones's husband, George, and their four children died in the yellow fever epidemic in Memphis George Latham became U.S. Consul to Australia Joseph Lightburn became a Baptist preacher The Little Kanawha Navigation Company let contracts for the first four locks and dams The initial railroad map of West Virginia was published by the B&O Railroad Henry Hyannis purchased the old Nadenbousch distillery in Martinsburg John McCausland returned to Mason County after fleeing the country at the end of the Civil War Dr. James Edmund Reeves and 32 colleagues established the West Virginia State Medical Association, orginally the Medical Society of West Virginia The West Virginia Penitentiary opened A monument commemorating the Confederate dead was erected at Romney Indian Mound Cemetery Trustees of West Liberty sold the school to the state I. C. White became one of the first 6 students to enter the Agricultural College of West Virginia (WVU) William Wilson graduated from Columbian College West Virginia legislature authorized the establishment of normal schools to train teachers Uncle Dyke Garrett married Sallie "Aunt Sallie" Smith
1893
Clarence Wayland Watson founded the Briar Hill Coal Company Other events that happened on or around 1893 Robert A. Spencer acquired the paper and renamed in the Raleigh Register. Bluefield had two newspapers, the Bluefield Telegraph and the Daily Journal The Journal ceased daily publication F.R. Swann began published Charleston Evening Mail Justus Collins opened Collins Colliery and the Greenbrier Coal & Coke William Conley earned a law degree from WVU John Dickinson moved to Charleston from Malden Samuel Dixon and partner organized the MacDonald mine The first Douglass High School graduated its first high school class Legislature provided for two levels of teacher certificates Aretas Fleming returned to practicing law Henry Harrison Hunter won blue ribbon at World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago for quality of sand he mined and processed Graceland was completed The Great Bend Tunnel was lined with brick arching Joseph Harvey Long arrived in Huntington to buy the Herald John Jeremiah Jacob died and was buried in Indian Mound Cemetery Chicago World's Fair has a West Virginia state exhibit John Joseph Kain left the Diocese of Wheeling to become Archbishop of St. Louis John Q. Dickinson moved Kanawha Valley Bank into a substantial new building Virgil Lewis was awarded an M.A. in history from WVU The N&W Railroad built its main line along the Big Sandy River Joseph Long moved to Huntington to buy the Herald Daniel Lucas left the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Uncle Jack McElwain won a fiddle contest at the Chicago World's Fair Bill McKell built his home at Glen Jean Johnson Camden McKinley moved to Wheeling C. F. Millspaugh left WVU to become curator of botany at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago High-quality semibitumious coal from Davis' Big Vein was displayed at the Chicago World's Fair Sistersville became the nation's premier oil-field boom town Henry Schmulbach opened his Wheeling inclined railway to riders William Edwin Chilton became secretary of sate Pittsburgh's William Flaccus and Son bought a tannery along the Buckhannon River Telephone switchboards were installed at Bluefield The city of Parsons was incorporated Charles Ward's boilers were showcased at the Chicago World's Fair Ward Engineering Works built the Mascot for the U.S. Engineering Corp Clarence W. Watson joined his father and brothers in the mining enterprises Chitwood Hall was completed at WVU The earliest Whipple Company Store was constructed in Glen Jean for Collins Colliery Company The country began an economic depression The Woodson family moved to Huntington
1902
Watson-Fleming-Camden syndicate acquired the Somerset Coal Company Other events that happened on or around 1902 Harrison Ash became chief of police at Thurmond Baldwin-Felts Agency helped break a strike in the New River Field Rosa Pelham was forced out of the castle by debt Sam Black Church is built Mother Blizzard's family was evicted from their home because of her support of the coal strike Aaron Bloch succeeded his brother, Samuel, as president of Bloch Brothers Tobacco Stephen B. Elkins purchased the Morgantown & Kingwood Railroad James Callahan was appointed chairman of the Department of History and Political Science at WVU Andrew Carnegie donated $33,000 to Lewisburg Female Institute to build Carnegie Hall Cecil B. Highland became a stockholder of Clarksburg Exponent Telegram The Coal & Coke Railway Company sold the Central & Pittsburgh Voters amended the constitution making Secretary of State an elected office The Mahan family quit farming the land Edward Franzheim was probably the most successful architect in West Virginia The Greenbrier Military Academy was bought by the Greenbrier Presbytery and renamed the Greenbrier Presbyterial School The Homer Laughlin China Company purchased the Newell Farm and expanded across the Ohio into West Virginia Nancy Hart died The state called troops to mining strikes The state called troops to areas with striking miners The Hazel Atlas Glass Company was created The UMWA organized about 7,000 miners in the Kanawha Valley James H. Nash bought Holly Grove Mansion and made changes Albert F. Holden and William H. Coolidge inspected 30,000 acres of land on Coppers Fork of Island Creek Elmer Jacobs designed the parts of Seneca Glass Company building that had fallen to fire A History of the Valley of Virginia was reprinted The C&O Railroad was built along the Guyandotte River Patients other than coal miners were charged $1.59/ day at McKendree Hospital The West Virginia University School of Medicine was founded in Morgantown Samuel Alexander McCoy and G. W McCauley bought the Hardy County News from Capt. J. J. Chipley Matthew M. Neely opened a Fairmont law office John Nugent came to West Virginia as a UMWA organizer Oak Hill's first high school was established by Charles T. Jones and Albert G. Sevy George Rashid migrated to the United States from Syria The Pinch Reunion was established by Judge William W. Wertz The Greenbrier Division of the C&O was completed to Durbin Potomac State College began operation as the West Virginia Preparatory School The Rending of Virginia was originally published in Chicago by Mayer & Miller Frederick Rhead came to America Charles Ritter married Mabel McClinock Benjamin Rosenbloom played on the WVU football team St. Lawrence Boom & Manufacturing Company at Ronceverte began to receive logs from Anthony's Creek by rail Shannondale Springs was sold to H.C. Getzendanner The New River Coal strike occurred The Capitol City Lodge incorporated the Pythian Mutual Investment Fund A constitutional amendment increased the Supreme Court of Appeals justices to five The Interurban streetcar line reached Vienna Vienna opened West Virginia's first country club Ward Engineering Works built the James Rumsey for the U.S. Engineering Corp H. Rus Warne and Charles G. Rabenstein established an architect firm Fairmont Coal Company operated 28 mines and employed 6,067 The community of Addison receives the postal name of Webster Springs A narrow-gauge railroad arrived at Webster Springs Davis sold the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg(h) Railroad to the Gould interests The Medical Society of West Virginia name changed to West Virginia State Medical Association
1909
Consolidation Coal, Fairmont Coal and Somerset Coal companies combined into the Consolidation Coal Company Other events that happened on or around 1909 R. D. Bailey graduated from Valparaiso University in Indiana Waitman Barbe wrote Famous Poems Explained Broaddus Institute (now part of Alderson Broaddus University) moved from Clarksburg to Philippi Broaddus Institute (now Alderson-Broaddus College) moved from Clarksburg to Philippi Rosa Pelham returned to the castle The Birch Boom & Lumber Company built a sawmill near the mouth of Birch River West Virginia legislature created the Board of Control which consolidated management and fiscal control over West Virginia's institutions The Bluefield Daily Telegraph dubbed Bramwell the "Coalfield Capital" Sturdevant and Johnson's partnership ended, factory ceased operation and buildings torn down Camp Dawson was established Elegant seven-story Waldo Hotel opened West Virginia legislation prepared way for establishment of National Forest Reserve in Monongahela Legislature authorized the governor to appoint a Forest, Game and Fish Warden Danske Dandridge wrote George Michael Bedinger, a Kentucky Pioneer Huntington annexed Central City Legislation called for forest protection and research and provided fines and imprisonment for owners who intentionally or carelessly set fires Sunday hunting and fishing was prohibited by legislature Michael Owens began his own company to manufacture bottles in Fairmont and Clarksburg Legislature appropriated funds to purchase Grave Creek Mound A receiving vault was built at Greenwood Cemetery Lincoln County destroyed by fire City of Weirton was founded by Weirton Steel Ernest T. Weir established Weirton Steel The broad-gauge Harrisville Southern Railroad began to run to Cornwallis The Herald-Dispatch began with the merger of the Herald and the Huntington Dispatch Only two county seats in West Virginia were connected by paved highways Legislature established the State Road Fund and the position of state commissioner of public roads Timber production in West Virginia reached its long-time record of 1.5 billion board feet The Jackson Iron & Tin Company relocated to Holiday Cove in Hancock County Garland Wilson was born in Martinsburg Dr. Hugh G. Nicholson leased the Barber Sanatorium and added a nursing school James Kay opened mines on Campbells Creek Keystone was incorporated George Kossuth opened his own photography studio Howard B. Lee began to practice law in Bluefield The Morgantown Republican merged with the New Dominion-News The first congregation of the Church of the Nazarene in West Virginia appeared in Martinsburg Pardee & Curtin opened a double-band sawmill at Hominy Falls. Princeton was chartered as a city The Virginian Railway was completed, the last entry into West Virginia's coalfields. Ritchie Mines were abandoned A second sawmill for St. Lawrence was built for Neola The hotel in Shannondale Springs burned down again Thomas C. Miller became administrator of Shepherd College The Pope Dock Company built Goldenrod A stone sculpture of a frontiersman was dedicated in memory of the Battle of Point Pleasant A steel strike in Wheeling failed Ernest Weir expanded the Phillips Sheet and Tin Plate Company from Clarksburg West Virginia tobacco production peaked at 14,400,000 pounds Fred Torrey enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago T. C. Townsend first served as the state tax commissioner The name changed from Education Association of West Virginia to the State Education Association Byrd Prillerman became president of West Virginia Colored Institute (now West Virginia State University) The Western Maryland Railway company was organized White Sulphur Springs was incorporated as a town The Wirt County courthouse in Elizabeth burned down Completion of the Virginian Railway sparked an industrial boom in Mullens
1917
89.4 million tons of coal produced in West Virginia Other events that happened on or around 1917 Charles Ambler's last year teaching history and political science at Randolph-Macon College Hotel built by Harvey Ghiz in Logan West Virginia Folklore Society became inactive Louis Bennett Jr. graduated from Yale First book of poetry, Green Fruit,was published by John Bishop Florence Blanchfield enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps Pearl Sydenstricker married John Lossing Buck Louis Watson Chappell received his B.A. from Wake Forest William Edwin Chilton completed his term as U.S. Senate and became publisher U.S. government hired DuPont Company to build new nitrocellulose plant The Shenandoah (George Washington) National Forest was created U.S. Supreme Court supported Alston Dayton's "yellow dog" contracts ruling Legislature established the West Virginia State Colored Tuberculosis Sanitarium Diamond Shoe and Garment Co. received full department store status Natural gas peaked at 309 billion cubic feet Marion County in the Making was published Study of German in schools dropped due to the entrance of America in WWI Henry Hatfield entered the army medical corps as Captain West Virginia launched a series of highway improvements with creation of the State Road Commission The State Road Bureau was replaced by the State Road Commission The U.S. Supreme Court sustained the lower court ruling prohibiting UMWA from seeking to influence workers from breaking yellowdog contracts The House of Delegates grew to 94 delegates Itmann began mining the Pocahontas No. 3 coal seam in Wyoming County Billy Moore was born in Parkersburg Fanny Johnson and Vincent Costello moved back to Charleston Fanny Johnson's story "The Strange Looking Man" was included in a best short stories collection Mother Jones returned to West Virginia to hold meetings and seek union recognition in the Fairmont and Winding Gulf coalfield Frank Keeney became president of UMWA District 17 Harley Kilgore was commissioned a second lieutenant The town of Nitro was established by the U.S. War Department for the manufacture of munitions for WWI Fred Mooney became secretary-treasurer of UMWA District 17 Regents began to abolish high school courses in normal schools The U.S. government acquired the majority of land on Otter Creek for Monongahela National Forest The Owens Bottle Company opened a plant in the upper end of Kanawha City William Nelson Page moved to Washington. Pruntytown Correctional Center, near Grafton, offered eight years of education, providing a full grade-school education Denmar Sanitarium for black tuberculosis patients was established in Pocahontas County. The Division of Vital Statistics was established by the West Virginia Legislature. Short lines, including the Coal & Coke Railway, became part of the B&O. The Reymann Memorial Farm was donated to WVU as two separate farms Rat Rodgers was named to the All-American teams Samuel Craig Shaw became editor of the Moundsville Daily Echo Capt. Thomas J. Reynolds built his first real showboat and named it America Five companies merged to form the Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation The USS Huntington was equipped for early experiments in naval aviation Commercial mining had started in Webster County The Montgomery Preparatory School was renamed the West Virginia Trades School (now WVU Institute of Technology) Lenna Yost became the president of the West Virginia Equal Suffrage Association Mordecai Johnson became pastor of Charleston’s First Baptist Church
1932
Congress passed the National Labor Relations Act Other events that happened on or around 1932 Alderson Academy merged with Broaddus College to become Alderson-Broaddus College (now University) Alderson Academy merged with Broaddus Collegeto become Alderson-Broaddus College The Country Inn opened at Berkeley Springs and remains in use today UMWA supported T. C. Townsend for governor Harry Brawley earned an M.A. from WVU John W. Handlan formed the Brooks Bird Club Maurice Brooks began teaching biology at WVU Pearl Buck's book The Good Earth won Pulitzer Prize Capon Springs Resort was auctioned and purchased by Lou Austin The most recent courthouse was finished in Clarksburg Unemployed West Virginia veterans marching on Washington Samuel Cooper moved to Charleston Democrats regained majority during New Deal Ellis Dungan enrolled in film school at the University of Southern California
1997
Coal production reached record of 182 million tons Other events that happened on or around 1997 Allegheny Airlines changed its name to US Airways Bluestone Lake became a major supplier of public water Boundary dispute between West Virginia and Virginia involving Jefferson and Loudoun Counties was resolved Robert C. Byrd co-sponsored the resolution opposing the Kyoto Protocol Ernie Carpenter died Sam Hindman named publisher of the Charleston Daily Mail SCSM purchased by Mayflower Vehicle Systems Concord College received West Virginia's only true carillon Richard Currey published Lost Highway Trails and designated campsites at Dolly Sods were cleared of munitions left by the army Census of Agriculture noted 2,426 farms in West Virginia Bowden Fish Hatchery was taken over by the state Anna Marsh caught a 49-pound Muskie in Elk River Jack Fleming stopped anchoring sports radio at WVU Local historians asked the Wood County Commission for support in creating a park at Fort Boreman 3/4th of market value of agricultural products sold originated in Ridge and Valley counties View Articles by Existing Key Dates or Specify Your Own Date Range |
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