IMPORTANT DATES IN WEST VIRGINIA HISTORY
1669? John Lederer and his companions became
the first Virginians to see the West
Virginia region.
1727 Germans from Pennsylvania established a
settlement at New Mecklenburg (now
Shepherdstown.
1742 John P. Salling discovered coal on the
Coal River.
1775 Gas was discovered near Charleston.
1836 The first railroad reached the state at
Harpers Ferry.
1859 John Brown and his followers raided the
Federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry.
1861 The counties of western Virginia
refused to secede with Virginia. These
counties organized a separate
government that supported the Union.
1863 West Virginia became the 35th state on
June 20.
1872 The people ratified the present state
constitution.
1915 The Supreme Court of the United States
ruled that West Virginia owed Virginia
$12,393,929.50 as part of the state
debt at the time of separation.
1920-21 West Virginia miners fought with mine
guards, police, and federal troops in
a dispute over organizing unions.
1939 West Virginia made its final payment of
its debt to Virginia.
1946 Major chemical industries began
operating in the Ohio River valley.
1959 The National Radio Astronomy
Observatory began operating at
Green Bank.
1968 Explosions and fire in a West Virginia
coal mine took 78 lives. The disaster
led to new mine safety laws.
1972 One of the worst floods in West
Virginia history killed more than
100 persons near Man.
1985 The West Virginia Legislature
established a state lottery to help
raise money for the state.
Source: World Book Encyclopedia