West Virginia Trivia & Tidbits - Page 13

Looking for West Virginia trivia? Try our list West Virginia little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

The Golden Delicious apple originated in Clay County in 1905 on the farm of Anderson Mullins. It became the official state fruit in 1995.

first appeared: 7/21/2002

Harrison County, created in 1785, is named after Benjamin Harrison, a former Virginia governor who was the father of William H. Harrison (ninth U.S. president) and great-grandfather of Benjamin Harrison (23rd U.S. president).

first appeared: 7/14/2002

Wetzel County, formed in 1846, was named in honor of Lewis Wetzel, a frontiersman often referred to as West Virginia’s “Daniel Boone.” Born in 1764, Wetzel was best known for his ability to load and shoot his rifle while running through the woods.

first appeared: 7/7/2002

The New and Gauley rivers in West Virginia have some of the most celebrated whitewater rapids on earth and were the site of the 2001 World Rafting Championships.

first appeared: 6/30/2002

Bunker Hill Mill in Berkeley County is the oldest mill in the state (circa 1735) and the only featuring dual water wheels.

first appeared: 6/23/2002

Hundred (pop. 344) was named for settlers Henry and Hannah Church. Henry —known as “Old Hundred”—was born in 1750 and lived 109 years. Hannah was born in 1755 and lived to 106.

first appeared: 6/16/2002

Like the state of the same name, Wyoming County, formed in 1850, is said to be named for the American Indian word for “large plain.”

first appeared: 6/9/2002

“Big Moses” in Tyler County, once touted as the world’s largest gas well, produced 100 million cubic feet of gas per day in the 1890s. It no longer produces.

first appeared: 6/2/2002

Built in 1833, the main building of the Sweet Springs resort in Monroe County was designed by Thomas Jefferson.

first appeared: 5/26/2002

Ronceverte (pop. 1,557) is a late 19th- and early 20th-century timber and railroad town on the banks of the Greenbrier River. Reminders of the town’s past include an old terminal, coaling station, and water tower.

first appeared: 5/19/2002

The late 1700s Campbell Mansion in Bethany (pop. 985) was the home of philosopher, author, and religious leader Alexander Campbell, founder of Bethany College.

first appeared: 5/12/2002

The first radio telescope used for astronomy research was designed and built in 1937 by Grote Reber. The Reber Radio Telescope, a forerunner to most of today’s models, is displayed at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank (pop. 365).

first appeared: 5/5/2002

At little more than 24 feet long, the 1911 Laurel Creek Bridge in Monroe County is the smallest covered bridge in the state.

first appeared: 4/28/2002

Created in 1814, Tyler County was named for John Tyler, eighth governor of Virginia and father of John Tyler, 10th president of the United States.

first appeared: 4/21/2002

The six-ton ribbon stalactite in Smoke Hole Caverns near Petersburg (pop. 2,423) is the largest of its kind in the world. The unusual formation was shaped by the gentle air currents flowing through the cavern.

first appeared: 4/14/2002

In 1965, the 100,000-acre Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area was the first to receive that national distinction in the U.S. Forest Service.

first appeared: 4/7/2002

Opened in the early 1900s, Berdine’s is the state’s (and possibly the nation’s) oldest continuously operating five and dime store. Located in Harrisville (pop. 1,842), the shop still stocks penny candy at an antique confection counter.

first appeared: 3/31/2002

In 1742, explorer John Peter Salley reported an outcropping of coal along a tributary of the Kanawha River. He named this tributary the Coal River, which became the first reference to coal in what is now West Virginia.

first appeared: 3/24/2002

Founded in 1884, Oakhurst Links in White Sulphur Springs (pop. 2,315) was America’s first organized golf club.

first appeared: 3/17/2002

The Cranberry Glades area near Elkins (pop. 7,032) is a 750-acre wilderness containing the country’s southernmost growing point of such arctic flora as reindeer moss.

first appeared: 3/10/2002

jump to page: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18

newspaper partner login create account

Recent

Popular

Recipes

Below are the most recent American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile recipes:

Relish

Spry

Below are the most recent articles from our Relish sister site. Click on the "Spry" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.

Below are the most recent articles from our Spry sister site. Click on the "Relish" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.