West Virginia Trivia & Tidbits - Page 7

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

An 1889 one-room schoolhouse, moved in 1994 to the campus of Marshall University in Huntington (pop. 51,475), offers visitors a living history lesson. The building, known as Union School, was located originally in rural Cabell County.

first appeared: 12/19/2004

Astronaut Jon McBride, born in 1943 in Charleston (pop. 53,421), piloted the space shuttle Challenger on Oct. 5, 1984.

first appeared: 12/5/2004

At Pickaway in Monroe County (pop. 14,583), 71 schoolchildren grew corn from seed provided by the state university's Extension Department in 1908, forming the state's first Corn Club, a forerunner to today's 4-H Clubs.

first appeared: 11/21/2004

"Forting up" was a way of life for settlers in the late 1700s during Indian uprisings. At Prickett’s Fort State Park at Fairmont (pop. 19,097), the 1774 fort, where families sought refuge, has been re-created.

first appeared: 11/7/2004

Completed in 1977, the 876-foot-high New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville (pop. 2,754) is the second highest bridge in the United States.

first appeared: 10/24/2004

The West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville (pop. 9,998), a Gothic style maximum-security prison from 1876 to 1995, attracts thousands of visitors each year.

first appeared: 10/10/2004

The 293-foot-tall dome on the state Capitol in Charleston (pop. 53,421) is among the nation’s tallest and is 5 feet taller than the nation’s Capitol dome.

first appeared: 10/3/2004

The state’s first newspaper was The Potomac Guardian and Berkley Advertiser, published in 1790 in Shepherdstown (pop. 803).

first appeared: 9/19/2004

The state’s first long-distance telephone line was installed in 1883 between Wheeling (pop. 31,419) and Pittsburgh, Pa.

first appeared: 9/12/2004

Residents of New Martinsville (pop. 5,984) flocked to the train station in 1925 to greet Hollywood starlet Gloria Swanson, who filmed Stage Struck there.

first appeared: 9/5/2004

Since 1952, hawk watchers have monitored fall migrations from Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory, a former fire observation post atop Peters Mountain in Monroe County (pop. 14,583).

first appeared: 8/29/2004

Johnny West and Davy Crockett figures are among displays at the Marx Toy Museum in Moundsville (pop. 9,998). The museum is near the former Marx toy factory in Glen Dale (pop. 1,552).

first appeared: 8/22/2004

In the late 1800s, houses were built so quickly in Davis (pop. 624) that tree stumps dotted the town, which was nicknamed “stump town.”

first appeared: 8/15/2004

Architect Lemuel Chenoweth, born in 1811 in Randolph County, was the state’s foremost covered-bridge builder. The 1852 Philippi Bridge in Barbour County is one of his creations.

first appeared: 8/8/2004

West Virginia University at Morgantown (pop. 26,809) began offering the world’s first bachelor’s degree in forensic identification in 1997.

first appeared: 8/1/2004

Incorporated in 1853, Kingwood (pop. 2,944) was named for its forest of unusually tall or kingly trees.

first appeared: 7/25/2004

About 2,500 oil derricks sprouted during the 1890s oil boom in Sistersville (pop. 1,588).

first appeared: 7/18/2004

One of the nation’s largest radio collections can be seen and heard at the Museum of Radio & Technology in Huntington.

first appeared: 7/11/2004

Since 1931, the Golden Horseshoe Test has been given to eighth graders to measure their knowledge about the state. Top scorers are inducted into the Golden Horseshoe Society.

first appeared: 6/27/2004

Ancient hemlock trees grow up to 90 feet tall in Cathedral State Park in Preston County (pop. 29,334), one of the nation’s last virgin hemlock forests.

first appeared: 6/20/2004

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