Mother Jones – Union Leader WV Mine Wars – Part 4
The History Project
It's an old joke that well-behaved women seldom make history and while that may not be true, Mother Jones put the maxim to the test. Having lost her entire family to a yellow fever epidemic, Jones dedicated her life to helping American laborers get their fair share. A firebrand whose voice still rings through the hills of West Virginia, she left her mark on the state and our nation. YouTube:
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Frank Kenney – Union Leader WV Mine Wars – Part 3
The History Project
Heroes often rise from the place where they were born, and Frank Keeney is just such an example. Born in Cabin Creek, he grew up in the epicenter of the labor struggle of West Virginia's southern coalfields. He did not wait for things to get fixed but decided to fix them himself, getting elected to the UMWA and leading the miners to the first major strike in the state. YouTube:
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Mary Lou Retton
The History Project
When a young Mary Lou Retton of Fairmont saw Nadia Comaneci compete in the 1976 Olympics, she decided that gymnastics was for her. After local coaching and training from Comaneci's coach, she ascended to the same heights as her heroine and became a role model for later American gymnastic Olympians like Kerri Strug and Simone Biles.
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Joseph H. Diss Debar – Creator of State’s Symbolism
The History Project
Every West Virginian knows that “Mountaineers Are Always Free” but what many may not know is that our state motto was a quick addition to our state seal by its designer. A Frenchman came to the mountains and blended the imagery of his old and new homes to give West Virginia its symbolism. YouTube:
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Katherine Johnson - NASA Mathematician
The History Project
Many legends blaze trails loudly with a roar, but others, like Katherine Johnson, lead direction with a gentle whisper. After the release of the book and th film "Hidden Figures," the world learned about Johnson and her colleagues, the women who played a key role at NASA in America's space race. YouTube:
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The Legend of John Henry
The History Project
In the company of Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and the Mighty Casey, John Henry is a legend whom people see as a proper metaphor for the American spirit. Created from the ideals of African American laborers on the Big Bend Tunnel in the 1870s in Talcott, West Virginia, John Henry is the embodiment of the hero hardworking people needed then and now, and this is more than his story: It is our story. YouTube:
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George Washington’s Kanawha Tracts
The History Project
While George Washington is famous for his grand estate, Mt. Vernon, in Virginia, few may know he owned thousands of acres in what would become West Virginia. As an surveyor and a veteran of the French & Indian and Revolutionary wars, Washington collected large parcels in the river valleys of the colonial West and they became a part of the Kanawha Tracts. YouTube:
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The Wheeling Convention
The History Project
No other state was ever torn from another as was West Virginia. With the Civil War looming on the horizon, The Richmond Convention gave Virginia the opportunity to secede from the United States and The Wheeling Convention restored the rights of the state's western citizens to remain with the U.S. by seceding from Virginia. YouTube:
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The Niagra Movement at Harper's Ferry
The History Project
Frustrated with the decline of Reconstruction, author and intellectual W.E.B. DuBois organized the greatest African American minds of the early 20th Century to form the Niagara Movement. After its first conference held in Canada, the movement's first meeting in the United States was a symbolic and landmark event at Harpers Ferry, and it would resonate to this very day. YouTube:
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Frank Buckles - Last Surviving American World War I Veteran
The History Project
As Americans celebrate Memorial Day, we are reminded of the sacrifices made by our veterans who kept the United States and most of the world free. What better time to examine the fascinating life of Charles Town hero Frank Buckles, who lived to be the last surviving American veteran of World War I. YouTube:
info_outlineWhile Appalachia is known for having a mostly European-descendent white population, it also has a rich history of people of color. This includes not just African Americans but also Native Americans, primarily Cherokee. There is one culture, though, found in Barbour County near Phillipi, that embodies all three races, known for the community they settled and live in today.