Weston & Gauley Bridge Turnpike

Alfred Beckley was appointed a militia general

The Buffalo Academy was founded

Alexander Campbell elected president of the American Christian Missionary Society

Baltimore investors built Mountain House at Capon Springs

First national convention of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination

General Assembly authorized development of plans for improvements to make Coal River more navigable

John Gallaher was named auditor for the U.S. Treasury by President Zachary Taylor

Guyandotte was officially incorporated

City of New Cumberland received its charter from Virginia

Frank Hereford moved to California where he practiced law

John Jay Jackson Jr. served as prosecuting attorney of Ritchie County

Cummins Jackson died in California

John Jacob obtained a B.A. from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania

The first Jewish community established a religious congregation in Wheeling

William C. Kelly was born

Construction on the B&O line Kingwood Tunnel began

George Latham moved to Taylor County

The Guyandotte Navigation Company was incorporated by the state of Virginia

The National Hotel was built in Martinsburg

Randolph McCoy married his cousin Sarah McCoy

Alexander Creel bought back land he had previously sold and established the city of St. Marys

Samuel Price was reelected to the House of Delegates.

William Miller died

Lydia Shepherd denied that Betty Zane made the famous gunpowder run to save Fort Henry, claiming it was Molly Scott

Patrick Donahue was born

The Wheeling tannery was founded by John G. Hoffman

Wheeling had free public schools

Winfield was laid out

A brick courthouse was completed at Winfield

The town of Ceredo founded by Northern abolitionist, Eli Thayer

John Floyd was appointed U.S. Secretary of War

B&O Railroad improved transportation in Harrison County

The Northwestern Virginia Railroad opened from Grafton to Parkersburg

Albert Jenkins became a U.S. Congressman

Henry Mathews began practicing law in Lewisburg

John McCausland graduated from Virginia Military Institute

The Northwestern Virginia Railroad built a station where Oil Spring Run flows into Goose Creek

The Ceredo Crescent was established

George Summers and wife purchased the Glenwood estate in Charleston

A large building and five cottages were built at Sweet Springs

Traveller was born

The Virginia Conference approved he creation of the United Brethren Parkersburg Conference

Peter Van Winkle served as the president of the Northwestern Virginia Railroad

Academy Hall was built for West Liberty

The old Grafton House was built

Old Main campus construction began at Bethany College

Resort property sold to the West Virginia Baptist Association

John Brown met in Chatham, Ontario, with supporters to plan for armed insurrection of slaves

Martin Delany aided John Brown in convening the Chatham Convention

Henry Gassaway Davis left the B&O

Delta Tau Delta was founded at Bethany College

Weston College was chartered

Marshall College was established from Marshall Academy

George Imboden was admitted to the bar

Other mills were destroyed by floods on the Jug of the Middle Island Creek

Margery Lewis Kenna moved her family to Missouri after the shooting of her husband

General Assembly amended the act of incorporation

Presbyterians established the Woodburn Female Seminary in Morgantown

Z. D. Ramsdell relocated to Ceredo.

The second courthouse at Ripley was built

Robert Simmons had fathered nine children

Spencer was chartered

McDowell County seat was at Perryville

Weston was chosen for the site of Virginia's third mental hospital

Construction began on Weston State Hospital

The first West Virginia legislature proposed to educate "free colored children," the proposal was left unfunded.

The decision to have Attorney General elected by popular vote was made

B&O Railroad's management influenced people to support West Virginia statehood

Union troops shelled the town of Beckley, killing a little girl

Virginia's land and water boundaries given to West Virginia

Civil War skirmish at Bulltown Historic Area

River pirate John Lockwood arrest and tried for murder

Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley were commissioned first lieutenants at Camp Piatt

Melodrama East Lynne written

West Virginia experimented with New England modified township system

West Virginia constitution established public free school system

William Edwards opened mines at Coalburg

West Virginia's first election was conducted

Stephen Elkins left the army

Constitution stated that the "executive department shall consist of a governor, secretary of state, superintendent of free schools, auditor, treasurer and attorney general."

Construction of Fort Boreman began

Frederick County citizens voted not to become part of West Virginia

John Hale organized the Bank of the West

Harrison County was first in West Virginia in the production of beef cattle

Devil Anse Hatfield deserted the regular Virginia infantry in the Civil War

The state constitution stated that Delegates of the House of Delegates served one-year terms

Chester Hubbard became a member of the first West Virginia senate

John Jay Jackson Sr supported the move for the creation of a separate state but opposed the abolition of slavery

Mudwall Jackson led troops against Union Gen. Thomas Harris

The presence of the B&O influenced the decision to include Jefferson County in the new state

The state constitution adopted Virginia common law and statutes as the law of West Virginia

Daniel Lamb was a member of the first West Virginia legislature

West Virginia state government resumed the project for Weston Hospital

The Marshall College property was sold at public auction to Salina Hite Mason

The Methodist Church claimed the largest number of congregation in West Virginia

Reported 250 newspapers had been established

Editors changed their mastheads to reflect the name of the new state

Hiram Clay first settled in what is know Pineville.

Samuel Price was elected lieutenant governor of Confederate Virginia.

Beckley was bombarded by federal artillery.

The first period of Republican dominance began

Mrs. Henry Woods wrote East Lynne

The first free school opened in Ripley

Lewis Ruffner was appointed a major general of militia for West Virginia

Nathan Scott enlisted in the Union army in Ohio

The Supreme Court of Appeals sat at Wheeling with three justices

Thurmond's Rangers became 44th Virginia Cavalry Battalion

Campbell Tarr became West Virginia's first state treasurer

The repayment to the state of Virginia was included in the West Virginia constitution

Legislature gave official sanction to teachers organization

The name was changed to West Virginia Hospital for the Insane

Kellian Whaley was reelected to Congress from West Virginia

Confederate forces reoccupied Lewisburg

Waitman Willey began serving as U.S. Senator from West Virginia

Wirt County was divided into 7 districts

Fort Boreman was constructed in Wood County

A major drought lowered the Monongahela's water lever significantly

The New Dominion and Morgantown Post began sharing plant facilities

The name of Morgantown's New Dominion newspaper was changed to Dominion-News

Reported nearly 2,500 Mormons in West Virginia

Dwight Morrow resigned as ambassador to Mexico

The Bank of Commerce became a national bank

Delf Norona moved to West Virginia

Oak Park in Preston County closed

WVU Experiment Farm was established at Kearneysville

Pinecrest, a TB sanitarium, opened in Beckley

Leonard Riggleman was elected vice president of Morris Harvey College, now University of Charleston

William A. MacCorkle left his Charleston mansion, Sunrise, to the Salvation Army

The Seneca Caverns were opened to the public

Shepherd College was designated as a four-year teachers college

The West Virginia Midland Railroad closed

The first improved road was built into the southern half of Smoke Hole

Warner Brothers took over the Smoot Theater in Parkersburg

The Sistersville and Middlebourne streetcar line ceased operation

Hinton's population was 6,654

Summers County population was 20,468

Sweet Springs went into receivership

Thurmond population peaked at 462

A severe drought on the Tygart Valley River nearly shut down navigation on Monongahela

Ward Engineering built the Scott

Walter Fredericks sold WCHS

Welch population was at 5,376

There were 22 basketball teams in the WVAU tournament

Population of Wheeling peaked at 61,659

Wyoming County population was 20,926

Commercial air service to Charleston started

Lenna Yost directed the Women's Division of the National Republican Party

The Tavern at Youghiogheny Forest Colony was built

Justice Chambers enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve.