George William Peterkin

Schools for black children were being built in 18 communities in West Virginia

A construction bid for Clarksburg School, an elementary black school, was accepted

A springhouse was built at Barger Springs (Summers County)

Jacob Blair was appointed minister to Costa Rica

The new Harpers Ferry bridge was completed

Thayer sold Ceredo to mortgage holder, Charles B. Hoard

Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad was created

Gen. William C. Wickham became president of the C&O Railroad

The state purchased the institution now known as Fairmont State University

Vedette changed name to the West Virginian

Freedmen's Bureau ceased operation in West Virginia

President Grant appointed Nathan Goff Jr. U.S. district attorney for West Virginia

Catherine Jackson White purchased Jackson's Mill

John Kenna finished his studies at St. Vincents Academy in Wheeling

Lincoln County's borders changed

The Agricultural College of West Virginia was renamed West Virginia University at the recommendation of Alexander Martin

Dr. H. Stieren of St. Louis established a bromine factory in Mason County

The Grand Army of the Republic established Decoration Day, predecessor to Memorial Day

The legislature created two public school districts in Morgantown, white and black

Anna Maria Jarvis organized Mothers' Friendship Day celebration

The steamboat Mountain Boy was built on the Monongahela River at Brownsville, Pennsylvania

All refineries except one founded by Johnson Newlon Camden closed due to his partnership with Standard Oil Trust

Drilling for oil and gas began in Roane County

William Rosecrans served as minister to Mexico

John Cunningham acquired the Phillip R. Thompson property, which he had incorporated and named Kanawha City

Senator Peter Van Winkle cast the next-to-last vote and only Republican vote that saved President Andrew Johnson from being removed on impeachment charges

Fred E. Brooks was born

Reported 200 patients were being cared for at Weston State Hospital

Winfield was incorporated

West Virginia had 40,000 farms in 8.6 million acres

Split between the Northern and Southern Baptists mended

Belle Boyd married again to John Swainston

Second governor of West Virginia, Daniel D.T. Farnsworh lived in Buckhannon

Johnson Newlon Camden entered the refining business at Parkersburg

Coke replaced anthracite as the leading blast furnace fuel in America

Peter G. Van Winkle term as West Virginia's first U.S. senator ended

Fairmont State Regency normal was renamed the Fairmont Branch Normal (Fairmont State University)

Trinity Church in Huntington held its first services at Cabell County Courthouse

West Virginia passed its first game laws

The survival of the White Sulphur Springs resort was ensured by the arrival of the C&O Railway

Cooper's Mill was built in Summers County

Helvetia was settled by German-speaking Swiss immigrants

George Imboden married Angi M. Dickinson

The Kanawha Valley Bank built a two-story bank at the intersection of Kanawha Blvd and Capitol St in Charleston

James Kay migrated to America

Another boundary shift occurred in Lincoln County

Stogie makers were among the first trades in Wheeling to unionize

The C&O railway had begun construction in Milton

Johnson Newlon Camden established one of the country's first oil refineries in Parkersburg.

A Chesapeake & Ohio Railway branch was completed into Greenbrier County

An arsonist burned the Preston County courthouse destroying most of the county records from 1818-69

Spring Hill Cemetery was dedicated as the Charleston municipal cemetery

Edward W. Stifel Sr. was born

The Laurel Fork & Sand Hill Railroad was constructed in Volcano

The first West Virginia Historical Society began

The West Virginia Press Association was formed

Emanuel Wilson was admitted to the bar

Susan Dew married James Hoff

Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller married Alexander McVeigh Miller

Babcock Lumber Company founded in Pittsburgh

Fourth capital building was finished and legislature moved in

Cheat Mountain Club built by Cheat Mountain Sportsmen's Association

C&O Railroad forced into receivership again

Clarksburg laid first 6 miles of water lines

J. R. Clifford became first black admitted to practice law before the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals

Justus Collins organized Louisville Coal & Coke Company in Mercer County

Dan Cunningham was part of group that murdered Rev. Tom Ryan

Fostoria Glass Company began in Fostoria, Ohio

William Glasscock became superintendent of schools

The seat of Cabell County was moved to Huntington from Barboursville

Waitman T. Linger started making chairs at Beans Mill

Daniel Lucas was nominated as U.S. Senator by Governor Wilson

Perry Cline persuaded the governor of Kentucky to prosecute the Hatfields for murdering three of Randolph McCoy's sons

C.F. Millspaugh published the last section of American Medicinal Plants

The first West Virginia mining law was passed and regarded as the nation's weakest

State laws were strengthened following the Mountain Brook mine disaster that claims 39 lives

Legislature authorized building of Spencer State Hospital to relieve overcrowding at Weston State Hospital

Electric streetcars began to be used in Wheeling

Sumner School graduated its first class of four students, the first high school diplomas in West Virginia issued to blacks

The original stone structure at Tray Run was replaced by a viaduct

The West Virginia Wesleyan College was established in Buckhannon

Helvetia built its first steam sawmill

Western Maryland Railway was completed to Cumberland

Newton Diehl Baker got B.A. degree from John Hopkins University

Waitman Barbe wrote book Ashes and Incense

West Virginia & Pittsburgh Railroad came through Burnsville

Bill Byrne was elected prosecuting attorney of Braxton County

West Virginia Pulp & Paper built paper mill at Luke, Maryland

William Edwin Chilton became chairman of the state Democratic Party

John W. Davis graduated from Washington and Lee

Dingess Tunnel was built

The Center Point oil pool was opened by the South Penn Oil

The Elkins Inter-Mountain was established

The Glenville Pathfinder was first published

Nathan Goff Jr. was appointed a federal judge in the U.S. Fourth Circuit

Thomas Harris wrote Assassination of Lincoln: A History of the Great Conspiracy

The C&O completed a roundhouse with 17 engine stalls and a car shop of 40 cars in Hinton

Lily Jackson called for West Virginia women to contribute to the state's exhibit at the Chicago Worlds Fair

Harriet Jones left the state hospital to open a women's hospital in Wheeling

John K. Small first discovered Kates Mountain Clover

The N&W Ohio River Bridge was completed

William Leigh left the Royal Academy in Munich

Virgil A. Lewis was elected state superintendent of schools

St. Paul's became the first Lutheran church in Charleston

The Fostoria Glass Company opened in Moundsville

McDowell Countians voted to move the county seat to Welch

The Berkeley Springs springs were developed as the town water supply

Wheeling City Hospital opened to patients

City Hospital Training School for Nurses in Wheeling opened as the first nursing school in West Virginia

Syrian and Lebanese immigrants founded St. George Orthodox Church in Charleston

Fetterman was incorporated

Graham Hamrick received patents for his mummification formula.

Melville Davisson Post earned a law degree from West Virginia University

WVU's plant collection was put into storage

The Polecat well was drilled

Wilbur "Lefty" Cooper was born in Davis Run

Charles W. Ferguson II was born

Webster Springs was incorporated as Addison

C. F. Millspaugh published Agricultural Experiment Station bulletins on West Virginia's Weeds

Wheeling Hospital grew to 90 beds

Emma Alderson founded the Alderson Baptist Academy (now Alderson-Broaddus College) in Alderson

Emma Alderson founded the Alderson Baptist Academy (now part of Alderson Broaddus University) in Alderson

Charles Ambler went to school at WVU

Morris Harvey donated $10,000 to Barboursville College, now University of Charleston

Branch of the C&O reached Beckley

Matthew Clair earned his PhD from Bennette College in Greensboro, NC

Thomas G. McKell built the Dun Glen Hotel

West Virginia oil production peaked at 16 million barrels

Deadly explosion in Consolidation Coal Company's No. 9 occurred

Aretas Fleming and Clarence W. Watson merged coal companies into the Fairmont Coal Company

Legislature decreed state game and fish warden would be paid from state treasury and could appoint deputy wardens

J. P. Morgan interests began construction on works in Gary

The Little Kanawha Valley Bank was incorporated

The Barboursville Seminary changed its name to Morris Harvey College, now University of Charleston

Harold Houston began practicing law in Parkersburg

The Cabell County Courthouse was dedicated

The Home for the Incurables changed its name to West Virginia Asylum

James Monroe Jackson died

Teepi Kendrick married Olive Garrison

A constitutional amendment required voter registration

I. T. Mann visited financier J. P. Morgan in New York

Mifflin Marsh died

The United State Stamping Company began operations

Alexander McVeigh Miller won a seat in the West Virginia Senate

Morgantown annexed Greenmont, Seneca, and South Morgantown

The N&W acquired the Cincinnati, Portsmouth & Virginia

Earl Oglebay sold his iron ore interests to U.S. Steel

Earl Oglebay bought a mansion between Wheeling and Bethany, Waddington Farm

The Flat-top Coal Land Association was reorganized as the Pocahontas Coal & Coke Company

Livia Poffenbarger established a local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Potomac State College was founded

The West Virginia University band was founded by Walter Mestrezat.

Daniel Purinton returned to WVU to become president.

Richwood was incorporated

Charles Ritter brought the offices of Tug River Lumber Company to Huntington

William M. Ritter Lumber Company was incorporated

Benjamin Rosenbloom played on the WVU football team

The board of directed voted to establish a nursing school at Sheltering Arms Hospital

The Pope Dock Company built New Grand Floating Palace

The first local branch of West Virginia Socialist Party was established in Wheeling

Samuel Starks was appointed as the first black in U.S. to serve as state librarian

The Fairmont & Clarksburg Traction streetcar company began

Another long distance telephone line was constructed through West Virginia

The first coal in Upshur County was commercially mined

Ward Engineering Works built the Unique for the U.S. Engineering Corp

The Historical Society began publishing The West Virginia Historical Magazine Quarterly

Albert Blakeslee White became governor

Hurry-up Yost became coach at University of Michigan

James E. Taylor died in New York City