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Ada ‘‘Bricktop’’ Smith
Go back to Ada ‘‘Bricktop’’ Smith
Aug 14, 1894
Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia "Bricktop" Smith was born in Alderson
1924
Ada "Bricktop" Smith performed in Paris Other events that happened on or around 1924 Elementary school and junior high schools numbered 453 for African-American students and teachers Mary Atkeson wrote The Woman on the Farm The number of banks in West Virginia peaked at 225 state banks and 125 national banks Walter Barnes wrote The Children's Poets The Evening Post, Beckley's first daily newspaper, was established UMWA President Keeney and Secretary Treasurer Mooney were forced to retire Izetta Brown seconded Davis again for nomination Izetta Brown again defeated for U.S. Senate, this time by William Edwin Chilton Chauncey H. Browning graduated from WVU John W. Davis Democratic candidate for president Matthew Wesley Clair Sr. returned to Washington for a visit Association changed its name to West Virginia Council of Churches and Christian Education Democratic presidential candidate John W. Davis failed to carry home state West Virginia Huntington's Frederick Douglass Junior and Senior High School was built Patrick Gainer recorded folk songs and lore of West Virginia's people Construction of the Governor's Mansion began Major flood brought devastation Record floods hit Hardy County Another school was built in Harrisville The Concord College He-Man Club began as picnic to honor retiring college president Christopher Columbus Rossey The hemlock wooly adelgid was first reported in the Western United States Colonel Joseph Long bought a corner lot in Huntington to erect a building for his paper, the Herald-Dispatch The UMWA had lost half of its members in West Virginia and was nearly bankrupt The Huntington Post-Herald became a daily newspaper Homer Holt married Isabel Wood of Charlottesville, Virginia Rush Holt graduated from Salem College Cheat Lake construction began, created primarily for the production of electricity Carmine Pelligrino of Rosemont held record of mining 66 tons of coal in 24 hours The Jackson's Mill property was donated to the state of West Virginia Ray Wetzel was born in Parkersburg Mother Jones called on Governor Morgan for pardons for miners imprisoned after the Logan March Out-of-state KKK publication carried reports from several West Virginia location The Ku Klux Klan marched through Hinton Howard B. Lee left office as Mercer County prosecuting attorney Carnegie library was established in Hinton Howard M. Gore became assistant secretary of agriculture Mountain lions were declared extinct Walter Martens designed the Science and Liberal Arts halls of Davis & Elkins College Clarence Cameron White was named director of music at West Virginia State College The Concrete Steel Bridge Company of Clarksburg had 52 separate construction teams in the field The Metropolitan Theater in downtown Morgantown opened Fred Mooney left as secretary-treasurer of UMWA District 17 The first Mountaineer Field opened The Clarke-McNary law was passed by Congress authorizing the purchase of forested, cut-over, or denuded lands for the production of timber in addition to the flow regulation of navigable streams Records of chicken production began. The West Virginia Public Health Association was organized. Jennings Randolph graduated from Salem College. Walter Reuther began work as apprentice tool and die maker at Wheeling Steel Leonard Riggleman accepted a pastorate in Milton William Ritter made headline for sharing $3 million in company stock with his employees Money from the John B. Crowley estate paid for a new addition to St. Francis Hospital A second wing was added to St. Joseph's Hospital The state built a fire tower in Seneca State Forest A merger agreement between Sheltering Arms Hospital and Charleston General Hospital fell through West Virginia Wesleyan defeated Navy, Syracuse, Kentucky in football The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference began Seneca State Forest became the first state forest in West Virginia P. D. Strausbaugh and colleagues collected, mounted and filed the nucleus of a new plant collection for WVU The Blackwater Boom & Lumber Company closed All lumber operations in Tucker County closed due to depletion of original forest Membership in the United Brethren Parkersburg Conference was 10,337 Frank Keeney and Fred Mooney resigned from the UMWA Ward Engineering built the Greenbrier, a sternweel towboat
1926
Ada "Bricktop" Smith opened a Paris club called the Music Box Other events that happened on or around 1926 There was a total of 64 African Methodist Episcopal churches and 2,298 members Harry R. Wyllie purchased the Allegheny Lodge for use as a private estate American Gas & Electric Power Company consolidated a dozen smaller companies including Appalachian Power Dr. Maggie Ballard graduated from the University of Maryland School of Medicine The backers of the Beckley Post bought the Raleigh Herald, naming it the Post-Herald "Billy Richardson's Last Ride" was written by Carson J. Robinson Chear River dam, built to generate electricity, was completed Start of the new DuPont plant at Belle Earl Core joined biology department at WVU Hallie Elkins made gift of Halliehurst to Davis & Elkins College New campus developed surrounding the Elkins mansion Wehrle B. Geary and A. W. Cox merged resources to begin building Fairmont Times moved to the building of West Virginian Donald R. Gaudineer became district ranger for the Greenbrier Ranger District of Monongahela National Forest Governor's Mansion added servant quarters above the garage The High Gate mansion was sold to the Sisters of St Joseph after the death of J. E. Watson The Lovett family sold the Hilltop House in Harpers Ferry to Fred McGee The Hinton News building was constructed by H. C. Ogden The House of Delegates impeached Auditor John C. Bond Milton Humphreys published a Civil War memoir, Military Operations 1861-1863 The Kanawha route became part of the transcontinental Midland Trial highway The Louis Glass company was established John Matheus's short story "Swamp Moccasin" won first prize in the Crisis magazine short story contest Additions were built at the Mount St. George mansion in Wellsburg Karl Myers compiled a poetry collection, The Quick Years Wheeling accepted Waddington Farm and renamed it Oglebay Park The Nurses Residence was built at City Hospital Training School for Nurses in Wheeling to house the large classes of nurses The mill, shops, and Shay locomotives at Curtin were moved to Bergoo. Potomac State was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The Sunset News began publication in Bluefield The Smoot Theater was built by the Smoot Amusement Company Spring Hill Cemetery acquired large tracts from the Wehrle and Jefferies farms Weirton Steel contracted for the construction of a continuous sheet steel mill P. D. Strausbaugh initiated a summer field course called botanical expedition at WVU The Wellsburg, Bethany & Washington Railroad streetcar line ceased operation The First Regiment was designated as the 201st Infantry A first tower was built in Watoga State Park The Webster Springs Hotel was destroyed by fire The road through Winfield was paved Paul Wissmach died Hack Wilson started playing for the Chicago Cubs
1929
Ada "Bricktop" Smith married Peter Duconge Other events that happened on or around 1929 Homer Holt began working with Governor Kump on the state's finances following the stock market crash Homer Laughlin China Company suspended operations in East Liverpool, Ohio Frank Hutchison had recorded about 32 songs for the OKeh Record Company The stock market crash hurt the profits of Interwoven Mills Weirton Steel Corporation merged with Michigan Steel of Detroit and M.A. Hanna Steel of Cleveland to form National Steel Corporation The McWhorter cabin was moved to Jackson's Mill Stock market crash forced the James Produce Company into bankruptcy John L. Dickinson moved Kanawha Valley Bank into new building at the former site of the capitol building Tom Kromer began traveling the country by freight train Cousin Abe Lilly organized the Lilly Reunion Association The Logan County coal industry began to decline The Citizen's National Bank was absorbed by the Charleston National Bank I. T. Mann's business empire collapsed at the onset of the Depression Walter Martens completed the work for Homeland, a skillfully designed Colonial-revival residence in Lewisburg Bernard McDonough specialized in building gas stations in the greater Parkersburg area The Department of Mines had 25 inspectors and three inspectors at large Bath Square became Berkeley Springs State Park The Owens Bottle Company merged with Illinois Glass Company to become Owens-Illinois Glass Company Maceo Pinkard enlisted blues diva Bessie Smith for Pansy Ruth Rohde represented Florida's Fourth District St. Joseph's administrators decided to build a new hospital The Raine Lumber Company ceased logging in Seneca State Forest Ernest Weir formed the National Steel corporation with Weirton Steel as its flagship Grace Martin Taylor visited Blanche Lazzell in Provincetown, Massachusetts Commercial mining in Webster County produced approximately 100,000 tons of coal The railroad at Webster Springs was discontinued The Archives and History library, state archives and museum moved to the new state capitol WSAZ was purchased by the Huntington Publishing Company The property of the Youghiogheny Forest Colony was purchased by Frank Reeves John Zontini rushed an average per carry of 27 yards A chapel that also functioned as the superintendent’s office was built at Woodlawn T. G. Nutter filed a lawsuit regarding a restrictive covenant that prohibited African-Americans from purchasing a lot in a Huntington subdivision.
1931
Ada "Bricktop" Smith opened a larger Bricktop's club Other events that happened on or around 1931 The school changed its name to Fairmont State Teachers College, now Fairmont State University Fairmont newspaper's Sunday edition became the Times West Virginian Susanne Fisher sang small parts at Berlin State Opera Alberta Pierson Hannum wrote her first novel, Thursday April Hazel Atlas corporate headquarters located in Wheeling The Department of Public Assistance replaced the Board of Children's Guardians Harold Houston aided C. Frank Keeny with the organization of the West Virginia Mine Workers Union and the West Virginia Labor Party The West Virginia immigration commissioner's position was discontinued Charlie Cline was born M. Marsh and Son rented more than 40 cigar-making machines The Concrete Steel Bridge Company was forced into bankruptcy and liquidated West Virginia apple production peaked at 12 million bushels County banks failed WHIS Bluefield broadcast the murder trial of Minnie Stull. Leonard Riggleman was elected president of Morris Harvey College, now University of Charleston The Valley River Railroad closed Boyd Stutler co-wrote a textbook on West Virginia History Festus Summers left Morris Harvey College, now University of Charleston Welch Hospital No. One became Welch Emergency Hospital Wiley Post and Harold Gatty stopped at Wertz Field West Virginia Yesterday and Today was copyrighted by Phil Conley Roy McCuskey became president of West Virginia Wesleyan College George Smith began serving as WWVA program director A new bank in Winfield failed New River State School became New River State College, now WVU Institute of Technology WWVA received network affiliation John Zontini rushed for 865 yards as a freshman at Marshall College Vernon Johnson became Collector of Internal Revenue for West Virginia Toni Stone's family moved to Minnesota
1932
Cole Porter performed at Bricktop's club Other events that happened on or around 1932 William "Coin" Harvey was nominated for president by the Liberty Party Legislature abolished the State Bridge Commission The construction of the Hawks Nest Tunnel, diverting waters of the New River, showed the dangers of underground work outside the coal industry Ella Holroyd was asked by the president of Concord College to create a music department Frank Hutchison moved to Ohio Howard B. Lee first wrote The Story of the Constitution Vitro Agate began operation Herschel Ogden led the state's tax reform Okey Patteson lost his feet in a hunting accident The Shenandoah National Forest was renamed the George Washington National Forest A group called Save the Children began sending food and other necessities to children of miners in West Virginia Grace Martin Taylor was the president of the Allied Artists of West Virginia Charles Ward Engineering closed Cassville's name changed to Fort Gay President FDR's New Deal favored the growth of the labor movement Hack Wilson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers
1938
Ada "Bricktop" Smith made radio broadcast in France Other events that happened on or around 1938 The Short Ballot Amendment was rejected by voters Jazz singer Jennie Smith was born Report by Paul A. T. Noon and Mildred W. Sandoe showed 88% of West Virginia were without library services The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers began at WHIS radio in Bluefield Pare Lorentz was appointed head of the U.S. Film Service by President Franklin Roosevelt Upton Sears made a special crosscut saw to cut the famous Mingo Oak Jack Maurice joined the staff of the Charleston Daily Mail as a reporter Howard Gray became president of the Meadow River Lumber Company The federal prison camp at Mill Point opened Congress approved construction of flood-control reservoir on the Mud River Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was incorporated The New York Central merged with the K&M, K&WV and other railroads The Greenbrier County Museum Committee was created The wooden deck of the Philippi Covered Bridge was removed and replaced with a concrete deck supported by steel girders and new intermediate concrete piers Pinnacle Rock State Park opened The first annual "Feast of the Ramson" was held in Richwood Ruth Rohde served on the advisory board of Alderson's Federal Reformatory for Women Hubert Skidmore published Heaven Came So Near The West Virginia Department of Mines first reported production figures for surface mining The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the Tygart Dam Clint Thomas suffered an ankle injury An area for an arboretum was set aside in Watoga State Park The dental hygiene department opened at West Liberty State College A West Liberty State College branch campus opened in Wheeling The state was divided into four regions for the West Virginia Athletic Union basketball tournament WVU had 3,500 students and 150 faculty Patty Willis exhibited her work at the Society of International Artists in New York Joe L. Smith Jr applied for a broadcast license Fairmont radio station WMMN increased to 5,000 watts Grote Reber confirmed that radiation at radio wavelengths was reaching the earth from outer space
1970
Ada "Bricktop" Smith recorded her only recording, "So Long, Baby," with Cy Colemen Other events that happened on or around 1970 Muriel Dressler published "Appalachia" Easton Roller Mill was willed to the Monongalia Historical Society Ann Flagg died in Illinois Jack Fleming became sports director of WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh Jack Fleming became announcer for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association Ruth Ann Musick published Green Hills of Magic Fort Ashby was listed on the National Register of Historic Places Population of Grant County was at 8,607 Alberta Pierson Hannum's book Spin a Silver Dollar radio play was published as The Blue House by U.S. Information Agency The National Park Service opened the Harpers Ferry Center, to serve National Park units nationwide Frank Haymond received the American Bar Association's ABA Medal Henry Clay Furnace was added to the National Register of Historic Places James Dickey's novel, Deliverance, made the term "hillbilly" sinister Every Ohio River county except Jackson had at least one chemical plant Sam Huff ran unsuccessfully for Congress Alice Moore was elected to the Kanawha County Board of Education as an opponent of sex education Kanawha Records stopped recording Kenova population peaked at 5,000 Maryat Lee moved to Powley Creek Everett Lilly moved back to Raleigh County following son's death Alex Mahood died Joe Manchin graduated from WVU with a bachelor's in business administration The tannery in Marlinton closed Paul Marshall became a registered architect Irene McKinney received her master's from WVU The Meadow River Lumber Company was sold to Georgia-Pacific Arnold Miller was forced to retire from mining by black lung disease and arthritis Alan Mollohan began a Fairmont law firm Ona presented four NASCAR Grand National races Mylan Pharmaceuticals incorporated in Pennsylvania as Mylan Laboratories Justin B. Roberts became president of Ohio Valley College (now University) Squire Parsons graduated from West Virginia Institute of Technology The Penn Central Railroad corporation entered bankruptcy Frank Beyer purchased the Philippi mummies The first VHF non-commercial station in the state, WSWP-TV, started in Grandview Rock Springs Park shut down and was purchased by the Department of Highways. The first indication of Jay Rockefeller's intention to run for governor came when he spoke out against strip mining The Ruffner Hotel closed and was demolished for a parking lot David Selby earned a doctorate in drama from Southern Illinois University The Meadow River Lumber Company closed Jim Comstock republished Hubert Skidmore's Hawks Nest The South Charleston Mound was placed on the National Register of Historic Places State Police department headquarters relocated to new facilities Jerry West led the NBA in scoring The Folklore Society met at WVU The Highlands Conservancy worked to make cranberry backcountry a federal wilderness area Federal Highway Act passed allowing tolls to be retained Bob Wise received a B.A. from Duke University Bill Withers moved to Los Angeles WSAZ changed to WGNT An addition was added to the Kanawha (now Yeager) Airport
1983
Ada "Bricktop" Smith published her autobiography Other events that happened on or around 1983 Roger Howdyshell bought Marble King John Sayles and Maggie Renzie arrived in West Virginia to produce a film about the Matewan Massacre Kathy Mattea got a record contract with Mercury Records Willow Glen "McKinley's Palace" was added to the National Register of Historic Places No known granny-midwives were practicing in West Virginia State Supreme Court ruled on La Rue v La Rue, which created the concept of equitable distribution of marital assets Main Street Morgantown was organized West Virginia Public Broadcasting's Mountain Stage began as a radio show hosted by Larry Groce and George Daugherty Waterford Park (later Mountaineer) racetrack closed The "Big John" dragline scoop came to the Hobet 21 surface mine in Boone and Lincoln counties The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake was published by Atlantic Monthly Press/Little Brown Silver Creek ski area opened The major northern and southern branches of American Presbyterianism reunited Ronald Ohl became president of Salem College The Seneca Glass Company closed Michael Smith recorded his first album, the Michael W. Smith Project Silver Creek ski area opened down the mountain from Snowshoe Tobacco was the second most valuable farm crop in West Virginia Stephen and Deborah Starks continued publication of the Beacon Journal under the name West Virginia Beacon Digest A continuous-care and kidney dialysis center was dedicated at Wheeling Hospital Additional repairs were made to the Wheeling Suspension Bridge Winterplace ski area opened WSAZ music changed from program format to country music The Diamond department store closed "Diamond Teeth" Mary McClain appeared in the documentary Free Show Tonight Marc Harshman's first book of poetry, Turning Out the Stones, was published The Charleston Gazette-Mail named Buck Harless West Virginian of the Year George Daugherty and Larry Groce hosted Mountain Stage
Jan 31, 1984
Ada "Bricktop" Smith died in New York City
Nov 16, 2013
Ada "Bricktop" Smith was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. Other events that happened on or around November 16, 2013 Eleanor Steber was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. Peter Marshall was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame View Articles by Existing Key Dates or Specify Your Own Date Range |
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