The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history. To read more, visit e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia at www.wvencyclopedia.org.
Nov. 10, 1777: Cornstalk, his son Elinipsico, and the sub-chief Red Hawk were murdered in captivity by settlers who blamed them for two recent killings. Cornstalk, a Shawnee leader who lived in what is today southeastern Ohio, had commanded Indian forces at the Battle of Point Pleasant.
Nov. 10, 1861: A Confederate cavalry force of more than 700 attacked a Union recruit camp at Guyandotte in Cabell County.
Nov. 10, 1978: The New River Gorge National River was established by Congress. It was designated a National Park and Preserve in 2020.
Nov. 10, 1979: The last home game was played at Old Mountaineer Field at West Virginia University. More than 38,000 people attended as WVU nearly upset highly ranked Pitt.
Nov. 11, 1922: Jane Taylor Cox George was born in Possum Hollow, Roane County. As a 4-H leader, she introduced young people to traditional crafts and dance in Kanawha, Putnam, Mercer, Monroe, and Roane counties. She helped oversee the first Mountain State Art & Craft Fair in 1963 and was a contributor to the Vandalia Gathering and other festivals.
Nov. 11, 1929: The Memorial Arch was dedicated on Armistice Day in Huntington. The arch stands at the intersection of 11th Avenue and Memorial Boulevard and pays tribute to Cabell County soldiers who fought in World War I.
Nov. 12, 1844: Henry Schmulbach was born in Germany. Schmulbach became a leading businessman in Wheeling, buying Nail City Brewery in 1882 and becoming president of the German Bank, now WesBanco.
Nov. 13, 1879: Educator Elsie Clapp was born. Under her direction, the community school at Arthurdale stressed education for real-life situations and revived traditional music to strengthen reading and writing skills.
Nov. 14, 1788: Kanawha County, named for the Kanawha River which flows through it, was created on this date.
Nov. 14, 1939: The Charleston Civic Orchestra gave its first concert at the Municipal Auditorium. The group changed its name to Charleston Symphony Orchestra in 1943 and in 1988 became the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
Nov. 14, 1970: A chartered plane crashed into a hillside near Huntington’s Tri-State Airport near Ceredo, killing all 75 passengers and crew. The victims included nearly the entire Marshall University football team, all but one of their coaches, and several fans.
Nov. 15, 2010: The landmark Aracoma Hotel in Logan was damaged by fire and demolished later that year.
Nov. 16, 1734: Samuel Washington was born at Pope’s Creek, Virginia. Samuel, a younger brother of George Washington, was the first of several members of the Washington family to live in what is now the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.
Nov. 16, 1823: Politician and industrialist Henry Gassaway Davis, known in the early 20th century as West Virginia’s “Grand Old Man,” was born in Baltimore, Md.
