The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history. To read more, go to e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia.
Dec. 21, 1798: Wood County was established by the Virginia General Assembly. It was named for James Wood, governor of Virginia from 1796 to 1800.
Dec. 21, 1967: West Virginia’s 37th Governor, Patrick Morrisey, was born in Brooklyn and then grew up in Edison, New Jersey. Beginning in 2012, the Republican was elected to three consecutive terms as West Virginia attorney general before winning the gubernatorial election in 2024.
Dec. 22, 1894: Daredevil Morris “Dinger” Daugherty was born in New Martinsville. After surviving a catastrophic railroad accident that cost him both legs and an arm, he reinvented himself as a nationally known stunt pilot. His attempt to prepare for a transatlantic flight (that never happened) made him a brief New York celebrity. His music, performances and public service made him a legend in New Martinsville.
Dec. 22, 1928: Radio station WMMN of Fairmont began operations as one of West Virginia’s pioneer stations. For nearly two decades beginning in 1935, WMMN was an important outlet for country and western music performers. The highlight of this era was the Sagebrush Roundup, a Saturday-night live-audience show that began in December 1938 and was broadcast weekly for nearly 10 years.
Dec. 22, 1930: Author and director Clyde Ware, Jr., was born in Clarksburg and then raised in West Union. He contributed scripts to such popular TV shows as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Rawhide, Daniel Boone and Gunsmoke. He also wrote and directed the film No Drums, No Bugles – a Civil War drama set and filmed in West Virginia – as well as the TV film The Hatfields and the McCoys (1975).
Dec. 22, 1953: An empty gasoline barge tied to the Marietta Manufacturing dry dock in Point Pleasant exploded, killing six men. During World War II, Marietta Manufacturing had received the prestigious Army-Navy “E” Award for wartime production.
Dec. 23, 1987: Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme escaped from the Federal Prison Camp in Alderson. Fromme, who was serving a life sentence for trying to kill President Gerald Ford, was captured two days later near the prison.
Dec. 24, 1852: The last spike was driven on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad between Baltimore and the Ohio River. The event occurred at Rosbys Rock near Moundsville. To mark the spot the following words were carved upon the rock: “Rosbbys [sic] Rock Track Closed Christmas Eve 1852.”
Dec. 24, 1942: The Committee on Fair Employment Practices ordered that Jehovah’s Witnesses be reinstated to their jobs at Pittsburgh Plate Glass in Clarksburg. The workers had been fired for refusing to participate in union-sponsored flag-salute ceremonies at the plant.
Dec. 25, 1887: Folk artist James Tyree Rexrode was born in Pendleton County. He created a visual record of rural West Virginia life in the early 20th century. He died in 1976.
Dec. 26, 1898: Sportsman George Bird Evans was born in Pennsylvania. In 1939, he and his wife, Kay Harris, bought the historic “Old Hemlock” farm in Preston County, where he bred the Old Hemlock line of grouse-hunting setters. He wrote 27 books and numerous articles on upland shooting; Kay also co-wrote five mystery novels under the pseudonym Brandon Bird.
Dec. 26, 1917: Instrument maker Harold M. Hayslett was born in Putnam County. Hayslett’s violins, violas and cellos have received awards for tone and workmanship, and are cherished by collectors and players alike.
Dec. 27, 1797: The county seat of Ohio County was moved from West Liberty to Wheeling.
Dec. 27, 1923: Businessman and Point Pleasant native Michael Owens, who revolutionized the glass industry through automation, died at age 64.
e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia is a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council. For more information, contact the West Virginia Humanities Council, 1310 Kanawha Blvd. E., Charleston, WV 25301; (304) 346-8500; or visit www.wvencyclopedia.org.
