All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

This Week in West Virginia History: Jan. 12-18

Nitro Explosives Plant in Background-1918 Worker Housing in Foreground
Nitro Explosives Plant in Background-1918. Worker Housing in Foreground.

Charleston, W.Va. – The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history. To read more, go to e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia at www.wvencyclopedia.org.

Jan. 12, 1869: Newspaperman Herschel Coombs Ogden was born near Fairmont. In 1888, he relocated to Wheeling and entered the newspaper business.

Jan. 13, 1905: Joseph H. Diss Debar died in Philadelphia. A supporter of the movement to create West Virginia, Diss Debar was commissioned in 1863 to design the Great Seal of West Virginia.

Jan. 14, 1842: Marion County was established and named after Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion. Middletown was chosen as the county seat, but the name was changed to Fairmont the following year.

Jan. 14, 1873: The first session of the Glenville Branch of the State Normal School began in the old Gilmer County courthouse. In 1943, the legislature changed the name to Glenville State College.

Jan. 15, 1799: Monroe County was established. It was named for James Monroe, the newly inaugurated governor of Virginia and later president of the United States.

Jan. 15, 1836: Braxton County was created from Kanawha, Lewis, and Nicholas counties. It is named for Carter Braxton, a Virginia statesman and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Jan. 15, 1848: Hancock County was established and named for statesman John Hancock.

Jan. 15, 1864: Frances Benjamin Johnston was born in Grafton. Johnston gained national renown as the first female press photographer, and enjoyed a long and remarkable career as one of the nation’s leading documentary, portrait, and artistic photographers.

Jan. 16, 1790: Henry Ruffner was born in Luray, Virginia. In 1819, he organized two Presbyterian congregations in the Kanawha Valley. He is best known for his controversial 1847 anti-slavery treatise, Address to the People of West Virginia.

Jan. 16, 1850: Lawman Dan Cunningham was born in Jackson County. His remarkable career involved him in the Hatfield-McCoy Feud, the West Virginia Mine Wars, and the destruction of moonshine stills.

Jan. 16, 1869: Ephraim Franklin Morgan was born in Marion County. Morgan, a Republican, was governor during the tumultuous West Virginia Mine Wars.

Jan. 17, 1918: The War Department hired a New York engineering firm to build the DuPont munitions plant in Nitro. Within 11 months, the powder plant and a complete town with houses, a civic center and a hospital were completed.

Jan. 17, 1956: Musician Blind Alfred Reed died. He was a street singer and fiddler from Pipestem, Summers County.

Jan. 18, 1842: Wayne County was established from part of Cabell County. It was named for General ‘‘Mad Anthony’’ Wayne, a Revolutionary War hero who later defeated Ohio Indian tribes at the 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers.

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 e-WV at www.wvencyclopedia.org.

Share this story:

Local Businesses

RECENT Stories

Buckhannon Banter: Get the local lowdown for July 2, 2025

This week in Buckhannon, local organizations plan events and clinics — including a big July 4th celebration — and several community initiatives aim to engage residents of all ages.

Emergency agencies stress need for coordinated incident plans during large events with road closures

Emergency officials emphasized the need for incident action plans and coordination with public safety agencies for large events that close major streets, citing upcoming car shows and other street-closure events to ensure fast, safe emergency responses.
BUHS Sports

B-U now in Class AAAA in all sports; moved to new South Region after WVSSAC restructuring

Buckhannon-Upshur High School will compete in Class AAAA — the highest division — for all sports and has been moved to the new South Region under a two-year realignment by the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission.

Stockert Youth and Community Center Board Meeting Agenda: July 3, 2025

The Stockert Youth and Community Center Board will meet July 3, 2025, with an agenda set to discuss organizational matters and upcoming events.

Buckhannon Waste Board Agenda: July 3, 2025

The City of Buckhannon Waste Collection Board has released the agenda for its upcoming meeting on July 3, 2025.

Woman arrested on six felony charges after allegedly shooting at a man in Upshur County

Jocelyn M. Krum, 28, of Charleston, was arrested on six felony charges after allegedly entering a Mt. Lebanon Road residence in Upshur County with a rifle and shooting at a man before fleeing the scene.

Buckhannon man sentenced to 11 to 21 years for Bailey Ridge Road shootout

Austin W. Arbogast, 26, was sentenced to 11 to 21 years in prison after pleading guilty to four felony charges stemming from a March 2024 shootout on Bailey Ridge Road while attempting to retrieve his child.

Mountain East Conference extends invitation to Shawnee State University

The Mountain East Conference has approved Shawnee State University as its 12th full-time member, with the school set to join in 2026 pending NCAA Division II acceptance and expanding league competition in 19 sports.
Davis and Elkins College

Davis & Elkins College students recognized for high academic honors for Spring 2025 semester

Davis & Elkins College has announced the Spring 2025 president’s list, for students earning 4.0 GPAs, and dean’s list, for those earning 3.6 to 3.99, honoring academic excellence campus-wide.