Charleston WV – 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.
Oct. 3, 1935: A patient at Weston State Hospital started a fire in the main building that
destroyed six men’s wards and caused a cupola to fall through the roof. The building was
repaired, and the hospital remained in service for nearly 60 more years.
Oct. 4, 1934: Sam Huff was born at Edna, near Morgantown. Huff was part of a
fearsome defense that led West Virginia University to a 38-7 record between 1952 and 1955,
including three consecutive wins over rival Penn State.
Oct. 4, 1967: Basketball player Vicky Bullett was born in Martinsburg. While starring at
the University of Maryland, she helped lead the U.S. women’s basketball team to a gold medal in
the 1988 Olympics.
Oct. 5, 1992: Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton was designated as a
National Historic Landmark, one of only 17 in the state. The first Mother’s Day observance took
place at the church on May 10, 1908.
Oct. 6, 1928: Traditional musician William “Frank” George was born in Bluefield. The
multi-instrumentalist and his wife, Jane George, were leaders in the old-time revival of the 1960s
and 1970s.
Oct. 7, 1747: Pioneer Ebenezer Zane, the founder of Wheeling, was born on the South
Branch of the Potomac River near present Moorefield in Hardy County.
Oct. 7, 1900: Poet Roy Lee Harmon was born in Boone County. He was the founder of
the West Virginia Poetry Society and served as the state’s poet laureate for 38 years.
Oct. 7, 1957: Musician Michael W. Smith was born in Kenova. One of the top-selling
artists in gospel music history, he has recorded 25 albums, had 35 number-one songs, and written
over a dozen books.
Oct. 8, 1993: The Rev. Bernard Coffindaffer died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Starting
in 1984, Coffindaffer began erecting clusters of crosses in West Virginia and other states. He
was buried in Nicholas County, just across the highway from a set of his crosses.
Oct. 9, 1877: The Episcopal Church created the Diocese of West Virginia. The initial
convention of the new diocese met at St. John’s Episcopal in Charleston, with 14 clergy and 16
lay delegates.
Oct. 9, 2014: Following court rulings and announcements by the governor and the
attorney general, same-sex marriage was effectively legalized in West Virginia.