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.
July 25, 1864: A colony of eight Catholic nuns set out from Washington, D.C., and
Frederick, Maryland, for Parkersburg. The sisters, who created a monastery there and named it
DeSales Heights, ran a boarding school for young women for 75 years.
July 26, 1942: Camp Washington-Carver was dedicated and opened to the public. The
camp, located at Clifftop, Fayette County, was the first statewide 4-H camp for African
Americans in the country. The camp’s Great Chestnut Lodge is West Virginia’s largest log
structure.
July 27, 1896: Clark Kessinger was born near Charleston. He was among the most
prolific and influential fiddlers of the 20th century, and one of West Virginia’s most important
traditional musicians.
July 27, 1909: Coach “Dyke” Raese was born in Davis, Tucker County. He directed
West Virginia University to its first major sports national championship, winning the 1942
National Invitation Tournament in basketball.
July 28, 1915: Frankie Yankovic was born in Davis, Tucker County. Yankovic did more
to popularize polka music than any other performer.
July 29, 1873: Malcolm Malachi “Mack” Day was born. As sheriff of McDowell County,
he claimed that God had called him to enforce Prohibition, even arresting an uncle and his own
son.
July 29-31, 1915: Camp Good Luck, believed to be the world’s first 4-H club
encampment, was held at Elkwater in southern Randolph County.
July 29, 1918: Novelist Mary Lee Settle was born in Charleston. Her literary reputation
rests on the “Beulah Quintet,” a sequence of five historical novels spanning four centuries.
July 30, 1973: The Frederick Hotel in downtown Huntington closed to transient trade.
After it was built in 1905, it was touted as the most elegant hotel between Pittsburgh and
Cincinnati.
July 31, 1932: Actor Theodore Crawford “Ted” Cassidy was born in Pittsburgh but was
raised in Philippi. He was best known for his role as Lurch on The Addams Family.