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.
Sept. 5, 1861: Sutton was occupied by 5,000 Union troops. Later in 1861, Gen.
Rosecrans bivouacked 10,000 Union troops there, including a future president, William
McKinley.
Sept. 5, 1936: Baseball hall of famer Bill Mazeroski was born in Wheeling. He played all
17 years of his career for the Pittsburgh Pirates. His walk-off home run to win the 1960 World
Series over the New York Yankees is one of the most famous moments in baseball history.
Sept. 6, 1875: Members of the notorious James Gang allegedly robbed the Bank of
Huntington and got away on horseback. The robbery spawned a host of legends, including stories
about outlaw Frank James – brother of Jesse James – hiding out in Wayne County.
Sept. 6, 1942: Award-winning woodcarver, dancer, playwright, and educator Jude Binder
was born in Maryland. In 1982, she founded Heartwood in the Hills, a school for the arts in
Calhoun County. For two decades, she also has been Charleston’s “FestivALL Princess.”
Sept. 6, 1980: The new Mountaineer Field opened in Morgantown with a 41-27 win over
Cincinnati. It was the first game for new coach Don Nehlen, who would become the most
successful coach in West Virginia University history.
Sept. 7, 1808: Peter Godwin Van Winkle was born in New York City. In 1863, Van
Winkle was elected as one of the first two U.S. senators from the new state of West Virginia.
Sept. 7, 1848: Christopher Harrison Payne was born in Monroe County. In 1896, Payne
became the state’s first Black legislator when he was elected to the House of Delegates from
Fayette County.
Sept. 7, 1937: Photographer Arnout “Sonny” Hyde Jr. was born in Bluefield. His images
of nature and people appeared in magazines, books and calendars throughout the U.S. and
Europe.
Sept. 8, 1862: Confederate raiders led by Gen. Albert G. Jenkins, a Cabell County native,
rode into Barboursville. They skirmished with the enemy and then rode into Wayne, Logan and
Raleigh counties.
Sept. 8, 1947: Morris Harvey College (now University of Charleston) moved to its
current location on the south side of the Kanawha River.
Sept. 9, 1839: Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield was born in Mingo County. He was the
patriarch of the Hatfield family and their leader during the Hatfield-McCoy feud.
Sept. 10, 1782: Frontier heroine Betty Zane is credited with saving Fort Henry in
Wheeling during an attack by British and Indians during the Revolutionary War. According to
one account, Zane sprinted across a field to retrieve gunpowder from the Zane family cabin.
Sept. 10, 1861: The Battle of Carnifex Ferry took place on the Gauley River. Union Gen.
William Rosecrans sent in brigades one at a time as they arrived at the battlefield, allowing the
outnumbered Confederates to repulse the piecemeal attacks. During the night, the Confederates
retreated before they could be defeated in the morning.
Sept. 10, 1887: Author and scholar John Frederick Matheus was born in Keyser. He
became a prominent writer of plays, short stories, and other works during the Harlem
Renaissance of the 1920s.
Sept. 10, 1996: Movie and TV actress Joanne Dru died in Los Angeles. Dru, the older
sister of Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall, was born Joan Letitia Lacock in Logan. Her
movie career included more than 40 films.
Sept. 11, 1913: Ritter Park in Huntington opened. During the Great Depression, the
Works Progress Administration contributed to constructing the roads and stonework around the
park.