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.
June 20, 1861: Francis Pierpont was unanimously elected governor of the pro-Union
Reorganized Government of Virginia, which sat at Wheeling until West Virginia entered the
Union two years later.
June 20, 1863: West Virginia became the 35 th state. Arthur Boreman was the state’s first
governor.
June 20, 1932: The West Virginia capitol was officially dedicated. Construction had
begun in 1924.
June 20, 1963: On the 100 th birthday of West Virginia, President John F. Kennedy made
his last appearance in West Virginia. Speaking in Charleston in a pouring rain, he said, “The sun
does not always shine in West Virginia, but the people always do.”
June 20, 1970: The play Hatfields and McCoys opened at Grandview State Park
amphitheater. Written by Billy Edd Wheeler with music by Ewel Cornett, the show joined Honey
in the Rock as a regular summer offering.
June 21, 1920: Wheeling Steel Corporation was organized when La Belle Iron Works,
Whitaker-Glessner Company, and Wheeling Steel & Iron Works combined. In the 1920s,
Wheeling Steel employed more than 17,000 workers and ranked as the nation’s third-largest
steelmaker.
June 21, 1959: Musician Kathy Mattea was born in South Charleston but grew up in
nearby Cross Lanes. She rose to country music stardom in the 1980s. Since 2021, she has hosted
the Mountain Stage radio program.
June 22, 1926: Earl Olgebay died in Cleveland. He was one of West Virginia’s most
successful industrialists and a generous benefactor.
June 23, 1944: A tornado struck Shinnston and the surrounding area, killing 103 people
and injuring hundreds more.
June 23, 2016: Eight inches of rain fell in a 12-hour period. The Meadow, Cherry and
Elk rivers, as well as Howard Creek, flooded downtowns and The Greenbrier resort, killing 23
people.
June 24, 1842: Author Ambrose Bierce was born. Bierce found the setting for some of
his famous short stories in the mountains of Civil War-era West Virginia.
June 25, 1811: Bridge builder Lemuel Chenoweth was born near Beverly, Randolph
County. His many bridges included the earliest covered bridge at Beverly and the famous
Philippi covered bridge.
June 26, 1887: Sheriff Don Chafin was born in Logan County. Chafin was a bitter foe of
union organizers and, with financial support from coal companies, used his many deputies to
keep labor organizers out of Logan County.
June 26, 1892: Pearl Buck was born in Hillsboro in the home of her maternal
grandparents. She received the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Good Earth.
June 26, 1936: Basketball star Hal Greer was born in Huntington. Greer was the first
Black athlete to play at Marshall College (now University). When his pro career ended in 1973,
he held the NBA record for most games played and ranked in the top 10 in points scored, field
goals attempted, and field goals made.