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.
May 30, 1940: Smoke Hole Caverns in Grant County opened for tours. The cave is
beautifully decorated with stalactites hanging in rows along the ceiling; the main room is called
the “Room of a Million Stalactites.”
May 31, 1841: Roman Catholic Bishop John Joseph Kain was born near Martinsburg. As
bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling, he worked to meet the needs of the newly arrived immigrants
who came to labor in West Virginia’s mines and factories.
May 31, 1946: Writer Meredith Sue Willis was born in Clarksburg and raised in
Shinnston. Willis has authored books for children and on the subject of writing, and much of her
adult fiction is set in West Virginia.
June 1, 1880: An 86-round bare-knuckle prize fight for championship of the world was
held in the Brooke County town of Colliers, between defending champion Joe Goss and
challenger Paddy Ryan. Boxing was illegal in every state, and matches were often held in
railroad villages to avoid big-city police.
June 1, 1935: Musician Hazel Dickens was born in Mercer County, the eighth of 11
children. She was a pioneering old-time and bluegrass musician, known for preserving the
traditional vocal styles of West Virginia.
June 1, 1858: The Artists’ Excursion left Baltimore on its way to Wheeling. A Baltimore
& Ohio executive planned the rail trip to promote tourism. About 50 passengers were on board,
including artist and writer David Hunter Strother, who described the experience in an article for
Harpers magazine.
June 2, 1951: Cornelius Charlton died of the wounds he received in battle during the
Korean War. Charlton, a Raleigh County native, was awarded the Medal of Honor
posthumously.
June 3, 1856: Harriet B. Jones was born in Pennsylvania. After attending Wheeling
Female College and graduating from the Women’s Medical College of Baltimore, she opened a
private practice in Wheeling, becoming the first woman licensed to practice medicine in West
Virginia.
June 3, 1861: The first land battle of the Civil War between organized troops took place
in Philippi. About 3,000 federal troops drove about 800 Confederates from the town.
June 3, 1861: A company of Confederate soldiers known as the Logan Wildcats was
created at the Logan Courthouse. The company, consisting of about 85 men, first saw action at
the Battle of Scary Creek.
June 3, 1936: The first Strawberry Festival was held in Buckhannon. More than 6,000
spectators attended the festivities, which also included a parade of 30 princesses down Main
Street.
June 4, 1975: Clark Kessinger died in St. Albans, Kanawha County. Kessinger was
among the most prolific and influential fiddlers of the 20th century, and one of West Virginia’s
most important traditional musicians.
June 5, 1859: A great frost killed crops in the Preston County fields. The fields were
replanted with hardy buckwheat, which was successful and became a staple crop, celebrated in
the annual Buckwheat Festival in Kingwood.
June 5, 1915: Four young people were killed at the Rock Springs amusement park in
Chester when the Old Mill ride caught fire.