West Virginia Events

1861 May 13
to 1861 May 15
 The First Wheeling Convention
As quickly as the Southern states seceded, pockets of resistance developed, the largest of which began in western Virginia and followed the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains south to G...
1861 Jun 3 Battle of Philippi - First Organized Land Action of Civil War
The Battle of Philippi — also called The Philippi Races — was fought on June 3, 1861, in and around Philippi, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Western Virginia Campaign of the ...
1861 Jul 2 Battle of Hoke's Run - Robert Patterson Defeats Jackson
The Battle of Hoke's Run, also known as the Battle of Falling Waters or Hainesville, took place on July 2, 1861, in Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Manassas C...
1861 Jul 11 Battle of Rich Mountain
The Battle of Rich Mountain took place on July 11, 1861, in Randolph County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Operations in Western Virginia Campaign during the American Civil ...
1861 Aug 26 Battle of Kessler's Cross Lanes
The Battle of Kessler's Cross Lanes, also known as the Battle of Cross Lanes, took place on August 26, 1861 in Nicholas County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Operations in W...
1861 Sep 10 Battle of Carnifex Ferry
The Battle of Carnifex Ferry took place on September 10, 1861, in Nicholas County, Virginia (now West Virginia), as part of the Operations in Western Virginia Campaign during the American...
1861 Sep 12
to 1861 Sep 15
 Battle of Cheat Mountain
The Battle of Cheat Mountain, also known as the Battle of Cheat Summit Fort, took place September 12-15, 1861, in Pocahontas County and Randolph County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as pa...
1861 Oct 3 Battle of Greenbrier River - Union Withdraws to Cheat Mountain
The Battle of Greenbrier River, also known as the Battle of Camp Bartow, took place on October 3, 1861 in Pocahontas County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Operations in West...
1861 Dec 13 Battle of Camp Allegheny
The Battle of Camp Allegheny, also known as the Battle of Allegheny Mountain , took place on December 13, 1861, in Pocahontas County, Virginia (now West Virginia) as part of the Operation...
1862 Jan 5
to 1862 Jan 6
 Battle of Hancock
The Battle of Hancock, a battle fought during the Romney Expedition, occurred January 5–6, 1862, in Washington County, Maryland, and Morgan County, West Virginia, as part of Maj. Gen. Tho...
1862 Sep 12
to 1862 Sep 15
 Battle of Harper's Ferry - Stonewall Jackson Captures Union Garrison
The Battle of Harpers Ferry was fought September 12–15, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. As Gen. Robert E. Lee's Confederate army invaded Maryland, a port...
1862 Sep 19
to 1862 Sep 20
 Battle of Shepherdstown
The Battle of Shepherdstown, also known as the Battle of Boteler's Ford, took place September 19–20, 1862, in Jefferson County, Virginia (now West Virginia), at the end of the Maryland Ca...
1863 Jun 20 West Virginia is the 35th State Admitted to the Union
On June 20, 1863, West Virginia became the thirty-fifth state in the Union. The land that formed the new state formerly constituted part of Virginia. The two areas had diverged culturall...
1863 Oct 18 Battle of Charlestown
The Battle of Charlestown was a small engagement between Confederate cavalry forces under Brig. Gen. John D. Imboden and the Union forces under Col. Benjamin L. Simpson on October 18, 186...
1863 Nov 6 Battle of Droop Mountain
Other Names: None Location: Pocahontas County Campaign: Averell’s Raid on the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad (November 1863) Date(s): November 6, 1863 Principal Commanders: Bri...
1864 Aug 7 Battle of Moorefield
Other Names: Oldfields Location: Hardy County Campaign: Early’s Raid and Operations against the B&O Railroad (June-August) Date(s): August 7, 1864 Principal Commanders: Brig. ...
1864 Aug 21 Battle of Summit Point
Description:As Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan concentrated his army near Charles Town, Lt. Gen. Jubal Early and Maj. Gen. Richard Anderson attacked the Federals with converging columns on Augu...
1864 Aug 25
to 1864 Aug 29
 Battle of Smithfield Crossing
Description: On August 29, two Confederate infantry divisions crossed Opequon Creek at Smithfield and forced back Merritt’s Union cavalry division back along the road to Charles Town. Ri...
1907 Dec 6 Monongah Mining Disaster
The worst mining disaster in American History occurred in the community of Monongah, West Virginia on December 6, 1907. Around 10 o'clock in the morning after a full force of 380 men and ...
1952 Jan 3 Robert Byrd Elected as a Member of the United States House of Representatives for West Virginia's 6th Congressional District
Prior to his time in the Senate, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1952-1958, and also served in the West Virginia legislature as both State Senator and D...
1954 Oct 5
to 1954 Oct 18
 Hurricane Hazel
Leaving a death toll in Hati of more than 200 and an injured list of at least 500, according to unofficial reports reaching here, Hurricane Hazel moved toward the island of Mayaguana in t...
1967 Dec 15 Silver Bridge Collapse
On December 15,1967 at approximately 5 p.m., the U.S. Highway 35 bridge connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Kanauga, Ohio suddenly collapsed into the Ohio River. At the time of f...
1970 Nov 14 Southern Airways Flight 932 Crashes, Killing 37 Members of Marshall University Football Team
Southern Airlines Flight 932 departed Kinston, NC at 18:38 to return members of the Marshall University football team, coaching staff and other passengers to Huntington. After an uneventf...
1972 Feb 26 Buffalo Creek Flood
The disaster killed 125 people, injured 1,000, and left 4,000 homeless. Five hundred and seven houses were lost or demolished 44 mobile homes were destroyed another 273 houses were severe...
1978 Apr 27 Willow Island Disaster
At about 10 a.m. on April 27, 1978, workers began raising the day's second bucket of concrete up 166 feet to Lift 29. Each day, they poured another 5-foot lift to build the second of two ...
2006 Jan 2 Sago Mine Disaster
The Sago Mine disaster was a coal mine explosion on January 2, 2006, in the Sago Mine in Sago, West Virginia, USA near the Upshur County seat of Buckhannon. The blast and ensuing aftermat...
2006 Feb 17 Darrell McGraw's 2004 campaign contributions suspicious, raise questions
Some contributions to Attorney General Darrell McGraw's 2004 re-election campaign made by attorneys and family members at a Charleston law firm have raised questions about their legality ...
2008 Aug 1 Darrell McGraw draws criticism, investigation for use of outside counsel
New York's Eliot Spitzer made may have made the practice fashionable, but West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw has a lengthy and enduring pattern of hiring outside counsel and ap...
2010 Apr 5 Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster
The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster occurred on April 5, 2010 at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch coal mine at Montcoal in Raleigh County, West Virginia. Twenty-nine miners were killed in ...