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.
Nov. 5, 1891: Alfred Earle “Greasy” Neale was born in Parkersburg. Neale was one of West Virginia’s greatest all-around athletes, playing both professional baseball and professional football.
Nov. 5, 1927: Musician Johnnie Johnson was born in Fairmont. Johnson became an artist-in-residence at WVU, entered the Black History Hall of Fame, and was a West Virginia Music Hall of Fame inductee.
Nov. 6, 1971: The first Vandalia Gathering was held at the Morris Harvey College campus in Charleston (now the University of Charleston). The festival was created to preserve and present West Virginia’s traditional arts.
Nov. 7, 1943: During World War II, Medal of Honor recipient Junior Spurrier was part of a patrol that captured an Italian village. With the help of his BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle), Spurrier single-handedly wiped out a German machine gun nest.
Nov. 8, 1930: J.R. Clifford died at the age of 81. Clifford, a veteran of the Civil War, was West Virginia’s first African-American attorney. He founded the Pioneer Press, one of the state’s first Black-owned newspapers. He is now a member of the West Virginia Voting Rights Hall of Fame.
Nov. 8, 1977: The New River Gorge Bridge was officially opened to traffic. At the time, it was the world’s highest and longest single-arch steel span bridge. The bridge is one of the most photographed places in West Virginia.
Nov. 9, 1879: The last battle between the Hatfields and McCoys occurred. One man was killed and another was wounded in the fight at the mouth of Grapevine Creek in Mingo County, which was then part of Logan County.
Nov. 9, 1974: Matthew Mansfield Neely died at age 93. A lawyer, Neely served in both houses of the U.S. Congress and was West Virginia’s 21st governor.
Nov. 10, 1861: A Confederate cavalry force known as the Guyandotte Rangers was organized. Later that same day, Union recruiters came to Guyandotte to enlist soldiers. The bloody clash that followed that night saw the town’s business district torched.
Nov. 10, 1975: The ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a Lake Superior storm with the loss of all 29 crewmen, including three from West Virginia. The story of the sinking was the subject of a 1976 song by Gordon Lightfoot.
Nov. 11, 1922: Jane Taylor Cox George was born in Huntington. A distinguished mezzo-soprano, she taught at Marshall University and performed in many operas. She passed away in 2020 at the age of 97.
