Judicial Branch

The first West Virginia legislature proposed to educate "free colored children," the proposal was left unfunded.

The decision to have Attorney General elected by popular vote was made

B&O Railroad's management influenced people to support West Virginia statehood

Union troops shelled the town of Beckley, killing a little girl

Virginia's land and water boundaries given to West Virginia

Civil War skirmish at Bulltown Historic Area

River pirate John Lockwood arrest and tried for murder

Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley were commissioned first lieutenants at Camp Piatt

Melodrama East Lynne written

West Virginia experimented with New England modified township system

West Virginia constitution established public free school system

William Edwards opened mines at Coalburg

West Virginia's first election was conducted

Stephen Elkins left the army

Constitution stated that the "executive department shall consist of a governor, secretary of state, superintendent of free schools, auditor, treasurer and attorney general."

Construction of Fort Boreman began

Frederick County citizens voted not to become part of West Virginia

John Hale organized the Bank of the West

Harrison County was first in West Virginia in the production of beef cattle

Devil Anse Hatfield deserted the regular Virginia infantry in the Civil War

The state constitution stated that Delegates of the House of Delegates served one-year terms

Chester Hubbard became a member of the first West Virginia senate

John Jay Jackson Sr supported the move for the creation of a separate state but opposed the abolition of slavery

Mudwall Jackson led troops against Union Gen. Thomas Harris

The presence of the B&O influenced the decision to include Jefferson County in the new state

Daniel Lamb was a member of the first West Virginia legislature

West Virginia state government resumed the project for Weston Hospital

The Marshall College property was sold at public auction to Salina Hite Mason

The Methodist Church claimed the largest number of congregation in West Virginia

Reported 250 newspapers had been established

Editors changed their mastheads to reflect the name of the new state

Hiram Clay first settled in what is know Pineville.

Samuel Price was elected lieutenant governor of Confederate Virginia.

Beckley was bombarded by federal artillery.

The first period of Republican dominance began

Mrs. Henry Woods wrote East Lynne

The first free school opened in Ripley

Lewis Ruffner was appointed a major general of militia for West Virginia

Nathan Scott enlisted in the Union army in Ohio

The Supreme Court of Appeals sat at Wheeling with three justices

Thurmond's Rangers became 44th Virginia Cavalry Battalion

Campbell Tarr became West Virginia's first state treasurer

The repayment to the state of Virginia was included in the West Virginia constitution

Legislature gave official sanction to teachers organization

All turnpikes in West Virginia were turned over to the counties through which they ran

The name was changed to West Virginia Hospital for the Insane

Kellian Whaley was reelected to Congress from West Virginia

Confederate forces reoccupied Lewisburg

Waitman Willey began serving as U.S. Senator from West Virginia

Wirt County was divided into 7 districts

Fort Boreman was constructed in Wood County

Electorate ratified the new constitution by vote of 42,344 to 37,777

New constitution set the term of office at four years and prohibited a governor from succeeding himself

The new state constitution allowed delegates in the House of Delegates to serve 2-year terms

The repayment of Virginia state debt was indirectly included in the new constitution

Happy Retreat was added to the National Register of Historic Places

The Energy Crisis occurred

The original Fiestaware was discontinued

Chuck Howley retired from the Dallas Cowboys football team at the end of the season

West Virginia Library Commission expanded its construction project to include the Instant Libraries building program

The Buffalo Creek Memorial Library was the first Instant Library

An additional 2,500 acres were acquired for Kanawha State Forest

Maryat Lee founded EcoTheater in Hinton

A program was established between the Library Commission and Marshall University to train library personnel in small and remote libraries

The Lilly Brothers toured Japan

Chuck Kinder wrote Snakehunter

Governor Moore names A. James Manchin head of the Rehabilitation Environmental Action Program (REAP)

Dan Maroney served as international president of the Amalgamated Transit Union

The Palace of Gold began construction in the Hare Krishna community

M. Blane Michael operated a solo law practice in Petersburg

Mildred Mitchell-Bateman became the vice president of the American Psychiatric Association

The Mountain Artisans Quilting Book was published by Macmillan Publishing

Molly O'Day and Lynn Davis started a gospel record program at WEMM-FM Huntington

Allegheny Wood Products was formed

Congress created Conrail through the Regional Rail Reorganization Act

Joe Powell directed the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education.

The Prato Rio house was added to the National Register of Historic Places

Dallas Bailey became president of Salem International University

Mary Lee Settle wrote Prisons

The Shepherdstown historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places

Harold M. McNeill became president of West Virginia State College (now University)

John D. Rockefeller IV became president of West Virginia Wesleyan College

Jeff Holland Cook became conductor of the Wheeling Symphony

WVU at Parkersburg Jackson County Center opened

Clyde Ware directed the West Virginia-set film, When the Line Goes Through

Earl Ray Tomblin elected to House of Delegates

Thomas McHugh elected judge for Kanawha County Circuit Court

Voters ratified the Judicial Reorganization Amendment authorizing Intermediate Court of Appeals

The courts confirmed the court's inherent power over the judiciary's budget in State ex rel. Bagley v. Blankenship

The state Supreme Court narrowed the immunity of employers from suits injured workers in Mandolidis v. Elkins Industries

Much of Lewisburg became part of an historic district on the National Register of Historic Places

Louis Glass Company became a subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive

The Delf Norona Museum opened

Kermit McKeever retired as chief of State Parks

The Cedars was place on the National Register of Historic Places

Governor Rockefeller gave Roy Lee Harmon emeritus status s poet laureate

The Huntington Advertiser ceased publication and merged into the Herald-Dispatch

Boar hunting began in West Virginia

The Allegheny Indian Council and Cultural Center was founded in Phillipi

Maryat Lee wrote John Henry

The military program was discontinued at Linsly School

Jack Maurice became a contributing editor and columnist to the Charleston Daily Mail

Jon McBride became an astronaut

Louise McNeill was appointed poet laureate by Governor Rockefeller

Arnold Miller resigned as president of UMWA

State Supreme Court ruled on Morningstar v. Black and Decker, which held that the court had the ability to create common law

State Supreme Court ruled on Bradley v. Appalachian Power Co., where the court abolished the comparative negligence rule

A second Mormon "stake" was organized in Fairmont

Deadly riots prompted Arthur Recht to place Moundsville Penitentiary under judicial control

The WVU Personal Rapid Transit system was completed

Jayne Anne Phillips published Black Tickets

Gov. Jay Rockefeller persuades legislature to gradually eliminate the 3% sales tax on food

Jim Sprouse was appointed a judge of the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals by President Jimmy Carter

Building C was added to the state police academy

Sam Church Jr. became president of UMWA

Marshall Buckalew was elected president of the West Virginia Historical Education Foundation

The West Virginia Historical Society ceased publication of West Virginia History

West Virginia Independence Hall was opened as a museum by the Department of Culture and History (now Arts, Culture & History)

The West Virginia Juried Exhibition was first held at the Cultural Center

Mack Samples began serving as festival president of the West Virginia State Folk Festival

The Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places

Meredith Sue Willis wrote A Space Apart

Tom Wolfe published The Right Stuff, celebrating Chuck Yeager

Virginia Maw Brown left the Interstate Commerce Commission

Actor Bob Denver married Dreama Perry of Bluefield

Appalachian Regional Hospitals changed its name to Appalachian Regional Healthcare

Pinckney Benedict received B.A. from Princeton University

Jennings Boyd was president of the McDowell County Board of Education

The East Huntington Bridge connecting Huntington and Proctorville won the Federal Highway Administration's award for design excellence

Most of Union Carbide Institute plant sold to French company, Rhone-Poulenc

Clay Foundation was established

Stephen Coonts published Flight of the Intruder

Hazel Dickens released It's Hard to Tell the Singer from the Song

Electioneering was prohibited within 300 feet of the polls

Production of Fiestaware began again with white, pink (rose), black. Cobalt blue, and apricot were introduced

Fostoria Glass plant in Moundsville closed

Per capita personal income in West Virginia rose to 86% of national average

A study estimated that as many as 764 men died from silicosis from the Hawks Nest Tunnel

Homer Laughlin China Company revived Fiestaware

Kanawha Valley Memorial Hospital merged with Charleston Area Medical Center

John Knowles wrote The Private Life of Axie Reed

State Supreme Court ruling Crain v. Bordenkircher found that conditions at the state penitentiary failed to meet constitutional standards and led to the construction of a new prison

Louie Glass shipped $24 million worth of glass and employed 525 people

The pygmy shrew was first reported in Canaan Valley

West Virginia crime rate ranked 7th lowest

Reported 60% of West Virginia crimes are larceny-theft

West Virginia prisoner population had the 6th highest growth rate

Unionized labor at 14.2% of the work force

Number of farms in West Virginia decreased to 20,800

Circulation of the Hampshire Review was 6,950

Dominion Hope provided natural gas to 439 communities in West Virginia in 32 West Virginia counties

There were about 100 employees in the Division of Labor

The West Virginia Department of Natural Resources listed 17 public fishing lakes and ponds in the state

Video lottery sales represented more than 70% of the lottery's total revenue

The Department of Mines had 110 employees, including 74 inspectors

Circulation of the Dominion Post was 20,454 on weekdays and 24,192 on Sundays

Total circulation of West Virginia newspapers was 781,753

There were 161 commercial sawmills in West Virginia

Michael Smith had 29 number-one songs, five platinum records and 13 gold records

Reported enrollment at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College was 2,580

The student population at West Liberty was 2,375

There were 2,837 students enrolled at West Virginia Northern Community College

West Virginia State University had 2,482 students enrolled

There were 2,183 lottery machines at Wheeling Downs

There were 1,356 students at Wheeling Jesuit University

Circulation of the Wonderful West Virginia was 40,000