The city is sometimes called the "Smokeless Coal Capital Beckley is well known for two major tourist attractions: The Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine (which reopened to the public April 1, 2008, after being closed for renovation) and Tamarack
Notable People
Rob Ashford, choreographer.
Tom Carper, U.S. Senator from Delaware.
Little Jimmy Dickens, singer.
Steve Harvey, nationally syndicated radio host and comedian
Jim Justice, weathy businessman and owner of the Greenbrier Resort
Jon McBride, astronaut.
Nick Rahall, United States Representative.
Chris Sarandon, actor.
Calvin Simon, musician.
Tamar Slay, professional basketball player.
Hulett C. Smith, West Virginia governor.
Morgan Spurlock, filmmaker.
Bill Withers, singer.
Joseph Goddard, professional baseball player.
Doug Legursky, NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Tony Martin, businessman and current candidate for Mayor of Beckley
Bath (Berkeley Springs)
Berkeley Springs was a popular resort area during the early years of the United States.The mineral springs drew many visitors from metropolitan areas.
Notable visitors to the area included George Washington and James Rumsey
Berkeley Springs is a noted arts community with working artists accounting for approximately 1% of the county population of 16,000.
Since 1994, the town has been listed in all four editions of John Villani's "100 Best Art Towns in America," one of only 11 towns so rated.
Notable People
Antone (Tone) Belt, won silver medal for long jump at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics. All-State in Football, Basketball, and track.[1]
James Rumsey, early steamboat inventor
Admiral John M. Johnson (Ret.) US Navy
Picture of Jesus in Bridgeport High School - (Later Stolen)
Bridgeport
On June 29, 2006, the city became noted as the site of a showdown over the issue of separation of church and state in the United States. A portrait of Jesus originally hung on a wall at Bridgeport High School. Two parents filed suit in federal court to have the portrait removed, after the Harrison County Board of Education deadlocked over whether to remove the portrait.[1] The portrait of Jesus was stolen from Bridgeport High School early in the morning on August 17, 2006 and a mirror was put in its place
Notable People
Colonel Benjamin Wilson
Governor Joseph Johnson of Virginia
Senator Waldo Porter Johnson of Missouri
Buckhannon
Buckhannon is home of the Sago Mine Tragedy that happened on January 2, 2006, resulting in the deaths of 12 of 13 trapped miners.
Notable People
Jayne Anne Phillips, novelist and short story writer
Stephen Coonts, American thriller and suspense novelist
Chris Wallace, general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies
Ace Mumford, college football head football coach
Laura Ann Kesling, child movie actress
Scott Munson Cutlip, pioneer in public relations education
Edward Gay Rohrbough, Republican United States Representative
Alston G. Dayton, Governor of West Virginia
Charley Harper, American Modernist artist
Jean Lee Latham, American writer
Donald William Bennett, Air Force General,Commanded 22nd Air Force
The city is also near the location of the Southern Airways Flight 932 aviation disaster. On November 14, 1970, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 airplane carrying the Marshall University football team crashed on a hillside on approach to the Tri-State Airport, killing all on board. A movie about the tragedy, We Are Marshall, was released in 2006.
Notable People
Dagmar, TV star of the 1950s lived in Ceredo in the 1990s
Charles Town
Notable People
John Peale Bishop, author
Warren B. English, politician
Frank Buckles, last surviving American veteran of World War I
William Lyne Wilson, Postmaster General of the United States
Edward Tiffin, first Governor of Ohio Frank R. Stockton, author, most famous for the short story "The Lady, or the Tiger?"
Thomas Worthington, one of the first senators from Ohio, 6th Governor of Ohio
Gary Gregor, NBA player for the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, and the Milwaukee Bucks
Samuel Washington, George Washington's brother lived here, in Harewood (West Virginia)
History Location where abolitionist John Brown was tried and hanged in 1859.
Chester
Chester teapot, the World's Largest Teapot.
Notable People
Win Mercer, born in Chester, major league baseball player[4]
Daniel Johnston, artist, singer and songwriter.
Clarksburg
In 1824, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson was born in Clarksburg
Notable People
Tony Anthony: actor, producer, director, and screenwriter.
Hugh Aynesworth: Author and journalist
Babe Barna: Major League Baseball Player 1937-1943
Rex Bumgardner: professional football player, Buffalo Bills (1948–1949) and Cleveland Browns (1950–1952)
John S. Carlile: American merchant, lawyer, and politician, including a United States Senator.
William W. Chapman: United States politician Iowa and Oregon
Harry Courtney: Professional baseball pitcher and Professional Football Player 1919-1922
Phyllis Curtin: opera soprano
John W. Davis: Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States in 1924
Jimbo Fisher: American college coach and former player who was the NCAA Division III National Player of the Year as a senior. He served as the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach for the LSU
Tigers football team from 2000–2006 and is currently the head coach of the Florida State Seminoles football team.
Mike Florio: Editor, Profootballtalk.com
Nathan Goff, Jr.: congressman and United States Secretary of the Navy
Guy D. Goff: The son of Nathan Goff, Jr., Served as a US senator and the US DA for the eastern district of Wisconsin.
Howard Mason Gore: United States Secretary of Agriculture under president Calvin Coolidge.
Mabel Grouitch: American surgical nurse who worked with the Red Cross during World War I.
Robert Graetz: Lutheran clergyman who, as the white pastor of a black congregation in Montgomery,
Alabama, Civil Rights Activist.
Bert Hamric Major League Baseball Player
William S. Haymond US House of Representative, representing Indiana. Civil War surgeon in the Union Army.
Samuel Lewis Hays 19th Century United States Senator.
Lynn Hornor: Represented West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives
Stonewall Jackson: Confederate lieutenant-general during the American Civil War
Edward B. Jackson: Member of the 16th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James
Pindall and reelected to the 17th Congress, served from October 23, 1820, to March 3, 1823.
John David Jamerson: Standout NCAA basketball player for Ohio University and NBA player selected by the Miami Heat in the 1st round (15th overall) of the 1990 NBA Draft.
Louis A. Johnson: United States Secretary of Defense
Michael Carvelli: Sports Writer at the Daily Athenaeum
Tuffy Knight: Former coach in Canadian university football, and a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Charles S. Lewis: Member of the 33rd Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John F. Snodgrass
Pare Lorentz: film director
Frank Loria: Virginia Tech Hokies football All American player. He later died in the Southern Airlines
Flight 932 airplane crash, that killed most of Marshall University's football team, on November 14, 1970.
Lloyd Lowndes, Jr.: Governor of Maryland
Frank Marra: businessman, engineer, chairman of The Plastics Academy, received International Award for Business Management from Society of Plastics Engineers and Distinguished Service Award from the Society of the Plastics Industry
Joseph M. Minard: Democratic member of the West Virginia Senate. Frederick Mosteller: founding chairman of Harvard's statistics department.
Elliott Northcott: Federal Judge appointed by President Calvin Coolidge on April 6, 1927.
Dave Nutter: Virginia House of Delegates.
Mike Patrick: ESPN sportscaster
Jay Randolph: Sportscaster, son of senator Jennings Randolf
Stuart F. Reed: politician who represented West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives
Cindy Taylor: Fashion model, born in Paraguay, her father was a United States citizen, relocated the family to Clarksburg immediately after Taylor was born.
Natalie Tennant: WV Secretary of State, in 1990 Tennant was the first female to represent West Virginia University as the Mountaineer Mascot.
Cyrus Vance: United States Secretary of State
Patty Weaver: actress, The Young and the Restless (1982–present), Days of our Lives (1974–1982)
Sam Wetzel US Army General
Meredith Sue Willis: well-known speaker and writer about the teaching of writing.
Sherilyn Wolter: actress who has appeared television soap operas.
Country Club Bakery in Fairmont is "The Home of the Original Pepperoni Roll"[4],
The former head of the art department at Fairmont State University, Luella Mundel, was the subject of a documentary called American Inquisition by Helen Whitney. Mundel was the victim of blacklisting during the McCarthy era, and the documentary showed how the negative effects of that era reached even smalltown West Virginia. This documentary was the subject of a very famous case about the First Amendment.[6]
The site of the first Father's Day - On July 5, 1908, originally celebrated in honor of the more than 200 fathers lost in the Monongah Mining disaster several months earlier. However, neither Fairmont nor the state of West Virginia chartered the holiday to make it official, so several other locales have erroneously taken credit for its inception over the years
Notable People
Tony Adamle, played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns (1947–1951, 1954).
Frank J. Breth, United States Marine Corps brigadier general.
Mike Caputo, Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 43rd District.
Joe Cerisano, musician, "Be All That You Can Be" "Hands Across America"
Ann K. Covington, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri, the first woman to hold that position.
Frank Kendall Everest, Jr., U.S. Air Force officer who is best remembered as an aeroengineer and test pilot during the 1950s. Once known as The Fastest Man Alive.
Ron Everhart, Head basketball coach at Duquesne University. Previously, held the same position at Northeastern University and McNeese State University.
Art Finley, North American television and radio personality, mostly in San Francisco and Vancouver, remembered by many as "Mayor Art," the host of a live children's show that aired on KRON-TV in San Francisco beginning in 1959 through 1966.
Aretas B. Fleming, 8th Governor of West Virginia.
Carrie Watson Fleming, First Lady of West Virginia, 1890–1893
Thomas Haymond, a nineteenth century congressman and lawyer.
Philip C. Jimeno Long-serving member of the Maryland State Legislature.
Johnnie Johnson, Piano player and blues musician, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Fuzzy Knight, film and television actor, appeared in over 180 films between 1929 and 1967, usually as a cowboy hero's sidekick.
Nick Saban, Head coach of University of Alabama football team.
Alan Mollohan, Member of United States House of Representatives, representing West Virginia's 1st district.
Luella Mundel, professor and McCarthyism victim
Michael Oliverio II, member of the West Virginia Senate, representing the 13th District.
Doris Piserchia, science fiction writer.
Roman W. Prezioso, Jr., West Virginia state senator representing the 13th senatorial district.
Francis H. Pierpont, Governor of the union controlled parts of Virginia during the American Civil War,
known as the "father of West Virginia."
Mary Lou Retton, American Olympic gold medal winner, member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.[13]
Jeffrey Tinnell, Motion picture producer and publisher of graphic novels.
Robert Tinnell, Motion picture screenwriter, director, and producer, the author of several comic books and graphic novels.
Hershel W. Williams, awarded the Medal of Honor for his outstanding heroism in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Clarence Wayland Watson, Founded several companies that became Consolidation Coal and Mining Companies, United States Senator from West Virginia from 1911 to 1913.
Fayetteville
Fayetteville was listed as one of the 2006 "Top 10 Coolest Small Towns in America" by Budget Travel Magazine
Notable People
Tunney Hunsaker - Professional boxer and longtime Fayetteville police chief
Follansbee
Notable People
Lou Holtz, former NCAA and NFL football coach (born in Follansbee)
Glenn Davis, Olympic hurdler and sprinter who won a total of three gold medals in the 1956 and 1960
Olympic games (born in Follansbee)
Glen Dale
Notable People
Glen Dale is the hometown of: Brad Paisley, country music singer
Pop singer Lady Gaga's mother Cynthia Germanotta (nee Cynthia Bissett)
Lionel Cartwright Congresswoman
Shelley Moore Capito, and her father, former Governor Arch A. Moore, Jr
Baseball Hall of Famer George Brett was born in Glen Dale, but his family moved when he was a small child, and he was primarily raised in Southern California.
The toy company Marx, from 1934 until 1979
Grafton
The only two national cemeteries in West Virginia are located in Grafton.
Mother's Day was founded in Grafton on May 10, 1908; the city is the home to the International Mother's Day Shrine.
Grafton boasts one of the oldest observances of Memorial Day in America.
Notable People
Clair Bee - basketball coach for Long Island University & author
Marmaduke H. Dent - justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals (born in Granville, but lived in Grafton most of his life)
Frank Gatski - Pro Football Hall of Fame center for the Cleveland Browns
Anna Jarvis - founder of Mother's Day
2George Preston Marshall - longtime owner and president of the Washington Redskins
Eldora Marie Bolyard Nuzum - first female editor of a daily newspaper in WV and Interviewer of U.S. Presidents[5]
Hurricane
In 2002, a winning multi-state Powerball ticket was sold at a convenience store in Hurricane. The winning ticketholder was Jack Whittaker. At the time it was the largest jackpot ever won by a single winning ticket in the history of American lottery, let alone West Virginia.
Dreamland Pool
Kenova
The city is also near the site of the Southern Airways Flight 932 aviation disaster. In 1970, a plane carrying the Marshall University football team crashed on a hillside on approach to the Tri-State Airport, killing all on board. A movie about the tragedy, We Are Marshall, was released in 2006.
Dreamland Pool, first opened in 1926, was once the largest swimming pool in the United States east of the Mississippi River, measuring 250 feet by 125 feet. The original construction included a three story pavilion that ran the length of the pool. The top floor of the pavilion included a dance floor, where many notable Big Bands played though the 1930s and 1940s and attracted big names such as Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, and Frank Sinatra.[3] A fire in the 1972 destroyed the pavilion, but the rest of the facility survived. The pool was conveyed to the City of Kenova in 1973. Presently, the Kenova Parks & Recreation Board oversees the operation and management of the facility. About the size of a football field, Dreamland sports two cement floats equidistant from each other in the middle of the pool to allow swimmers a place to rest. Dreamland Pool was recently renovated in 2008.
The Pumpkin House
The 1891 Victorian home located at 748 Beech Street is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and was once visited by President Grover Cleveland. In recent years it has become known as The Pumpkin House, because of the more than 3000 hand-carved Jack-o-Lanterns which owner Ric Griffith, the town's mayor and pharmacist, adorn it with each Halloween season. The Pumpkin House has received national media attention and has been featured on segments of NBC's The Today Show, the Ellen DeGeneres Show, and many other media outlets. Pumpkin house owner Ric Griffith is also longtime owner of the Griffith and Feil Drug Store, an old time drug store with an authentic early 20th century soda fountain which he has totally restored. His father, longtime Kenova businessman and resident Dick Griffith, worked in the pharmacy on a semi-retirement basis for many years until he was in his early 90's and sponsored a tennis tournament that bears his name in nearby Huntington.
Notable People
Michael W. Smith - musician, pastor, actor
Bobbie Joe Long — convicted serial killer
Don Robinson - Major League Baseball pitcher
Brad D. Smith - CEO of Intuit
Jeff Baldwin- Major League Baseball Player
Keyser
Former Major League Baseball player and sportscaster John Kruk grew up in Keyser.
Baltimore Orioles pitching coach Leo Mazzone, who made his reputation in the same role with the Atlanta Braves, was born in Keyser, but never lived there. At the time Mazzone was born, Keyser had the nearest hospital to his parents' home in Westernport, Maryland, and he spent his entire childhood in Westernport.
Eighties Hard rock artists Kix ("The Itch", "Don't Close your Eyes", "Midnight Dynamite") are from Keyser. After changing their name from The Shooze and signing with Atlantic Records, the band went on to sell 2 million records before breaking up in 1995.
Former G Gordon Liddy Producer and San Francisco radio host Matty Staudt also hails from Keyser.He recently was a featured voice/character in the Pixar movie "Cars." Staudt began his radio career with local radio station WQZK.
The world renown historian of the African American Slave trade and one of the most powerful academic voices in America, Dr. Henry Louis Gates,Jr. was born in Keyser in 1950 (he also was the first African American to graduate from Cambridge.) Dr. Gates is a good friend of Qunicy Jones and the late Alex Haley
Notable People
Jonah Edward Kelley, WWII soldier awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.
Walter E. Rollins, (also known as Jack Rollins) Songwriter who wrote Frosty the Snowman and Smokey Bear
John Kruk, former professional baseball player and ESPN baseball analyst
Jim Conner, former Executive Vice President, Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association
Harley Orrin Staggers, United States Congressman
Leo Mazzone, former major league baseball pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles.
Donnie Marple - The 2007 Guitar Center's Best Amateur Drummer
Lewisburg
Notable People
Cleve Benedict - former congressman, West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture and US Undersecretary of Energy
Pinckney Benedict - novelist, writer of short stories, and son of Cleve Benedict
Bimbo Coles - Basketball Olympian, played for Miami Heat
Robert Head and Darlene Fife of the New Orleans' social commentary and literary magazine NOLA Express.
Robert Bruce King - Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Seth McClung - Pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers Organization in Major League Baseball
Johnny Olson - announcer, best known for his work on What's My Line?, Match Game, and The Price is Right
Mason Patrick - United States Army general and air power advocate
J.R. Roach - Musician & songwriter, best known as the drummer for Boston based Metal band Sam Black Church
Colonel John Stuart - pioneer and soldier, the "Father of Greenbrier County"
Logan
Notable People
Shane Burton, retired defensive tackle for four NFL teams
Joanne Dru, American film and television actress
Thomas Esposito, Former mayor put on probation and disbarred for bribery
Mamie Thurman, murder victim
Jack Harris - South Florida radio and television personality
Madison
In Populare Culture
One of Madison's most famous residents was Hasil Adkins, the one-man band, rockabilly musician who began recording in Boone County in the late 1950s. Hasil was born in 1939 in Van, West Virginia, an unincorporated hamlet 10 miles southeast from Madison on Route 85. For over five decades he recorded (in his "tar-paper shack") well over 200 songs, many of which were released as singles. Norton Records has since re-released many of the songs on four LP records. He died on April 25, 2005 at his home in Boone County.
Jesco White, a.k.a. the Dancin' Outlaw, also hails from just outside of Madison. Born and raised in Bandytown, Jesco's fame arrived after a PBS series, "A Different Drummer," featured a documentary about him, his wife, extended family, and his Elvis persona. After seeing the film titled "Dancin' Outlaw", comedian Tom Arnold asked Jesco to appear on the popular 90s show Roseanne, which he did. His scenes never made an episode, though footage of Jesco can be seen in the closing credits on the intended episode.
Mannington
Literary Link
Mannington is the model for the fictional town of Grantville in Eric Flint's best selling hit 1632 series of alternate history novels: 1632, 1633, Ring of Fire, The Grantville Gazette, and other book-length and shorter works. The 1632 series has evolved into a large scale experiment in collaborative fiction and has attracted considerable interest from other best selling writers, including David Weber and Mercedes Lackey. The premise of the series is that, in about April 2000, irresponsible aliens (accidentally) exchanged a sphere with a radius of about three miles centered on Grantville with an equally sized chunk of Thuringia from 1631, plunging the town into the midst of the Thirty Years' War. Mannington was used as a detailed model for the series in order to determine what resources and skill-set the town of Grantville would bring to the Holy Roman Empire. The fans and writers of the 1632 series hold an annual convention in Mannington. The third gathering was held in August, 2005. The fourth was held on August 4—6, 2006
Martinsville
Notable People
Chris Booker, entertainment personality
John Callaway, journalist
John Murtha, Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives. He grew up in
Pennsylvania and represented the twelfth district of that state
Bill Stewart, head football coach at West Virginia University
Montgomery
Trivia
The novel "Goodbye Miss 4th of July" written by Christopher Janus is a very touching biographical story of his Greek family's struggles, while growing up in Montgomery, WV. In 1988 a film version of "Goodbye Miss 4th of July" was produced by the Disney Channel.
Moundsville
Notable People
Davis Grubb - Novelist and story writer who wrote The Night of the Hunter.
Arch A. Moore, Jr. - Former governor of West Virginia.
Frank De Vol - Actor and composer who grew up in Canton, Ohio and wrote the theme song for The Brady Bunch.
Delf Norona - Noted WV historian, expert on history of the US Postal Service, and authority on the Grave Creek Mound and the Delf Norona Museum.
Steve Crabtree - Former Kentucky television news anchor. Republican nominee for Kentucky Secretary of State in 1995. Currently (2009) broadcast news executive for Gray Television, Inc, WVLT-TV Knoxville Tennessee.
Mount Hope
Notable People
Bob Elkins - Character actor born here, but raised out of state.
Ralph A. Ramsey - Chairman CEO K-Mart
John W. Ramsey - Musician Banjo Player for bluegrass band, "The Fiddlers"
John Edward McClung - Old-time musician born here.
Lt Col Robert (Bob) Taggart - liberator of Dachau, April 29, 1945 [1] Buried Arlington National Cemetery, May 12, 2009.
Mullens
Notable People
Jerome Anderson, basketball player and coach
Christy Martin, professional female boxer, was named the best woman boxer in the world by the World Boxing Council in 1996.
Rick Tolley, Marshall head football coach, who lost his life on November 14, 1970 along with the entire football team, coaches and fans in a devastating plane crash.
Mike D'Antoni (born May 8, 1951 in Mullens, West Virginia) is a former basketball player and is currently the head coach of the NBA's New York Knicks
Nitro
Notable People
Major League Baseball player Lew Burdette was born in Nitro in 1926.
Country singer Kathy Mattea, who grew up in nearby Cross Lanes, is a graduate of Nitro High School.
J. R. House, who played for several MLB teams in the early 2000s, was a record-setting quarterback at Nitro High from 1996 through 1998.
Actor Clark Gable lived briefly in Nitro around 1920.
Petersburg
Notable People
Joan Banks - Actress, a regular on Gang Busters and 33 episodes of CBS Radio Mystery Theater.
M. Blane Michael - Circuit Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Philippi
In 1861, the city was the site of the Battle of Philippi, known as "The Philippi Races". Although a minor skirmish, this is considered the earliest notable land action of the American Civil War.
Philippi is the home of Alderson-Broaddus College
Notable A–B Alumni
Lt. Gen. John E. Jackson, President, Fork Union Military Academy
Richard F. Wilson, President, Illinois Wesleyan University
Maj. Gen. Jessica L. Wright, first woman Adjutant General of the Pennsylvania National Guard; second woman to hold such a position in the USA
The Mothman - Paranormal enthusiasts flock to Point Pleasant in search of Mothman, a creature said to inhabit an abandoned TNT plant from World War II. It has become more than an urban legend, and it is believed to be a harbinger of imminent disaster, now being seen around the globe before great tragedies. John A. Keel published a book in 1975 entitled The Mothman Prophecies, and a film inspired by the novel was released in January 2002. There is even a Mothman Museum, run by Jeffrey Wamsley.
Point Pleasant is famous for the 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge, which killed 46 people.
The Battle of Point Pleasant 1774 -
The town is also noted for the October 10, 1774, Battle of Point Pleasant, in which Virginia militiamen led by Colonel Andrew Lewis defeated an Algonquin Confederation of Shawnee and Mingo warriors led by Shawnee Chief Cornstalk. The event is celebrated in Point Pleasant as the first battle of the American Revolutionary War, and in 1908 the US Senate authorized erection of a monument to commemorate Point Pleasant as the site of the first battle of the American Revolution. Most historians, however, regard it not as a battle of the Revolution but instead as a part of Lord Dunmore's War.
It was the final home of Confederate Brigadier-General John McCausland, the next-to-last Confederate General to die. He died at his farm at Grimm's Landing on January 23, 1927, and is buried in nearby Henderson.
Princeton
Notable People
Don Caruth, West Virginia politician
Bob Denver, actor, spent most of the later years of his life in Princeton
Jennifer Garner, actress, spent several of her youner years in Princeton
Ken Kendrick, owner, Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks Rod Thorn, president and general manager of the New Jersey Nets
Kenny Easterday, more commonly known as "The Man With Half a Body" lives in Princeton.
Rickwood
Notable People
Basketball player Michael Barrett who played for the Gold Medal winning U.S. Basketball team in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and with a few teams in the American Basketball Association attended Richwood High School.
Peter Brunette, film critic and historian, was born in Richwood.
Marian McQuade, the founder of National Grandparents Day, lived in Richwood before moving to Oak Hill, West Virginia.
Ripley
Ripley claims to host the "Biggest Small Town Fourth of July Celebration" in the nation
Notable People
Kane Davis - Baseball pitcher (apparently born in Ripley, but actually grew up and played baseball in Spencer
Romney
It is also home to the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind and the nation's First Confederate Memorial in Indian Mound Cemetery.
Salem
Salem International University is located in Salem.
Notable Alumni
Senator Jennings Randolph, author of the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Honorable Cecil Underwood, former Governor of West Virginia
John Abramovic former NBA forward
Jack Deloplaine former NFL running back
Rich Rodriguez was the last head coach of Salem football. He currently is the head coach at the University of Michigan.
Archie Talley all-American basketball player who led the nation in scoring (1976). Played professionally for New York Knicks, Harlem Globetrotters, and in Europe. Currently a motivational speaker.
Playground legend Kenny Brunner attended Salem University (2000–2001) but did not graduate.
Notable People
Jennings Randolph: US Senator
Melvin Mayfield: United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
Shepherdstown
Robert Lucas (1781–1853), born in Shepherdstown, was a governor in Ohio 1832–1836 and Iowa 1838–1841
John James Abert, (1788–1863), born in Shepherdstown, was a topographical engineer and founder of the National Institute of Science
Danske Dandridge (1854–1914), poet, writer, and historian
Edwin Gray Lee (1837–1870), born at Leeland, near Shepherdstown, Confederate brigadier general, lawyer, and relative of Robert E. Lee.
Frances Meehan Latterell (1920–2008), plant pathologist, retired in Shepherdstown
Peter Tompkins, (1919–2007), was an American journalist, World War II Office of Strategic Services (OSS) spy in Rome, and best-selling occult author.
Shinnston
Notable People
Dick Brown, catcher in American Major League Baseball during the 1950s and 1960s.
Larry Brown, Major League Baseball infielder who played from 1963 to 1974.
John McKay, (USC Trojans football, 1960–75 and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1976–84) was not born in, but, grew up in Shinnston and graduated from Shinnston High School.
Smithers
Notable People
Gino Marchetti-Inductee in the Pro-Football Hall of Fame.
Bertis Downs, manager and legal consul to alternative rock band R.E.M
South Charleston
South Charleston attractions include Criel Mound
Notable People
Televangelist T. D. Jakes was born and raised in the city.
Former NFL player Carl Lee was also born and raised in South Charleston.
Country singer-songwriter Kathy Mattea was born in the city's Thomas Memorial Hospital to parents who lived in nearby Cross Lanes, where she grew up.
Thomas Memorial Hospital is named after Herbert J. Thomas, Jr., a World War II Medal of Honor recipient who was raised in South Charleston.
The critically acclaimed short-story writer Breece D'J Pancake was born in South Charleston.
Richie Robb, long-time mayor and 2004 Presidential Elector
Spencer
Spencer is the home of the annual West Virginia Black Walnut Festival
Notable People
Debbie Hersman, Chairperson, National Transportation Safety Board, 2009
Ruby Bradley, Colonel, US Army, 1907–2002
St. Albans
Notable People
Randy Barnes, Olympic gold medalist
nee Montgomery, All-American guard for the Connecticut Huskies women's basketball program
Joe Chrest Jr, Actor in several major motion pictures and television shows.
Billie Kingery Dotson, Author of "The Cat That Found His Purr", for children, based on a true experience
Amy Trent, Award-winning filmmaker and animator. Bear and The Color of Red and the Bells of Prague. Other films include: Pre-history for PBS documentaries and Executive Producer for PBS television show "Campus Connection." She has 15 films and 6 awards in the past 10 years.
Rick Adkins, Author of short stories and novels including "A Love Out Of Time".
The Willow Island disaster was the collapse of a cooling tower under construction at the Pleasants Power Station at Willow Island, West Virginia, on April 27, 1978. 51 construction workers were killed. It is thought to be the deadliest construction accident in U.S. history
War
War is the only place in the United States with this name
It is well known for being a setting in the movie "October Sky" as writer Homer Hickam is a Big Creek High School alumni.
Notable People
Gary Jeter-Retired NFL Lineman
Quincy Wilson-Running back,
Weir High,WVU,Atlanta Falcons,Cincinnati Bengals
James J. Andrews Union spy during the Civil War
Bob Gain legendary football player
Bob Jeter-NFL Defensive Back- Green Bay Packers
Ron Williams-NBA player for the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Los Angeles Lakers
David "Junior" Guthrie - lead guitar for country band Povertyneck Hillbillies
John L Wilks - a black Republican who served in the Nixon and Ford administrations, helped institute the Affirmative Action Plan
Branden Lee Hinkle-professional Mixed Martial Artist
Larry Brown- Bass Guitar for funk/rock Wild Cherry (band) ,song "Play that Funky Music"
Big Bully Busick - WWF wrestler
Virgil Cantini - Sculptor
Pop Culture
Weirton has attracted the attention of Hollywood filmmakers on at least two occasions. Weirton was one of several Ohio Valley towns that served as film locations for the acclaimed 1978 film, The Deer Hunter, starring Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep. Six years later it served as the primary location for filming of Reckless starring Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah. The movie Super Eight was filmed in downtown Weirton, as well as many other places throughout the town
This movie was produced by Stephen Spielburg and JJ Abrams.
Disney featured Weirton briefly in its documentary, America's Heart and Soul. During the excerpt, employees of Weirton Steel discuss their concerns with foreign imports and what it is doing to the size of their mill.[citation needed]
Weirton was also the inspiration and guidance in the 1989 book No Star Nights.
Author Anna Smucker drew upon her memories growing up in Weirton for a tale about childhood spent in an industrial town
Welch
The first recipients of modern era food stamps were the Chloe and Alderson Muncy family of Paynesville, McDowell County. Their household included fifteen persons.
On May 29, 1961, in the City of Welch, as a crowd of reporters witnessed the proceedings, Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman delivered $95 of federal food stamps to Mr. and Mrs. Muncy. This was the first issuance of federal food stamps under the Kennedy Administration, and it was the beginning of a rapidly expanding program of federal assistance that would be legislated in the "War on Poverty."
Firsts Welch was the location of the first memorial building in the United States dedicated to the memory of Americans who gave their lives for their country in World War I, and to honor the veterans of that war. It was dedicated on May 30, 1923. The building was destroyed by fire. The historic site is now an empty lot near the county courthouse.
In 1928, Welch resident Minnie Buckingham Harper became the first black woman legislator in the United States. Harper was appointed by the Governor to the West Virginia House of Delegates to fill the vacancy caused by the death of her husband.
Welch also built the first municipally owned parking building in the United States, which was opened September 1, 1941. It accommodated 232 cars and showed a profit its first year in operation.
Notable People
Steve Harvey – comedian, actor, entertainer; born in Welch
Jeannette Walls – author of The Glass Castle, a large portion of which takes place in Welch; resident from middle school through high school
Hubert L. Mullins – fantasy writer.
Wellsburg
Notable People
Russ Craft - American football defensive back in the NFL
Glenn Davis- Olympic hurdler
Patrick Gass - Member of the Lewis and Clark expedition
Joe Pettini - Major League Baseball player, and coach for the St. Louis Cardinals
White Sulphur Springs
White Sulphur Springs grew in the first half of the nineteenth century as the southern "Queen of the Watering Places". The springs resort first became the standard summer destination for wealthy Virginia low-country residents seeking reprieve from heat, humidity, and disease. As its popularity increased and it gained status as a socially exclusive site, the spring attracted elite guests from all areas of the South. The resort, now known as The Greenbrier, remains one of the country's most luxurious and exclusive resorts. For many years, Sam Snead was the resort's golf pro. The resort has another significant place in golf history; in 1979, it hosted the first Ryder Cup to feature the current competitive setup of the United States and European sides. Indeed golf in the United States began near White Sulphur Springs when the Montague family founded Oakhurst Links in 1884, making it the oldest organized golf club in the country. In 1992 the Washington Post revealed that the resort had been the site of a "bunker", the Emergency Relocation Center, which was intended to house and protect the U.S. Congress in the event of a nuclear attack during the Cold War America's first golf course was opened in 1884 in White Sulphur Springs and is called Oakhurst Links. This is a Hickory Golf course in the pre-1900 style. Visitors to Oakhurst Links play the course just as golfers did in 1884. Golf at Oakhurst is played with replica 19th-century long-nose, hickory-shafted clubs and gutta percha "guttie" balls, (made in St. Andrews Scotland exclusively for Oakhurst) hit from sand tees.[5] The US National Hickory Championship tournament is held at Oakhurst annually in June
Notable People
Don Blankenship, Chairman/CEO/President of Massey Energy
H. Truman Chafin, Democratic State Senator (Majority Leader), attorney
Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong, former President of Mississippi State Univ./ Retired Air Force Four Star General.
Williamstown
Fenton Glass Founded in 1905 by brothers Frank L. and John W. Fenton, the Fenton Art Glass Company ranks among the world's foremost producers of handmade art glass. Fenton is the largest manufacturer of hand made glass in the US. Fenton makes no 2 pieces of glass the same. The firm is now led by third- and fourth-generation Fenton family members, who work side by side with over 400 employees, including skilled glassworkers and decorators, to create beautiful, handmade art glass in. After officials of Fenton Art Glass announced the fifth generation family company would shut down the 100-year-old factory at the end of 2007, thousands of loyal Fenton customers reacted with an outpouring of orders, selling out the QVC show that was to be its last in just minutes instead of the scheduled 2-hour show. Fenton is now open and working to stay open; tours are run daily through the gift shop and orders are placed online, on QVC and via its decades-old collector-quality catalog.
