West Virginia Travel Guide 2009 - (Page 21) welcome » First brick street in the world was laid in Charleston in 1870. » First state to recognize Mother’s Day. » First 4-H camp in the country. » First rural free mail delivery started in Charles Town in 1896. » First public spa in the country was in Berkeley Springs back in 1756. (And yes, George Washington bathed here!) » First Union soldier U DID YO? KNOW Nearly of West Virginia is covered by forests. 80% We’re # killed in the Civil War (Bailey Brown on May 22, 1861, in Taylor County). » First major land battle of the Civil War (Battle of Philippi on June 3, 1861). » First African-Ameritive body in the U.S. West Virginia is often considered the southernmost northern state and the northernmost southern state. can woman in a legisla- Stone that was quarried near Hinton was contributed by West Virginia for t he Washington Monument and arrived in Washington in February 1885. (Minnie Buckingham Harper, appointed to the House of Delegates in 1928). » First outdoor advertising debuted Elegant stemware made at Morgantown Glassworks was selected by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to be used at The White H ouse during the Kennedy Administration. in Wheeling in 1908. The message: “Treat Yourself to the Best, Chew Mail Pouch.” » First electric railroad in the world ran between Huntington and Guyandotte. About of the nation’s total coal production comes from West Virginia. 15% » First steamboat launched by James Rumney in the Potomac River near Shepherdstown in 1787. Famous Faces You’ll probably recognize many of these celebrities, all of whom were born or spent some time in the Mountain State… Actress Jennifer Garner grew up in Charleston, and returns often to visit with husband Ben Affleck. Country singers Brad Paisley and Kathy Mattea were born in Glen Dale and South Charleston, respectively. America’s sweetheart, gold medal-winning gymnast Mary Lou Retton, was born in Fairmont; she may have flown on the uneven bars, but the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound, Air Force General Chuck Yeager, hails from Myra. NFL standout Randy Moss and NBA star Jason Williams both attended the same high school in Belle, while NBA great Jerry West grew up just down the road in Cabin Creek. Other native West Virginians include Don Knotts (“The Andy Griffith Show”) from Morgantown, John Corbett (“Sex and the City” and “Northern Exposure”) and Joyce Dewitt (“Three’s Company”) from Wheeling, and Peter Marshall (“Hollywood Squares”) and Soupy Sales (“What’s My Line?”) from Huntington. “Fargo” actors William H. Macy and Frances McDormand both studied theater at Bethany College, and the late Paul Newman prepared for his famous role in “Cool Hand Luke” by “doing time” in the Cabell County Jail in Huntington. On the college scene, actor Billy Crystal played baseball for Marshall University in Huntington and Bob “Gilligan” Denver spent his later years in Princeton before his death in 2005. Harvard professor, writer and producer of the PBS documentary “African American Lives,” Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr., is from Piedmont. A variety of the yellow Golden Delicious apple originated in Clay. The original Grimes Golden Apple Tree was discovered in 1775 near Wellsburg. West Virginia Senator Robert C. Byrd is the longest-serving member in the history of the U.S. Senate. West Virginia’s Memorial Tunnel was the first in the nation to be monitored by television. It opened on Nov. 8, 1954. www.WVTOURISM.com 21 http://www.WVTOURISM.com
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