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Showing posts from April, 2023

Carnefix Ferry state park

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     Carnefix ferry state park, in Nicholas county, is to memorialize a civil war battle that occurred there September 10th, 1861 (about one year prior to the battle of Charleston- which I've also posted about.)      A battle that played a pivotal role in West Virginia's statehood. The battle      Following the events of the Battle of Kessler's Cross Lanes (not to be confused with the town of Cross Lanes in Kanawha county) union forces led by Brigadier General William S. Rosecrans attacked the confederates, led by General John B. Floyd, who were positioned around the Patterson farm, which set overlooking the Gauley River. Eventually Floyd had enough and retreated, down the mountain and back across the Gauley River under the cover of night, which to me seems like an impressive retreat. The Confederates have failed to regain control of the Kanawha valley. The political effects  Just after the battle at Carnefix Ferry, there were votes held in areas controlled by Federal force

The first brick paved street in America

Did you know the first brick paved street in America was in Charleston, Wv? Summers street. Some people say first in the world, but im pretty sure they were doing it in other parts of the world first. I mean the ancient Romans were building stone streets. Anyway, back to Summers street...      In 1870 a Charlestonian named Mordecai Levi had an idea for the streets of his City that he thought would be better than the hard packed dirt streets that turned to mud when it rained. His idea... Bricks. I'm not real sure how he got permission but he started paving Summers street that year and he was done by 1873. You gotta remember this was a time of horse and buggy, so I'm sure brick streets were a game changer.      I found a letter sent to the Centennial Commission of west virginia that said the street was on exhibit at the Chicago fair in 1933 after being confirmed to be the first in the U.S. Edit- I forgot to mention that this project was funded by John P. Hale (a prominent Charles

The Wheeling Conventions

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Did you know west virginia was almost called Kanawha? That's one fact I always thought was kind of cool. Lawmakers considered Kanawha as a name but I guess they thought it would be confusing because Western Virginia had a county by that same name (kanawha county originated in 1788) Original map of the proposed state of kanawha       So, lets talk about how West Virginia even became a state. Now, most of us know about West Virginia day and that it had something to do with the civil war but lets dive a little deeper. It all started with th Wheeling Conventions of 1881, which was an assembly of delegates from the north western part of Virginia. Their goal was to repeal the referendum to secede from the union and join the confederacy, that was passed in April, 1861 in Richmond. Their first meeting was held  May 13th- 15th. It was led by John Carlise of Clarksburg, and he called the newly proposed plan to secede treason against the United States.      The two sides of Virgin

Lincoln County and the Civil War

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     Lincoln county became a county in 1867, and the Civil War was between 1861 and 1865. So, obviously, Lincoln county wasn't technically a county yet, but the area did see some Civil War action.      The Battle of the Curry Farm took place near Hamlin in present day Lincoln county on May 29th, 1864.             The battle was a short one, with one casualty on the Union side. The battle started when the Confederates, commanded by John L. Chapman attacked a detachment of the 3rd West Virginia Calvary. When fired upon, the union force charged and drove off the confederates.            According to e-wv.com, there were several other military engagements in the area, but the Battle of Curry Farm is all I could find information on. Photo sourced from theclio.com Sources Renick, Ethan . "Skirmish At The Curry Farm." Clio: Your Guide to History. March 31, 2018. Accessed April 22, 2023. Lincoln county, Wikipedia.org Sources Renick, Ethan . "Skirmish At The Curry