THIS WEEK IN WV HISTORY: June 21–27

Presented by the WV Humanities Council,

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.

June 21, 1920: Wheeling Steel Corporation was organized when La Belle Iron Works, Whitaker-Glessner Company and Wheeling Steel & Iron Works combined. In the 1920s, Wheeling Steel employed more than 17,000 workers and ranked as the nation’s third-largest steelmaker.

June 21, 1959: Musician Kathy Mattea was born in South Charleston but grew up in nearby Cross Lanes. She rose to country music stardom in the 1980s. Since 2021, she has hosted the Mountain Stage radio program.

June 22, 1926: Earl Olgebay died in Cleveland. He was one of West Virginia’s most successful industrialists and a generous benefactor. 

June 22, 1949: Artist Paula Clendenin was born in Cedar Grove, Kanawha County. She has earned national acclaim for her paintings, richly colored, textured shapes that merge West Virginia’s mountain landscape with mystical and spiritual symbols.

June 23, 1944: A tornado struck Shinnston and surrounding areas, killing 103 people and injuring hundreds more.

June 23, 1952: The Toledo Mud Hens moved to West Virginia’s capital city, making the Charleston Senators part of the Class AAA American Association for the first time.

June 23, 2016: Eight inches of rain fell in a 12-hour period. The Meadow, Cherry and Elk rivers, as well as Howard Creek, flooded downtowns and The Greenbrier resort, killing a total of 23 people.

June 24, 1842: Author Ambrose Bierce was born. Bierce found the setting for some of his famous short stories in the mountains of Civil War-era West Virginia.

June 25, 1811: Bridge builder Lemuel Chenoweth was born near Beverly, Randolph County. His many works included the earliest covered bridge at Beverly and the famous Philippi covered bridge.

June 25, 1950: The Korean War began when the armies of Communist North Korea pushed across the 38th parallel into South Korea. Army private Kenneth Shadrick of Wyoming County was among the first U.S. servicemen killed in action, on July 5, 1950.

June 26, 1887: Sheriff Don Chafin was born in Logan County. Chafin was a bitter foe of union organizers and, with financial support from coal companies, used his many deputies to keep labor organizers out of Logan County, most notably during the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain.

June 26, 1892: Pearl Buck was born in Hillsboro in the home of her maternal grandparents. She received the Pulitzer Prize for The Good Earth and was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

June 26, 1936: Basketball star Hal Greer was born in Huntington. Greer was the first Black athlete to play at Marshall College (now University). When his pro career ended in 1973, he held the NBA record for most games played and ranked in the top 10 in points scored, field goals attempted and field goals made.

June 27, 1791: This is the earliest known issue date for the Potowmac Guardian, and Berkeley Advertiser, the first newspaper in present West Virginia. Published initially in Shepherdstown and then Martinsburg, the last known issue was as the Potomak Guardian in 1800.

June 27, 1897: Musician Maceo Pinkard was born in Bluefield. Pinkard became one of the most successful songwriters of the 1920s Jazz Era, including co-writing “Sweet Georgia Brown.”

June 27, 1929: WHIS radio first went on the air in Bluefield. Brothers Hugh and Jim Shott named the station after their father, Hugh Ike Shott Sr., congressman and owner of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph. The station became an important outlet for live country music.

June 27, 1961: Honey in the Rock was first performed at Grandview State Park near Beckley. The play by Kermit Hunter depicts the founding of the Mountain State in 1863.

e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia is a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council.  For more information contact the West Virginia Humanities Council, 1310 Kanawha Blvd. E., Charleston, WV 25301; (304) 346-8500; or visit e-WV at www.wvencyclopedia.org.