This week in West Virginia history: February 1 through February 7

January 28, 2026

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.

Feb. 1, 1832: Education reformer Alexander Luark Wade was born. Wade reorganized rural Monongalia County schools to require progress through eight prescribed levels with a graduating exercise and receipt of a diploma. Wade’s system worked so well it was copied in other counties and states.

Feb. 1, 1901: Frank Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of World War I, was born in Missouri. Buckles purchased a farm in Charles Town in 1954 and continued to live there until his death in 2011.

Feb. 2, 1908: Justice Marion Chambers was born in Huntington. Chambers was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the World War II Iwo Jima campaign in February 1945.

Feb. 3, 1825: Confederate General William Lowther Jackson was born in Clarksburg. He was one of at least three Southern officers to bear the nickname “Mudwall.” 

Feb. 3, 1845: Gilmer County, located in the heart of West Virginia, was established from parts of Kanawha and Lewis counties. It was named for Thomas W. Gilmer, a governor of Virginia.

Feb. 3, 1923: WVU broadcast announcer Jack Fleming was born in Morgantown. He was the long-time “Voice of the Mountaineers.”

Feb. 3, 1961: The West Virginia legislature passed a resolution adopting “The West Virginia Hills” as an official state song. Prior to the adoption of “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “The West Virginia Hills” was the best-known of our four official state songs.

Feb. 4, 1845: Doddridge County was formed from parts of Harrison, Lewis, Ritchie, and Tyler counties. It was named for Philip Doddridge, a Western Virginia congressman, state legislator and member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829–30.

Feb. 4, 1945: The hotel at Minnehaha Springs was destroyed by fire. Built in 1914, it was the first facility in Pocahontas County built strictly for the tourist business and was a forerunner of today’s local tourism economy.

Feb. 4, 1948: Contemporary artist Charles Jupiter Hamilton was born in New Jersey. He moved to West Virginia in 1977. His artwork was exhibited in New York, Miami, Boston, Atlanta, Washington D.C., and the West Virginia State Museum. One of his last works, a large street mural, is on Charleston’s West Side on a street that bears his name.

Feb. 5, 1784: Nancy Hanks (Lincoln), the mother of Abraham Lincoln, was likely born in Hampshire County, Virginia, on Mikes Run at the bottom of New Creek Mountain in what is now Mineral County, although historical records of her early life do not exist.

Feb. 5, 1889: Fiddler and self-taught physician James Franklin “Doc” White was born near Ivydale, Clay County. White served the community as doctor, dentist and midwife, delivering more than 1,800 babies.

Feb. 5, 1890: Coach Eli Camden “Cam” Henderson was born in Joetown, Marion County. He is a revered figure in Marshall University sports history.

Feb. 5, 1941: Actor David Lynn Selby was born in Morgantown. His stage and screen credits include the outdoor drama Honey in the Rock, and the television shows Falcon Crest and Dark Shadows.

Feb. 6, 1732: Revolutionary War general Charles Lee was born in England. Late in his life, during the war, he moved to what is now Jefferson County.

Feb. 6, 1882: Poet Anne Spencer was born Annie Bethel Bannister in Henry County, Virginia. In 1886, she and her mother moved to Bramwell, where she spent most of her childhood and adolescent years.

Feb. 6, 2007: Selva Lewis “Lew” Burdette, a native of Nitro, died in Florida. Burdette was an outstanding major league baseball pitcher who spent most of his career with the Milwaukee Braves. In 18 major league seasons, he won 203 games and lost 144. He was MVP of the 1957 World Series.

Feb. 7, 1867: West Virginia University was established by an act of the West Virginia legislature. The college, originally called the Agricultural College of West Virginia, opened its doors in September 1867. 

Feb. 7, 1889: Nell Elizabeth “Pistol Nell” Walker was born at Sewell Mountain. Known as the “First Lady” of Fayette County, she served 12 terms as a member of the House of Delegates.

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.wvencyclopehttps://www.wvencyclopedia.org/dia.org.