Name: Tucker County
Brand: Cynthia A. Phillips
SKU: 9780738518008
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Tucker County

9780738518008

$24.99

This volume tells the story of Tucker County's history through the visual records of its communities, families, and industries. Carved out of Randolph County, Virginia, in 1856, Tucker County's early history played out in the farming communities of the Cheat River Valley. Beginning
in 1884, the shrill whistle of industrialist Henry Gassaway Davis's railroad, the West Virginia Central and Pittsburg, woke the area to dramatic changes. New towns like Davis, Thomas, and Parsons grew up and prospered in response to the developing nation's demand for lumber and coal. The collection features the visual evidence of how the political, economic, and natural landscape of Tucker County changed from 1880 to 1960.

Upshur County

9780738513522

$24.99

Formed in 1851 from portions of Randolph, Lewis, and Barbour Counties, Upshur County, West Virginia lies in the north central part of the state on the Allegheny Plateau. Rolling foothills and waterways such as the Buckhannon River paint a picturesque landscape, while warm-hearted residents provide testimony to the benefits of living in such amicable surroundings. Upshur County revisits this area during its earlier days, when time seemed to move much slower and wagon squeaks and horses' neighs were common sounds in the towns and along the roads. It also brings the reader into present-day Upshur County, highlighting the industrialization that has taken place in more recent times. This volume celebrates Upshur's long and rich heritage by lingering on the stories and images of historical sites, which include the offspring of the sycamore tree in whose hollowed trunk Samuel and John Pringle lived for three years in the 1700s and the old courthouse that was damaged by fire three times in its first six months of existence. Readers will no doubt recognize many of the traditions captured in these pages, including scenes of street parades and the famous Strawberry Festival.

Wayne County

9781467134231

$24.99

Wayne County, West Virginia, was established on January 18, 1842, from part of Cabell County and named for Gen. Mad Anthony Wayne. The state's westernmost county, it lies at the juncture of two rivers: the Ohio and Big Sandy. The town of Wayne is the county seat. Although the southern half of the county was first to be settled, it was slow to develop. In contrast, the northern part bordering Cabell County grew rapidly. The city of Huntington ultimately expanded westward into Wayne County, an area now known as Westmoreland. In addition to Wayne and Huntington, the county has three other incorporated communities: Ceredo, Kenova, and Fort Gay. In the 19th century, timbering and farming were the county's economic mainstays. The southern end of the county experienced a growth spurt when, in 1890, the Norfolk & Western Railway was completed to Kenova. Today, many residents commute to Huntington or nearby Ashland, Kentucky. The county is the birthplace of gospel singer Michael W. Smith, major league pitcher Donnie Robinson, and Fannie Belle Fleming, better known as stripper Blaze Starr.

Weirton

9781467122504

$24.99

Weirton was originally settled as the village of Holliday's Cove, a strategic fortification along the Ohio River in northwestern Virginia. In 1909, a tinplate mill was established in northern Holliday's Cove, and Weirton was born. Thousands of immigrants of many nationalities came here to work and live, while Ernest T. Weir created his life's dream of a fully integrated steel plant. Weirton became the "Largest Unincorporated Town in the Country" and remained unincorporated for 38 years. In 1947, Weirton combined with Holliday's Cove, Weirton Heights, and Marland Heights to become the official City of Weirton. Thomas E. Millsop, president of Weirton Steel Co., became the first mayor, and the mill became a major factor in the city's success. Many historic moments, including the record snowfall of Thanksgiving weekend 1950, were highlighted in the Weirton Steel Employees' Bulletin. Weirton captures this event and tells the story of the "New City," which thrived in the 1950s and 1960s.

Welch

9780738543048

$24.99

After the Civil War, Capt. Isaiah Welch, a Doddridge County, West Virginia, native, took a job as a surveyor with Maj. Jed Hotchkiss of Staunton, Virginia. Hotchkiss had served as Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's mapmaker and charted Jackson's famous Valley Campaign, and Welch had been an officer of the 13th Battalion, Virginia Light Artillery. The war left Virginia's agrarian economy in ruins, and men like Hotchkiss and Welch worked to develop a new, industrial South. Welch surveyed the Pocahontas Coalfield in 1873, and a city named in his honor emerged in the heart of that great coalfield. Chartered on July 12, 1894, Welch has played a pivotal role in America's industrial revolution as a support system and supply house to the timber industry and as a coal industry hub. Throughout more than a century, Welch has served as a gateway for the raw materials and manpower that fueled the nation's quest for growth and power. The city has been constantly beset by the challenges of maintaining a civilization in West Virginia's steepest and most remote mountains, but after decades of being tested by nature, Welch is now on the verge of yet another renaissance.

West Liberty State College

9780738506975

$24.99

Located in a charming community in West Virginia's northern panhandle is West Liberty State College, the oldest institution of higher learning in the Mountain State. The school was chartered by the State of Virginia as an academy in 1837 and has seen its share of changes since that time. Arguably the foremost change arrived in 1863 when West Virginia became the 35th state in the Union, thereby making the college older than the state. The school took its name from the community in which it resides, which, at the time of the American Revolution, was the frontier settlement farthest west of the Appalachian Mountains and therefore appropriately
named "West Liberty." Since that time, West Liberty State College has been organized and reorganized as a normal school, a state teacher's college, and, finally, a state college. It has maintained its stated mission "to launch our graduates into community, work, and academic environments ready to
be viable contributors with skills and knowledge needed to meet future opportunities and challenges." West Liberty State College celebrates the history and traditions of the school, spotlighting academic, social, and athletic events over the past 163 years.

West Virginia's Traditional Country Music

9781467123112

$24.99

West Virginia has been known for a century as a rich repository of traditional country music and musicians. Beginning in the mid-1920s, phonograph recordings and radios brought this music to a wider audience. With the passing of time and the influence of commercialization, this music developed into what became first known as "hillbilly" and then into the more refined "country" because of its long appeal to those of rural background. Although modernization has caused the traditional element to recede considerably, much still remains. Many folk still cling to the older sounds exemplified by the "raw" traditionalists and the neo-traditional bluegrass style that emerged in the 1940s. From the earliest recording artists, such as the Tweedy Brothers and David Miller, who was blind, to contemporary stars like Kathy Mattea and Brad Paisley, West Virginians and others have held their musicians in high esteem.

West Virginia's Traditional Country Music

Wheeling

9780738515878

$24.99

The playground of figures like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Buffalo Bill, Wheelingis filled with memorable snapshots documenting famous (and infamous) moments in American history.

When most people think of Wheeling they remember Independence Hall and the birth of West Virginia, but Wheeling's history goes back even further to the frontier legends of Lewis Wetzel and Maj. Samuel McColloch. Including photographs of both Wetzel's cave, Major McColloch's smokehouse, and a multitude of historic photographs Images of America: Wheelingdepicts the way life used to be. Famous visitors like Babe Ruth, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Charles Lindbergh, President John F. Kennedy, actress Sarah Bernhardt, and Buffalo Bill are featured.

Within these pages memorable snapshots document some famous moments in the history of the 20th century, such as when President Eisenhower decided to keep Senator Nixon on the ticket at the Ohio County Public Airport and Sen. Joseph McCarthy's famous speech about Communists in the State Department at Wheeling's McLure Hotel. However, the real stars of this book are Wheeling's own buildings, industries, and people, from machine workers on the job to millionaires at play. A chapter devoted to the African-American experience in Wheeling includes Center Market's slave auction block as well as an image of the great jazz saxophonist Leon ""Chu"" Berry. This collection highlights some of the horrific natural disasters that occurred at the turn of the century as well as Wheeling's Victorian architectural treasures, which were erected during the same era.

Wheeling in Vintage Postcards

9780738515328

$24.99

The history of Wheeling and Ohio County is both eclectic and engaging. Beginning in the colonial era when the legendary Betty Zane saved Fort Henry from an Indian attack by hiding gunpowder in her skirt, Wheeling eventually emerged as an important link between Eastern cities and the rest of the United States. The Wheeling Suspension Bridge, the Old National Road, and the B&O Railroad all passed through the bustling Ohio County. Over the years, Wheeling has been labeled everything from "Victorian Wheeling" to "Sintown USA," and these monikers represent the diverse qualities of a town molded and shaped by the steel, coal, tobacco, and transportation industries. Whether residents and visitors frequented the impressive Victorian mansions or Wheeling's infamous brothel district, they always had something to write home about. The incomparable collection showcased in this book spans five decades and was begun and continued by the Carney family.

Wheeling Jesuit University

9780738592213

$24.99

The 60-acre campus of Wheeling Jesuit University is located in the eastern suburbs of Wheeling, West Virginia. Originally named Wheeling College, it is the youngest of the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States. John Swint, bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, and the Jesuits founded Wheeling College as a traditional, coeducational, liberal arts institution. In time, faculty and students became quite diverse, and programs of study proliferated. The institution added "Jesuit" to its name in 1988 to become Wheeling Jesuit College and, eight years later, became a university and modified its name accordingly. In 1994, the board of directors approved a mission statement that calls on Wheeling Jesuit University to educate men and women for life, leadership, and service with and among others.

Wirt County

9780738566795

$24.99

Wirt County was established by an act of the Virginia General Assembly on January 19, 1848, and was named in honor of William Wirt, a famed prosecutor representing the United States in the trial of Vice Pres. Aaron Burr, who was accused of treason. In 1859, the county's population escalated from just a few dozen to several thousand as news of the nation's first big oil boom in Burning Springs was publicized in headlines across the globe. The oil industry had a profound impact on the future of Wirt County and even played a pivotal role in West Virginia being admitted into the Union. While the heyday of the oil industry has faded, the charm of Wirt County has not--it is here where many families embrace the quiet, peaceful lifestyle that a small community offers.

Wood County, West Virginia

9780738514789

$24.99

Nestled in the midst of the Mid-Ohio Valley along the Ohio River, Wood County exists as one of West Virginia's most populous areas. A unique history drives forward the county's diverse communities, and today's residents enjoy a varied palette of opportunities offered by both metropolitan centers and smaller, more rural hamlets. Wood County, West Virginia honors an integral chapter of The Mountain State's storied past, offering readers the opportunity to meet a variety of the county's personalities, including the wealthy-and later infamous-Irish immigrant Harman Blennerhassett, the industrial magnates who arrived with the harvesting of oil and natural gas, and even some everyday individuals. More than 200 vintage photographs also invite readers to experience the county's defining moments, such as the growth of the Volcano oil field after the War between the States, along with the county's tragedies, such as the 1909 collapse of Parkersburg's water tanks on Quincy Hill, which swept a newly married couple to their deaths. Capable of enjoying the prosperous times and of overcoming the difficult ones, Wood Countians have proven themselves time and again since its founding in 1799. This volume is a fitting tribute to the strength and will of all who have called Wood County home.

Wyoming County

9780738541730

$24.99

Because of its rich coal heritage and breathtaking scenery, many regard Wyoming County as the hidden gem of southern West Virginia. The county's vibrant history began with Native Americans, whom many believe left behind the petroglyphs that attract national attention, and continued to its early residents, who farmed and flourished in the logging industry. In 1906, when the Deepwater Railroad (later the Virginian) came to the town of Mullens, Wyoming County's role as a provider of the nation's natural resources was strengthened. By the 1920s, the county was one of West Virginia's foremost coal-producing counties; it maintains that position today. In addition to its integral part in resource exportation, Wyoming County is legendary for its sports scene. Such great players and coaches as Curt Warner, star running back of Penn State and the Seattle Seahawks; Mike D'Antonio, head coach of the Phoenix Suns; and Joe Pendry, assistant coach of the Houston Texans, got their start in Wyoming County. In recent years, this area has been best known for its recreational opportunities. Twin Falls State Park and R. D. Bailey Lake attract thousands of tourists annually, and the Coal Heritage Trail gives residents and visitors alike a chance to see how coal influenced the growth of the region.