4. West Virginia was a part of Virginia
until Virginia seceded from the Union in
1861. The delegates of the 40 western
counties who opposed secession
formed their own government, and
were granted statehood in
1863.Declared a state by President
Abraham Lincoln, West Virginia is the
only state to be designated by
Presidential Proclamation.
5. Major Rivers - Ohio River, Guyandotte River, Greenbrier River
Major Lakes - Tygart Lake, Bluestone Lake
Highest Point - Spruce Knob - 4,863 feet (1,482 m) above sea level
Lowest Point - Potomac River - 240 feet (73 m) above sea level
Number of Counties - 55
Bordering States - Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia
6. What is the Highest Point in
West Virginia?
A. Spruce Knob
B. Allegheny Summit
C. Prospect Peak
D. Gauley Mountain
E. Cranberry Summit
Spruce Knob in Pendleton County, with
an elevation of 4,861 feet, is the highest
point in West Virginia.
7. The New River Gorge Bridge, in
Fayetteville, is the longest steel-
arch bridge in the United States
spanning 1, 815 feet across the
New River Canyon.
8. Ironic to its name, the New
River is actually one of the
oldest rivers in the World and
flows south to north, opposite
from most rivers because it was
formed before the mountains
9.
10.
11. This former rifle coach at West Virginia
University won a gold medal in the 1984
Olympics.
A. Ed Etzel
B. Pat Wray
C. John Devedender
D. Jason Dawson
E. Tom Bettinger
Ed Etzel, who is currently an associate
professor at West Virginia University, served
as coach of the WVU Rifle team, where he
coached over 30 WVU All-Americans, and
guided his teams to five NCAA national
Championships. Dr. Etzel was the Gold
Medalist in the Men's English Match Rifle
event at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
12.
13. In 1863 the Seal was designed to
capture the essence of West
Virginia's natural resources and
its people. A large boulder
symbolizes strength,
steadfastness, and stability.
Etched in the stone is the date
of West Virginia's entrance into
the Union, June 20, 1863. On
one side of the boulder is a
representation of Agriculture, on
the other side, Industry is
symbolized by a miner These
images are surrounded by the
words "State of West Virginia",
and the state's motto "Montani
Semper Liberi", or
"Mountaineers Always Free".
15. Fast Fact:
Mothers Day was first celebrated and started in Grafton, WV by Anna
Jarvis. Anna Jarvis was born in the tiny town of Webster, West Virginia.
Her birthplace, known as the Anna Jarvis house, was listed on the National
Register of Historic Places in 1979. She was the daughter of Ann Maria
Reeves Jarvis. The family moved to nearby Grafton, West Virginia in her
childhood. She graduated from Augusta Female Seminary, now Mary
Baldwin College in 1883.
Anna's mother Ann Jarvis had founded Mothers' Day Work Clubs in five
cities to improve sanitary and health conditions. The Mothers' Day Work
Clubs also treated wounds, fed, and clothed both Union and Confederate
soldiers with neutrality.
On May 12, 1907, two years after her mother's death, Anna held a
memorial to her mother and thereafter embarked upon a campaign to make
"Mother's Day" a recognized holiday. She succeeded in making this
nationally recognized in 1914. The International Mother's Day Shrine was
established in Grafton to commemorate her accomplishment.
