GHENT, WV (WVNS) — West Virginia is a beautiful and unique state filled with a rich history.
But even if you are a native here or just visiting, you might not know about some of its interesting facts. The following are the 10 interesting facts that you may not have known about the good ole’ Mountain State.
The First Mother’s Day was in West Virginia
Did you know this? It was actually celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia. After Anna Jarvis, the daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis got backing from a Philadelphia department store owner, Anna organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a Methodist church according to history.com.
The Golden Delicious Apple was Discovered Here
Here is another fun fact. wvpublic.org says that on February 20, 1995, the Golden Delicious apple was officially named the state fruit of West Virginia. It is actually one of two popular apples that originated right here in the Mountain State. The first was the Grimes Golden.
West Virginia was the 35th State
According to destguides.com, on June 20, 1863, West Virginia made history by becoming the 35th state in the USA. Another fun fact, modern-day West Virginia was part of Virginia’s state territory.
The First Rural Free Delivery Program Began in West Virginia
In year of 1896, the United States Postal Service began the rural, free delivery program, says destguides.com. Through this program, people could get mail sent directly to their doorstep.
West Virginia helped change the system by helping people who lived outside of the city and needed to pick up their mail from the post office. West Virginia was the first to start this program and its success spread into the rest of the United States.
New River Gorge National Park is “New”
According to destguides.com, there are over 400 national parks in the US, and the New River Gorge National Park is the newest. The Park opened in 1978.
John Brown Fought for Human Rights
John Brown was a leader in the anti-slavery movement before the Civil War began. He was a pacifist who led protests against slave owners. In the year 1859, he led his most famous protest in Harpers Ferry and although he did not succeed the way he wanted to, that protest changed people’s minds about human rights says destguides.com.
The Largest Cut-Stone Masonry Building is in this State
Between the years of 1864 and 1994, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic and Asylum was a psychiatric hospital that treated patients and the building was designed to have a gothic architectural look using cut-stone masonry.
This building is the largest building in the world using this method, standing at over 240,000 square feet. In 1978, due to its architecture, it got a spot in the National Registry of Historic Places according to destguides.com.
West Virginia University used to Have a Different Name
destguides.com says the University has always been a top place for higher education, but it used to have a different name. From 1867 to 1868, the school was known as the Agricultural College of West Virginia.
Children Chose the State Flower
The West Virginia state flower is the rhododendron, which was declared in 1903, but did you know it was chosen by both schoolchildren and the governor at the time?
Although the Rhododendron covers at least 1,000 species of similar plants, a certain strain was never meant to be chosen at the state’s symbol, but the flower associated with the Mountain State is white says destguides.com.
The biggest fair is Older than the State
West Virginia became a state in 1863 and its first versions of the modern-day state fair pre-date that by nearly a decade says destguides.com. The earliest version of the West Virginia state fair was in 1854 and held in Lewisburg.
The fair today still takes place in Lewisburg, although it has been held in multiple locations around the Mountain State. An average of 160,000 visitors visit the fair annually.
