There is SO MUCH to know about our beloved Mountain State ... so much history. So much beauty. So much tragedy. So much significance. Here are nine quirky facts about West Virginia that sound hard to believe but are absolutely true (at least as far as we can tell)! How many of these fun facts about West Virginia have you already heard before?
1. Mother's Day originated in West Virginia.
The first Mother’s Day service, organized by West Virginian Anna Jarvis to honor her own mother and all mothers, took place in 1908 in Grafton, West Virginia at St. Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, which today is the International Mother's Day Shrine.
2. So did Father's Day.
The first Father's Day celebration in America occurred in Fairmont, West Virginia in honor of the 250 fathers who died in the horrific Monongah Mining Disaster leaving 1,000 children fatherless.
3. So did the Golden Delicious apple.
The very first Golden Delicious apple tree was discovered growing in Clay County in 1912. It was acquired by Stark Brothers Nursery, and the rest is history.
4. The founder of Black History Month worked in a New River Gorge coal mine.
His name was Carter G. Woodson, and he attended high school in Huntington, West Virginia, but he was forced to work a few years in the mines, first. After high school, Woodson went on to teach at West Virginia Collegiate Institute, now West Virginia State University.
5. West Virginia is roughly the same size as the entire country of Latvia.
In fact, West Virginia is often referenced when giving Americans an idea of the size of this European country that's been in the news so much recently.
6. The highest bridge in the entire United States Interstate Highway system is just a 10-minute drive from the longest single-span arched bridge in the United States, and both are in West Virginia.
The highest interstate bridge is the Phil G. McDonald Bridge that carries I-64 over Glade Creek near Beckley, West Virginia. The single-span arched bridge, otherwise known as the New River Gorge Bridge, carries U.S. Route 19 across the New River.
7. West Virginia only has one natural lake, and it's slowly disappearing.
The lake is called Trout Pond, and it's located near Wardensville, West Virginia in the Trout Pond Recreation Area.
8. Once upon a time, Jesse James's gang robbed a bank in West Virginia.
Although Jesse James himself (pictured here) wasn't there (at least as far as we know) when the Huntington Bank was robbed in September of 1875, four members of his gang were, including his brother Frank.
9. The world's largest teapot stands tall and proud in West Virginia.
It's 12 feet high, 44 feet wide, and perched along U.S. 30 near the Chester, West Virginia exit ramp.
And there you have it! Nine things you may not have known before about West Virginia. Of course, nine isn't very many, when you think about it; there are plenty of other unbelievable fun facts about West Virginia that didn't make this particular list:
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/west-virginia/crazy-laws-wv/
Feeling proud to live in WV? You should! Wear your state pride on your sleeve with this unique apparel from Wear Your Roots.
For more West Virginia fun, take a look at this footage from the abandoned town of Thurmond:
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