Hey World! Its West Virginia Again!

The start of summer is recognized on June 21st; West Virginia's statehood is recognized on June 20th. My husband and I married at the end of April, so the early months of our newlywed life coincided with both of these events.

In the weeks prior, I mentioned “West Virginia Day” a time or two to my spouse (Its a day off for me as as an employee for the state government so it gave us a little more time on a trip we were taking the previous weekend). My husband was understandably curious about it. He's originally from out-of-state and decided to make his home base with me in the Mountain State. But on the flip side, I learned something that perplexed me: not every state seems to have a day like this.

For at least twenty-three years, I've lived in a (local) culture that commemorates its own statehood, with no thought until now that this was actually a rather exclusive tradition. I've even lived in other states, although I was probably too young to notice particular holidays outside of Christmas or my birthday. Though ultimately, I've lived in West Virginia long enough to properly claim being here for the majority of my life: I was born here and my family reset their roots here after my dad's stint in the Navy and with General Motors in Michigan. I was around seven or eight years old at the time.

My twenty-something-year-old sister, a college student in a West Virginia school with friends and classmates from as far away as Washington, corroborates my revelation as well. She also added a crucial idea to the mix: its a state pride thing. Maybe a few times a year might we muster some national pride for USA, but how often and in how many places is state pride embraced? West Virginia is one of at least thirteen states that recognize the day of their existence in some official capacity--only one direct neighbor state does (Kentucky), the "noncontinential" states (Hawaii and Alaska) do, two southern states (Florida and Georgia), and the rest are western states. Three years ago, I wrote a soapbox attempting to educate more people on the mere fact West Virginia is a state. Yet, for what other reason would a Mountain State native get so irritated by the outsider's ignorance and confusion besides pride in where we live? West Virginia is a state, and for most people, an identity too.

So what defines this identity? What are some qualities of this Mountain State pride? What are the tangible, physical characteristics in this regional self-esteem? Here are a few things I think of:

The Appalachian Mountains, the geographical backbone of our state, are said to be the oldest on Earth, forming more than three hundred million years ago.

President George Washington surveyed and owned land throughout the region. As a teenager, Washington surveyed the holdings of Lord Thomas Fairfax, and was given parts of modern-day Jefferson and Morgan counties as payment. Land in Mason, Putnam, Kanawha, Wood, and Jackson counties would later be his by grants, rewards in his military career, or his own acquisition. Upon his death, he owned more than 60,000 acres in the western Virginia region which went to his family. Presently, an elementary, middle, and high school in Kanawha and Putnam counties bear the first president's name.

West Virginia is one of the last states to be created out of the original thirteen colonies. Incidentally, the region had petitioned for statehood since the Revolutionary War, hoping to be the “fourteenth colony”. Its the only state formed by separating from a Confederate state, and one of two states admitted to the union during the Civil War (the other being Nevada).

President John F. Kennedy visited our centennial. He gave a speech at the state capitol that was followed by a thirty-five gun salute. In addition, the state held a breakfast exclusive to people who shared their birthday with West Virginia's and a thirty-five-layer cake was served at noon.

West Virginia has adopted John Denver's “Take Me Home, Country Roads” in every way possible. A lot of natives appreciate the state's natural beauty and the song embraces it too. An old state slogan, Almost Heaven, derives from its first lines. The state tourism office obtained the rights to use the song in marketing, thus making it synonymous with the Mountain State around the world. Our major college, West Virginia University uses it as a theme song, and by legal proclamation in 2014, it is an official state song. How many other states have laid so much claim to a pop song?

Hard work, history, and natural beauty sum up West Virginia's state pride. Its colonial inhabitants two hundred years ago worked long and hard for its very existence and that work ethic is still prevalent today; it has to be. The state was a boon to older or antiquated industries and are now shadows and memories if still around at all. So it's not a luxurious place materialistically, but many natives and residents can lead comfortable lives here. Then, almost anywhere in the state can its beautiful scenery be witnessed. I could plan a day or weekend trip to visit one of our lakes, the New River Gorge, or Lost World Caverns or I could just as easily hike a hillside or sit by the Kanawha River at some local parks only a few miles away. To these ends, can the Mountain State people really be blamed when dealing with confusion and ignorance about who we are and where we live? These are what make us “almost Heaven”, always free Mountaineers, Mountain Mommas, West-by God-Virginia.

References:

https://www.rgj.com/story/opinion/editorials/2017/10/26/every-state-should-celebrate-its-own-day-rgj-editorial-board/805097001/

https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/

https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1034

https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2344

https://nationaltoday.com/national-west-virginia-day/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj7n38912wo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_Me_Home%2C_Country_Roads#Reception_in_West_Virginia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia