Happy West Virginia Day! Celebrating 161 Years of Wild, Wonderful History, Culture & Appalachian Pride

There’s No Place Quite Like West Virginia

There’s a certain kind of magic that happens every June 20th in the Mountain State.

The sun creeps over the Blue Ridge, turning valleys gold. Dew sparkles on fields of wildflowers. The air smells like honeysuckle and hone-baked biscuits, and somewhere, probably not far from a porch swing or pickup truck, someone’s humming “Take Me Home, Country Roads”—a song that’s more than lyrics here. It’s a promise, a memory, a homecoming.

Today marks 161 years since West Virginia became the 35th state in the Union. And while most states quietly entered through political compromise or peaceful expansion, West Virginia was forged in the fire of war, born of division, and raised in grit.

This isn’t just a birthday—it’s a celebration of resilience, rebellion, and roots that go deeper than the coal seams beneath our feet.

📜 How West Virginia Became a State: A Story of Defiance

West Virginia is unique. We’re the only state formed by breaking away from a Confederate state during the Civil War—an act both radical and risky.

➤ The Secession that Sparked a State

When Virginia voted to secede from the Union in 1861, not everyone was on board. The western counties—where life was tough, slavery less prevalent, and Union loyalty ran high—refused to follow.

The divide wasn’t just about slavery. It was also about economics and geography. Eastern Virginia was plantation land—aristocratic, coastal, wealthy. Western Virginia was coal and timber, mountains and farms. It was Scotch-Irish and German, poor but proud. And it resented being ignored and taxed by Richmond.

So, the westerners did something unheard of.

➤ The Wheeling Conventions

Between 1861 and 1863, Union loyalists gathered at Wheeling’s Custom House (now West Virginia Independence Hall) to hash out their fate. There, they declared themselves the “Restored Government of Virginia,” and shockingly, this entity gave its own permission for the western counties to split off.

That’s right: West Virginia got statehood by seceding from a secession—a legal sleight of hand so bold, even Lincoln worried about it.

➤ Lincoln’s Dilemma

President Lincoln knew he needed to keep border states loyal, and the new state’s creation helped that goal. So on June 20, 1863, Lincoln officially welcomed West Virginia into the Union, though he privately feared it might set a dangerous precedent.

The name “West Virginia” was chosen over “Kanawha” or “Western Virginia,” and with it came a brand-new identity.

⚔️ The Forgotten Battles of Statehood

Getting Congress to approve a new state is one thing. Holding onto it during a civil war is another.

West Virginia’s early years were marked by bloodshed and betrayal:

• Confederate raids in towns like Philippi, Beverly, and Rich Mountain
• Civil disputes between neighbors and counties that couldn’t decide which side to support
• A capital that bounced back and forth between Wheeling and Charleston

It was messy. It was dangerous. But it was real. Through all of it, the people here refused to give up.

We were the only state to join the Union by fighting our way in—and we’ve been proudly independent ever since.

🏞️ Land That Raised Us: Nature as Identity

Ask anyone what defines West Virginia, and they’ll point to the mountains. The land is more than background scenery—it’s part of the culture, the economy, and the soul.

🌄 Mountains That Molded a People

West Virginia is nearly 80% forested, and almost entirely mountainous. Our peaks aren’t the highest in the country, but they’re some of the oldest and most storied.

• Spruce Knob (4,863 ft) stands as the highest point in the state—a wind-whipped summit where trees grow crooked and clouds brush the grass.
• Seneca Rocks offers climbers a challenge and a view that will stop your heart. WWII troops trained here before heading off to fight in Europe.
• Dolly Sods Wilderness feels like a piece of Canada was dropped into Appalachia. It’s an alpine plateau with bogs, rare plants, and panoramic beauty.

These mountains have shaped how we live, talk, and survive. Isolation forced creativity. Poverty bred pride. The hills gave us independence and humility all at once.

🌊 Rivers That Carved Our Story

Water shaped this land just as much as stone.

• The New River Gorge—home to the country’s newest National Park—is one of the oldest rivers on the planet and now a playground for whitewater rafters and BASE jumpers.
• The Ohio River powered steamboats and commerce in towns like Huntington and Parkersburg.
• The Tug Fork River was the dividing line in the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud, a family war still discussed today.

Did you know? The New River flows north—defying the logic of geography, just like the people who live near it.

🎭 The Culture of West Virginia: Music, Food & Storytelling

Culture in West Virginia isn’t preserved in museums—it’s alive.

🎶 Music That Tells Our Truth

From front porch banjo pickin’ to soulful ballads sung under moonlight, music here is storytelling in motion.

• Bluegrass and old-time tunes are alive and well at festivals like the WV State Folk Festival.
• Local legends like Hazel Dickens sang about labor struggles and mountain life with fire and heart.
• And though John Denver wrote Country Roads about Maryland and Virginia, West Virginians made it ours—because it just feels right.

Where else do toddlers learn fiddle before they can ride a bike?

🍲 Food Is Our Love Language

What other state has pepperoni rolls as a culinary icon?

Born in coal mines as a meal that wouldn’t spoil, these soft rolls filled with pepperoni are now everywhere: gas stations, weddings, tailgates. Add in ramp festivals, apple butter stir-offs, and ginseng hunting, and you’ve got a cuisine rooted in survival and celebration.

Oh—and don’t forget to argue over where to find the best hot dogs with slaw.

🗣️ Language & Lore: Our Stories Shape Us

We don’t just speak English—we speak Appalachian.

• “Holler” means a valley, not a shout.
• “Y’uns” is our plural for y’all.
• “Over yonder” is an actual direction, and “reckon” still holds value.

Our idioms reflect a time when stories were passed by firelight and family histories were shared on porches, not posted on timelines.

💪 The Fight & Future of West Virginia

West Virginia has never had it easy—but we’ve always had fight.

➤ From Labor Wars to Legacy

The Battle of Blair Mountain (1921) was the largest labor uprising in U.S. history. Miners, fed up with brutal conditions and corporate exploitation, armed themselves and marched for their rights. They faced machine guns, federal troops, and smear campaigns—but they stood their ground.

That spirit lives on. From coal country to college campuses, we fight for our future.

➤ Today’s Challenges

Like many rural places, West Virginia faces tough questions:

• How do we transition from a coal-based economy?
• How do we combat the opioid epidemic that’s devastated families?
• How do we keep our best and brightest from leaving?

The answers won’t come easy. But the same grit that carved towns into mountaintops is still here.

🎊 How to Celebrate West Virginia Day Like a True Local

West Virginia Day isn’t some polished, commercialized holiday with greeting cards and glittery confetti. It’s grassroots, gravel-road, porch-swing real. It smells like firewood and fried ramps. It sounds like bluegrass echoing off the hollers. And it feels like coming home—even if you never left.

So if you want to do it right—the West Virginia way—skip the fancy brunch and follow the mountains’ lead. Here’s how to celebrate like someone with mountain in their blood.

🥾 1. Hike to a Waterfall (And Actually Get Wet)

In West Virginia, we don’t just admire waterfalls—we climb rocks to stand under them. Getting muddy and soaked is part of the celebration. Our waterfalls aren’t just scenic—they’re spiritual.

• 🖤 Blackwater Falls (Davis, WV)
  The most iconic falls in the state, where tannin-rich red spruce needles tint the water a deep amber. Visit early in the morning for mist rising through the gorge and the haunting quiet of spruce forests.
• 🤍 Cathedral Falls (Gauley Bridge, WV)
  Right off Route 60, this fan-shaped cascade feels like stepping into a hidden church carved by water. Perfect for photos—and contemplation.
• 💦 Sandstone Falls (Hinton, WV)
  Wide, roaring, and powerful. The New River crashes over ancient rock here, and the boardwalk puts you right up in the spray. This one wakes up your soul.

Pro tip: If your boots are still clean when you get back to your car… you did it wrong.

🍳 2. Eat at a Diner Where the Coffee’s Strong and the Gossip’s Stronger

West Virginians know a good meal is about more than food—it’s about storytelling, tradition, and bottomless coffee poured by someone who calls you “hon.”

• 🌭 Hillbilly Hot Dogs (Lesage, WV)
  This place is part roadside shack, part carnival, and 100% West Virginia charm. Order the “Homewrecker”—a 15-inch hot dog piled high with toppings. Sit in a refurbished school bus, admire the license plate collection, and read the love notes stapled to the walls.
• 🍕 DiCarlo’s Pizza (Wheeling, WV)
  Locals will fight you over this: DiCarlo’s serves pizza with cold cheese added after the slice comes out of the oven. It’s crunchy, salty, oddly satisfying, and one of WV’s most polarizing culinary legends.
• 🥧 The Market (Lewisburg, WV)
  For a slower, gentler vibe, stop in this charming café for homemade pimento cheese, peach cobbler, and the kind of peace you only find in small towns.

Don’t rush. The best part of these places isn’t the food—it’s the conversations at the counter, the stories from locals, and the feeling of being part of something old but not forgotten.

🏛️ 3. Visit a Historic Site (And Touch the Past)

We don’t keep our history behind glass—we live in it. The ghosts of coal miners, soldiers, moonshiners, and mountain midwives still whisper from the hills.

• ⚔️ Harpers Ferry
  This is where John Brown’s raid changed the course of American history. Stroll cobblestone streets, tour the old arsenal, and look out over the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. You’ll feel the weight of what happened here.
• 🏛️ West Virginia State Museum (Charleston)
  It’s more than a museum—it’s a time tunnel. From ancient fossils to frontier rifles, coal mine replicas to the world’s largest lump of coal, this place tells the full story of a state that’s always punched above its weight.

Bonus: Stop at the Hatfield & McCoy exhibit and pick a side… if you dare.

🎻 4. Catch Some Live Bluegrass (Preferably in a Bar That’s Seen Things)

Here, music is as vital as oxygen—and it’s best experienced in unpolished places, with sticky floors, clinking beer bottles, and fiddles that wail like the wind between ridges.

• 🎶 The Purple Fiddle (Thomas, WV)
  A legendary listening room where the music flows from breakfast to midnight. You’ll hear everything from banjos to ukuleles, and most likely make a friend or two before the night’s out.
• 🍺 The Empty Glass (Charleston, WV)
  Dive bar, jam joint, rebel haven. It’s gritty, loud, and pure Appalachian soul. Some of the best musicians in the state (and country) show up unannounced. No frills, just feeling.
• 🏡 Any porch in Webster County
  Seriously. Follow the music and you’ll find a porch jam in progress. Sit down. Clap along. Maybe even borrow a washboard.

Pro tip: If the band ends a set with “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” you’ve hit the sweet spot.

😂 5. Tell a West Virginia Joke—and Laugh the Loudest

Here in the mountains, we know the world doesn’t always understand us. We’ve been the punchline too long. But guess what?

We own it.

• “What’s the West Virginia state bird?”
  The satellite dish.
• “Why don’t West Virginians eat spaghetti?”
  Too many forks in the road.
• “How do you know someone’s from West Virginia?”
  They’ll tell you, then show you a picture of their cousin on their phone… who’s also their mechanic.

We joke because we’re tough enough to take it—and proud enough to tell you the truth:

We may be rural, but we’re resilient.
We may be quiet, but we’re fierce.
And we may be small, but we built America’s backbone.

So raise a glass, tell a joke, and then let folks know: “Hey, we gave you Brad Paisley, Mary Lou Retton, Steve Harvey—and a national park prettier than anything in your state.”

🌄 The Best Celebrations Are the Ones You Don’t Plan

Some of the best ways to spend West Virginia Day aren’t on any list.

• Getting lost on a gravel road and finding a field full of fireflies
• Stopping at a roadside produce stand and buying the best tomatoes of your life
• Running into an old friend at a town parade
• Sipping sweet tea on a porch, watching the fog roll in like an old soul coming home

That’s the real West Virginia magic. You don’t do West Virginia Day… you feel it.

Related: West Virginia Day of Prayer: A Sacred Celebration of Faith, Unity, and Hope

❤️ Final Thoughts: Why We Stay

West Virginia is not for the faint of heart.

It’s hard. The winters are long. The jobs are scarce. But the people here are strong, the beauty is unmatched, and the love for home runs deep.

You don’t choose West Virginia the way you choose a vacation spot. It chooses you. And if you love it, you love it with your whole soul.

As Breece D’J Pancake, one of our most poignant writers, once said:

“I’ve got mountain in my blood, and I reckon I always will.”

So today, we celebrate not just a birthday—but a beating heart. 161 years strong, and we’re still standing tall.

Happy West Virginia Day, y’uns. May your biscuits stay buttery, your boots stay muddy, and your heart stay mountain-made.