A Welcome from Governor Jim and First Lady Cathy

After a tour of the West Virginia Capitol Building, we feel that we are part of the extended State Family!

Here's why:

Notice the dogs? Four of the five pups are Boston Terriers, our favorite flavor! Sasha approves! Governor Jim and his family show us in this picture the friendliness, the willingness to help, and the downright good people we've come to know in West Virginia. It's a great state with wonderful people!

The Capitol Building is undergoing extensive restoration due to a water leak in the gold dome that wiped out the entire center of the building. The dome is 293 feet tall, 4.5 feet higher than the US Capitol, and is covered with 23.5 carat gold leaf applied in 3 3/8 in squares!

 Cats Gilbert, the Capitol Architect desired that "...a simple, dignified structure of fine proportions is far more satisfactory in the long run than any amount of elaborate embellishment..." He succeeded admirably. We were only able to view the Governor's Reception Room, the House of Delegates, and the Senate Chambers, but the entirety of the structure speaks to dignity and focus: on working for the people who sent you there. The foyer of the Senate Chambers normally opens on to the Rotunda, but due to construction, that impressive view is blocked off by a large picture of the original 1924-1932 construction scene.

Well lit by a skylight, and without undue visual distractions, Senators are expected to pay attention to the peoples business.

Likewise in the House of Delegates:

 It's said that when one looks up from the floor of the rotunda toward the dome, the chandelier hanging there takes one's breath away! 10,080 pieces of Czechoslovakian crystal; 4,000 pounds; eight feet in diameter; illuminated by 96 light bulbs; hanging on a 54-foot brass and bronze chain; suspended 180 feet above the floor. Wow! We weren't able to view that particular chandelier due to the work being done in that area, but in both the House of Delegates and the Senate Chambers are identical fixtures weighing 1500 pounds and containing 10,000 pieces of crystal, 3,000 pieces of glass beading, and 144 light bulbs. A very nice sight, indeed!

Our last view of the Capitol contrasted a threatening sky to the state's heritage.

An imposing coal miner stands atop a pedestal describing the six major periods in the state's history and the technologies used to extract coal.

Across the street lies the West Virginia State Museum, a magnificent collection of collected, donated, and loaned objects the span from 300 million years ago (when West Virginia lay 20 degrees south of the equator) to the 21st century.

This seed is more than 365 million years old. Known as Elkinsial polymorpha, is comes from a tropical plant whose comrades eventually morphed into coal.

Harpers Ferry, 1859. Jefferson County, West Virginia. John Brown decides to raid the Federal Armory there, seize weapons, and incite a slave rebellion. His raid failed, but the act is widely noted as the beginning of the Civil War. John Brown was captured during the three-day battle that ensued, and tried for treason. The manacles on the left were used on John Brown during his incarceration, and the rope is said to be the one that was used to hang him.

Moving along the timeline, we soon reached an extensive exhibit devoted to the coal industry in West Virginia.

 Company towns sprang us in the latter 19th century as railroads made the extraction and transportation of coal financially feasible. Large swaths of timber were cleared, the wood used to build company housing and mineshaft timbers.

the company store was the center of the town's activities. It was a gathering place after work, often a wage distribution location, and the place where ledgers were kept so that food and shelter could be deducted from a miner's pay.

Rails disappeared into the earth, where boys as young as 12 drove mules and horses, hauling coal to the surface. These young lads often had the most dangerous jobs, since they could crawl into small spaces and clean out coal bits.

The worst mining disease in the history of US mining occurred on December 6, 1907, in Monongah. 362 men lost their lives, leaving 250 widows and over 1,000 children, leading to the saying that miner's wives didn't "survive, they prevailed". Margaret Hatfield said that "the women of Appalachia, they're stronger than the men. You couldn't kill one of them with a hammer. The old women were very soft spoken. They appeared to be subservient, but you didn't need to be around them very long until you found out who crowed and who laid the eggs." They had to be tough to survive this life. Many wives waited at the mouth of the mine for word of their husbands.

The lone survivor of the Monongah disaster, a polish immigrant named Peter Urban, was found curled up in an air shaft sitting on the body of his dead brother. Eighteen years later, Peter was killed by a roof fall in the same mine.

On a lighter note, Mail Pouch tobacco signs began appearing in West Virginia, because smoking was prohibited in the mine.

Fiesta ware and glass ware began operation in West Virginia in the '30's

And West Virginia native Pearl S. Buck described her home:

Jerry West learned his basketball skills in the coal towns of West Virginia.

After such an extensive history lesson, we needed some sustenance. As we cruised home, looking for a likely spot to eat, we spotted this sign. Had to check it out!

This is Hillbilly Hotdogs! set in an unlikely spot along Highway 2 just north of Huntington, it's claim to fame is that it really is....hillbilly.

Ordering at the counter (there are dozens of different hot dogs available....cole slaw, jalapeños, mustard, bacon...you name it, they have it! The main joint is very small, with only a couple of tables, but they've expanded the dining room by backing up a couple of old school busses to the back door and building a set of steps....Cool!

Outside, amongst the junk, the Wedding Chapel awaits it's next victim...er, couple, complete with a getaway van stashed on top of the chapel behind the trees!

Luci, our tow car, certainly looks out of place!

One last, partly off-color, bit of hillbilly information: Take it for what it's worth....

BTW: the hotdogs were pretty good! Washed down with an ice cold Coke, listening to Bluegrass on the Sirius radio....what more could you want out of West Virginia?

Our next journey will take us into Tennessee for a quick stop and then into northern Georgia. It's supposed to be raining and the road work is notably awful. Wish us luck!