West Virginia Senate Declares March 14 as McDowell County Day

The West Virginia Senate adopted Senate Resolution 66 on Friday, officially designating March 14, 2026 as "McDowell County Day at the Legislature" and directing its Clerk to forward a copy of the resolution to a representative of the McDowell County Commission.

Senator M. Maynard introduced and secured passage of the resolution on the same day it was filed, a common practice for ceremonial designations. The formal resolved language states that "the Senate hereby designates March 14, 2026, as McDowell County Day at the Legislature," with the further directive that the Clerk forward a copy to the McDowell County Commission.

The resolution draws on a striking range of historical claims to make the case for the honor. It notes that the land now comprising McDowell County served as the site of the Sandy Creek Expedition of 1756, described in the resolution as "the first military alliance between the Cherokee and the British," one that "laid critical groundwork for British victory in the French and Indian War." The resolution also invokes the county's twin nicknames: the "Free State," earned through its "uniquely diverse population and its role as a cultural crossroads," and the "Nation's Coal Bin," a recognition of the coal McDowell supplied to fuel industrial expansion across the United States.

Among the most historically significant claims is the resolution's identification of McDowell County as the birthplace of Minnie Buckingham Harper, whom SR66 names as "the first African-American woman to serve in any state legislature in the United States." The resolution further asserts that McDowell County erected both the first World War I Memorial in the nation and the first African-American World War I Memorial in the nation, calling those achievements evidence of "its legacy of recognition, inclusion, and respect for all who served."

SR66 passed on a day when the Senate chamber was otherwise marked by internal Republican caucus tensions. Members debated a separate amendment to a House bill incorporating provisions of Raylee's Law, which concerned child abuse reporting procedures tied to home instruction approvals. Sen. Ryan Weld said the amendment "was not to punish home school families but to focus on those who choose to abuse the home school system."

The full text of Senate Resolution 66 is available through the West Virginia Legislature's official website.