These 4 Famous People Died In West Virginia… And Exactly Where It Happened
West Virginia is the birthplace of a lot of famous people, but did you know about these famous people who died here? Here are four people who took their final breaths in the Mountain State.
John Brown was a white American abolitionist who wanted to overthrow slavery in the United States. in 1859 he led an unsuccessful raid on an armory at Harpers Ferry, which ended in his capture. He was tried for treason and hanged at Charles Town on Dec. 2, 1859.
A depiction of John Brown being led from the Jefferson County Jail where he was held to the gallows.
Hatfield, seated from second from left, was the patriarch of the Hatfield clan during the infamous Hatfield and McCoy feud. He survived the feud and agreed to end it in 1891. He died at age 81 of pnuemonia in 1921 in Stirrat, Logan County. He’s buried in the Hatfield Family Cemetery along W.Va. 44 in Logan County. A concrete statue of himself tops his grave.
The gravesite of Devil Anse Hatfield.
On New Years Day in 1952, the songwriter was in the back of is powder blue Cadillac while his driver drove to West Virginia. The driver didn’t hear anything from Williams for 2 hours, so he pulled the car over in Oak Hill at 5:30 in the morning. The singer was pronounced dead a short time later, likely from a drug or alcohol overdose. A plaque now marks the spot at 611 Main Street in Oak Hill.
The city of Oak Hill, where Williams died.
Doc Williams was a country singer. He was born in Cleveland in 1914 and started playing professionally in the early 1930s. He eventually played in his own band, "Doc Williams and the Border Riders." He died in Wheeling in February 2011 at age 96.
The city of Wheeling, where Doc Williams died.
Did I miss anyone? Can you think of any other famous person who died in West Virginia? Let me know in the comments.
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