With the stroke of a pen, each present member of the Summers County Commission added a signature to a Proclamation officially recognizing the year of 2021 as the 150th Anniversary of Summers County. The Proclamation, requested by the Summers County Historical Society and witnessed by members Steve Pack and Bobby Cox reads as follows:
Proclamation
“The County Commission of Summers County, West Virginia hereby proclaims
Whereas: The Year 2021 is the 150th Anniversary of the establishment of Summers County by an Act of the West Virginia Legislature in the year of 1871, and
Whereas: The people of Summers County have a rich heritage of courage, fortitude, perseverance, and faith, and
Whereas: The people of Summers County are leaving a legacy of being industrious and determined, and
Whereas: The people of Summers County can look forward to a future of greater accomplishment and creativity,
Therefore, The Year 2021 is hereby proclaimed to be a year of Celebration to honor our past and to plan for our future.
The proclamation was signed by County Commission President Charles Saunders and Commissioners Michael Gore and Ted Kula, February 10, 2021, in the courtroom of the Summers County Courthouse.”
Pack and Cox, two members of the historical society, said they are encouraging anyone with a group and any proposed ideas to get involved in planning events and activities to commemorate the February 27, 1871, establishment of the county.
It may take a great deal of imagination to see today’s Hinton area as wilderness, but in those days most of all the land in Summers County was rural. Article 9, Section 8 of the West Virginia Constitution allowed for the creation of new counties providing that much of the population voted for it and the county has a minimum of 400 square miles and a population of 6,000. Greenbrier, Fayette, Monroe and Mercer counties contributed land to help Summers meet that requirement. The county was named for deceased United States Congressman George W. Summers representing Virginia. Summers died in 1868, just three years prior to the establishment of Summers County in 1871.
Cox said he and Pack have spoken with the city, county and various groups in the county to envision a parade, events at Second Saturdays, concerts, gatherings of musicians playing old-time mixtures of traditional mountain music and possibly reenactments. They are hoping everyone will get involved. The only obstacle to planning, Cox said, is COVID-19.
There is so much history leading up to the formation of Summers County that avid historians could devote a lifetime to exploring the names, dates and events.
Pack serves on numerous organizations in the city of Hinton and Summers County. Over the next 10 months he hopes there will be many events to share the history of the area. One of the things Pack said they are working on is a time capsule for people to be able to see what life here was all about 50 years from now. He started describing things he would put into one, like a pandemic era face mask, a list of all the operating businesses in the community, artifacts specific to this timeframe in 2021.
“We have a time capsule at the Dam that will be opened in two years with a lot of stuff in it,” Pack said. They want everyone to share ideas for the time capsule and the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the county. If you or groups you are involved with are interested in participating in the planning of this commemoration of Summers County’s beginnings, please contact Steve Pack or Bobby Cox. More stories on Summers County’s history will follow in future editions of The Hinton News.
