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Women from West Virginia have made remarkable contributions to the world in a wide variety of fields. Here are just a few of them.
Royall used her writing to shape the political and social landscape of early America. Raised on the frontiers of Pennsylvania and Virginia, she became a prominent journalist and critic.After marrying Maj. William Royall in 1797, her life intertwin...
Betty Zane is remembered for her heroic act in 1782, during the Revolutionary War, when she supposedly ran across an open field to retrieve gunpowder at Fort Henry while under enemy fire. However, historical evidence is limited, and some skepticis...
Rebecca Harding Davis helped shape American realistic fiction, though she wasn't widely recognized during her time. Her work, especially Life in the Iron Mills, highlighted the harsh realities of industrial labor in Wheeling and the struggles of t...
Sirene Bunten's diary depicts a region affected by the Civil War, despite not hosting major battles. The repeated Union and Confederate occupations of Buckhannon, raids, and constant violence created an uncertain environment for families like hers...
A Grafton native, she was a pioneering figure in portraiture, photojournalism, and documentary photography at a time when the field was dominated by men. Starting as a photojournalist, she captured labor in New England shoe factories and became on...
A Charleston native, she lived and worked during a time when Black and White children were segregated in schools. In 1908, after teaching in Kanawha County, she founded the teacher-training department at West Virginia Colored Institute (now West V...
Montague’s upbringing in White Sulphur Springs shaped her writing, with many works set in West Virginia. Her novel The Sowing of Alderson Cree (1907) explores a local feud, while later works like In Calvert's Valley (1908) and Linda (1912) focus o...
A Monongalia County native, Lazzell was one of West Virginia’s most notable artists and a leading American abstract painter and printmaker. Independent for her time, she studied Cubism in Paris with modernists like Charles Guerin and Fernand Léger...
Spencer's life and work reflect the richness of African American literature during the Harlem Renaissance. Raised in Virginia and West Virginia as a child of former slaves, she drew inspiration from nature and heritage, which shaped much of her po...
In 1938, Pocahontas County native Pearl S. Buck became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. She began her literary career with East Wind: West Wind in 1930, followed by the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Good Earth in 1932. ...
Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia Smith, born in Alderson, made her stage debut at age five in Uncle Tom's Cabin and was performing on the vaudeville circuit by 16. Nicknamed "Bricktop" for her striking red hair, she became a legendary f...
Revella Hughes, raised in a musical family in Huntington, became a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance after moving to New York in the 1920s. She was the first Black soloist at the Peoples’ Concerts in Central Park and performed with notabl...
Greenville native Dr. Maggie earned her M.D. from the University of Maryland in 1926, becoming one of the first women to do so. She practiced medicine in Baltimore for 43 years before retiring to Monroe County, where she focused on genealogy and l...
A Logan County native, she overcame the loss of her husband in the mines to raise her family through hard work. Best known for her mastery of the clawhammer banjo, she greatly influenced traditional music. With a sharp sense of humor and a philoso...
Huntington native Diamond Teeth Mary, born Mary McClain, overcame a troubled childhood and began performing at 13. Her early life, marked by abuse, led her to disguise herself as a boy and join a circus. McClain's career spanned decades, including...
Sutton native and soprano Fisher made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1935 as Cio-Cio-San in Madame Butterfly, becoming the first West Virginian to sing at the Met. She honed her craft in Berlin, performing at the Berlin State Opera, and later per...
This Morgantown native excelled academically, graduating high school at age 15, and became a trailblazer for African American women in science and engineering. At NACA and NASA, her leadership and mathematical expertise were crucial to early U.S. ...
Pocahontas County native McNeill's mastery of Appalachian life and dialects made her a distinctive voice in American poetry. Her debut collection, Gauley Mountain, showcased her skill with imagery and rhythm. Later works like The Milkweed Ladies a...
In 1933, Beulah McCown became one of the first female pilots in West Virginia to earn a flying license, later obtaining a commercial license. She married her instructor, Hubert Stark, in 1939. In the late 1930s, she performed air shows and co-foun...
Eleanor Steber, a celebrated opera singer, trained at the New England Conservatory of Music and launched her career after winning the 1940 Metropolitan Opera radio auditions. Her debut at the Met as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier led to iconic perfor...
Baker's journey from Pittsburgh jazz clubs to performing with legends like Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, and Miles Davis showcases her immense talent. Her time with "The Dream Band" was a career highlight, sharing the stage with icons like Charlie...
Known as the "Belle of Doddridge County, Bonnie Collins was a storyteller extraordinaire. She was a fan favorite at fairs and festivals from the early 1970s to early 2000s. A homemaker, 4-H leader, and school cook, she was also on one of the first...
This Charleston native explored West Virginia history through fiction, with works like the Beulah Quintet showcasing her dedication to research and storytelling. Her life, including service in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force during World War II an...
Born Virginia Ruth Egnor in Lincoln County, Dagmar was a celebrated actress and comedian known for her role on NBC's Broadway Open House. Her deadpan humor earned her widespread fame, even landing her on the cover of Life magazine in 1951. Despite...
In 1953, Bluefield native Toni Stone made history as the first woman to play professional baseball for a formerly all-male major-league team, the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League. Despite facing sexism and adversity, she demonstrat...
Logan native Joanne Dru starred alongside Hollywood legends like John Wayne in films such as Red River (1948), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), and Wagon Master (1950). Her career began in New York as a model before moving to Hollywood after marry...
Dr. Mitchell-Bateman made groundbreaking contributions to mental health care in West Virginia and beyond, becoming the first Black woman to hold a high-level state administrative position as director of the Department of Mental Health (1962-1977)....
Lee was a pioneering playwright who used oral histories and community involvement to bring marginalized voices to the stage. Her street theater work in East Harlem and later with Eco Theater in Summers County broke traditional barriers of class, r...
A native of White Sulphur Springs, Johnson was a NASA mathematician whose calculations were vital to major space missions, including Alan Shepard’s 1961 flight, John Glenn’s 1962 orbit, and Apollo 11’s 1969 Moon landing. Her groundbreaking work an...
Fairmont native Doris Piserchia broke ground as a female sci-fi writer in a male-dominated field, inspired by the woods of her childhood and her Navy service. Known for novels like A Billion Days of Earth and Star Rider, she explored time travel, ...
Naylor's stories, shaped by her travels and deep ties to West Virginia, reflect small-town struggles and values. Her Newbery-winning Shiloh and its sequels explore compassion and morality in rural life. Other books, like Boys Start the War and Wre...
This Barbour County native left a lasting mark through decades of poetry, teaching, and service. McKinney’s work often explored nature, family, and Appalachian life, blending emotional and spiritual themes. As director of creative writing at West ...
Smith is a country music legend known for her powerful voice and traditional style. Her journey from Indiana, Hinton, and Ohio to Nashville fame, with help from "Whispering Bill" Anderson, reflects her talent and drive. A gospel singer since a spi...
Jude Binder, a woodcarver, dancer, playwright, and educator, has spent her life blending art with personal and social transformation. After early immersion in ballet, music, and theater, she settled in Calhoun County in 1973, inspired by West Virg...
Bluefield native Denise Giardina grew up in a coal company town, and her Appalachian roots deeply influence her writing. Her novels Storming Heaven and The Unquiet Earth highlight the struggles of coal miners and earned major literary awards.Start...
Buckhannon native Jayne Anne Phillips is an acclaimed novelist and short story writer whose work centers on family, love, and Appalachian life. Her six short story collections and five novels have earned wide praise, with Lark and Termite (2009) n...
Through over 100 books, Rylant has won the hearts of young readers with her lyrical, heartfelt storytelling. Her childhood in Raleigh County deeply shaped works like When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came, reflecting rural life a...
This South Charleston native blends personal stories with broader themes, as seen in her album Coal, reflecting her deep connection to West Virginia. Her advocacy for AIDS awareness and success in country music, including two CMA Female Vocalist o...
As the first Black female president of the American Medical Association (AMA), this Bluefield native has played an essential role in addressing issues such as the opioid crisis. Dr. Harris continues to shape the future of healthcare through her le...
This Martinsburg native excelled from high school to college basketball at the University of Maryland, where she helped win three ACC titles and reach the NCAA Final Four. She later played for the U.S. Olympic team and in the WNBA, scoring over 2,...
This Fairmont native made history at the 1984 Olympics, becoming the first American woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics and the first West Virginia woman to win Olympic gold. With five medals, she was the top American athlete of that year. Ret...
Born in Houston and raised in Charleston, Garner discovered a passion for dance and theater early on. She gained fame as Sydney Bristow in Alias (2001-2006), winning a Golden Globe, and starred in films like Catch Me If You Can (2002), Daredevil (...
From humble beginnings, this Morgantown native became a prominent science communicator, engineer, and TV host. Through shows like Xploration Outer Space and Emily’s Wonder Lab, she made science more accessible to children. With degrees from MIT, s...
West Virginia Women through History
This Exhibit has 8 Sections