WEST LIBERTY W.Va. -
A huge anniversary for one small town. The town of West Liberty turned 225 years old on Saturday.
The celebration included a parade, music, and a lesson about West Liberty's rich history from Ohio County Magistrate Joe Roxby.
"West Liberty was the first seat of county government," he says. "It was where Ohio County government began. It happened during the Revolutionary War. A side note to think about, in a very technical sense the first Magistrates and Ohio County officials were technically traders to the King of England, and might've faced the hangman's noose had the revolution failed."
Organizer Ruth Caldwell explains how the town acquired its name.
"Because we are west of the Allegheny," she says. "When the men went off to war, they went off to fight for liberty. Instead of being called Black's Cavern it ended up being called West Liberty."
The celebration brought home many people who had left the area. Mayor Rosy Miller says people came all the way from New York and Indiana.
"We used to have a high school and it closed in 1963," she says. "We got the addresses of all the graduates that are still living and sent over 400 post cards to invite them to come back."
Marybelle Smith and her brother, Franklin, are in town to reminisce with old friends.
"The place right beside my house now used to be the old SS Gardner Horse shoeing," Franklin says. "There used to be a horseshoe shop in there. They also had a gasoline pump, and a general store."
West Liberty University was in on the celebration as well. They just celebrated their 175th anniversary this spring.
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