Did you know that tomorrow, September 14, is National Virginia Day? Throughout its long and enduring history, Old Dominion has come to be known for countless attributes, achievements, and notable firsts in the nation. Some callouts are more obvious while others remain lesser-known, albeit, fascinating facts that even many residents don’t know about. Therefore, to honor and commemorate the Commonwealth of Virginia ahead of the big day, this Flashback Friday Feature will offer an insightful look into 10 fun firsts that happened here.
Site of the Real First Thanksgiving
Last November, I posted a feature about the relatively obscure account of the first Thanksgiving. While virtually unnoticed today, having long been upstaged by the more popular Pilgrim-centric event at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts a few years later, the very first “thanks giving” in the nation did in fact take place at Berkeley Plantation in Virginia on December 4, 1619. Of course, there wasn’t any fanfare or lavish meal. It was, quite literally, about giving thanks to God through prayer for safe passage to the New World.
Home of the First Free Public School
The first-ever free public school in the New World opened in Hampton, Virginia in 1634. That makes it older than the nation itself! It was Syms-Eaton Free School, founded by namesake Benjamin Syms himself. He made it his goal and mission to provide “a free school to educate and teach the children of the adjoining parishes of Elizabeth City and Poquoson from Marie’s Mount downward to the Poquoson River.” Syms reportedly donated 200 acres and eight cows for the school’s establishment.
First American Law School Program
In keeping with the educational trend, it’s also worth mentioning that the first “formal law school program” was started at none other than the College of William & Mary in 1779. For years it’s been a debated argument, with Tapping Reeve House and Litchfield Law School (in Connecticut) claiming status as the oldest law school in the United States and even being recognized as such by the National Park Service back in 1966. Yet, as Professor of Law and Police George Wythe pointed out, Tapping Reeve’s school wasn’t established until 1784. William & Mary had an existing law program several years before then. So, in conclusion, it’s been decided that Tapping Reeve House and Litchfield Law School receive credit for being “the first [law school] in the United States not associated with a college or university,” and the College of William & Mary be honored for offering the first American law school program.
First Fraternity in the United States
William & Mary also boasts the claim to fame as being the school where the first fraternity in the United States was formed. That fraternity, still well-known today, is Phi Beta Kappa. Founded on December 5, 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is more of an academic honor society that “aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, and to induct outstanding students of arts and sciences at select American colleges and universities.”
Where the First Public Theater in the Nation Was Built
It may not have been the Globe Theatre in London, but did you that the very first public theater ever to have been built in the New World was in Williamsburg, Virginia? It was a playhouse erected by William Levington in 1716 on the Palace Green. Also, on an earlier interesting side note, history records indicate that the first-ever play to be performed in English in the colonies took place in 1665 on location in Accomack County, also in Virginia.
Where the Mechanical Reaper Was Invented
Farming was tough, back-breaking work throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. So, when a man from Virginia named Cyrus McCormick invented his now-famous Mechanical Reaper in 1831, it was a godsend. It resulted in a reduction of the intensive labor that had been previously involved and even proved lucrative in bringing forth increases in crop production by up to 200 percent.
Pioneered Peanut Crop Production
Peanuts were originally brought over to the New World by Africans during the 1700s. However, they didn’t become a well-loved food staple until the 19th century. Their popularity soared however following the Civil War and well into the late 19th/early 20th century. These “nutty” lentils, still crave-worthy hits today, were first grown commercially as a cash crop near the present-day town of Waverly in Sussex County, Virginia.
Birthplace of Lip Balm
The history of ChapStick® can also be traced back to Virginia. It was here that pharmacist Charles Browne Fleet of Lynchburg developed the first crude version of a lip balm moisturizer in the 1880s. John Morton, also a Lynchburg resident (and founder of Morton Manufacturing Corporation), purchased the rights to the substance back in 1912. He melted and enhanced the formula texture by cutting it into more applicable sticks. In 1935, Lynchburg artist Frank Wright, Jr. was called on to design the CHET ChapStick® logo, which is still used today.
Testing Site to the First Military Aircraft
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina is often hailed as the origin site for innovative aviation by brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright. However, it was in Arlington, Virginia that the Wright Brothers tested their first military aircraft in a full-scale public performance at Ft. Meyer in 1908.
Birthplace of Many Founding Fathers
Virginia is sometimes referred to as “the Mother of Presidents” since eight U.S. presidents were born here. This includes four of the first five—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. Later presidents born in the Commonwealth include William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, John Tyler, and Woodrow Wilson. But it wasn’t only presidents born here; several other Founding Fathers and notable historical figures hailed from the state also.
I could go on listing several other notable firsts Virginia is famous for. There are just so many given its vast-stretching, versatile history. Perhaps one of the greatest ways to commemorate National Virginia Day is by exploring all of the other fun and fascinating tidbits that you can find out in connection to its enduring and long-lasting legacy.