CHARLESTON — The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history.

July 26, 1942: Camp Washington-Carver was dedicated and opened to the public. The camp, located at Clifftop, Fayette County, was the first 4-H camp for African-Americans in the country. The camp’s great chestnut lodge is the largest log structure in West Virginia.

July 27, 1896: Clark Kessinger was born near Charleston. He was among the most prolific and influential fiddlers of the 20th century and one of West Virginia’s most important traditional musicians.

July 27, 1909: Coach ‘‘Dyke’’ Raese was born in Davis. He directed West Virginia University to its first major sports national championship, winning the 1942 National Invitation Tournament in basketball.

July 29-31, 1915: Camp Good Luck, believed to be the world’s first 4-H club encampment, was held at Elkwater in southern Randolph County.

July 29, 1918: Novelist Mary Lee Settle was born in Charleston. Her literary reputation rests on the “Beulah Quintet,” a sequence of five historical novels spanning four centuries.

July 31, 1932: Actor Theodore Crawford ‘‘Ted’’ Cassidy was born in Pittsburgh but was raised in Philippi. He was best known for his role as Lurch in “The Addams Family” television program.

Aug. 1, 1921: Baldwin-Felts detectives shot and killed Sid Hatfield and Ed Chambers as they approached the McDowell County Courthouse in Welch. As Matewan’s police chief, Hatfield had assisted the United Mine Workers campaign to organize Tug Fork miners.

Aug. 3, 1897: Fire destroyed much of downtown Lewisburg. The town rebuilt and evolved in the next century into the hub of one of the state’s major farming areas and a center for education and the arts.

Aug. 3, 1907: Harley Orrin Staggers Sr. was born in Keyser. Staggers served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 32 years, longer than any other West Virginian.

Aug. 4, 1824: John Jay Jackson Jr. was born near Parkersburg. Jackson was a prominent judge who became notorious among those trying to organize labor unions in West Virginia.

Aug. 4, 1897: Musician William Jennings ‘‘Billy’’ Cox was born near Charleston. Cox, known as the ‘‘Dixie Songbird,’’ was one of West Virginia’s premier country music vocalists and songwriters during the 1930s.

Aug. 7, 1893: Parsons became the county seat of Tucker County. Parsons was named for Ward Parsons, a prominent resident and the largest landholder.

Aug. 8, 1915: Businessman Alex Schoenbaum was born in Richmond, Va. After settling in Charleston in 1943, he went into the restaurant business. His restaurants were named Shoney’s when his own nickname was selected in an employee contest.

Aug. 9, 1954: Don Chafin died in Huntington. As sheriff of Logan County, Chafin was a bitter foe of union organizers and, with financial support from coal companies, used his many deputies to keep labor organizers out of the county.

Aug. 10, 1920: Gen. Frank Kendall ‘‘Pete’’ Everest Jr. was born in Fairmont. Everest was a military aviator and a pioneer in U.S. rocket plane flying.

Aug. 11, 1844: Emanuel Willis Wilson was born at Harpers Ferry. He served as the seventh governor of West Virginia.

Aug. 11, 1994: The Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge became the 500th refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge system. It is one of the largest and most diverse freshwater wetland areas in central and southern Appalachia.

Aug. 12, 1937: Author Walter Dean Myers was born in Martinsburg. He is regarded as one of the most influential writers of juvenile fiction. In January 2012, Myers was named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress.

Aug. 14, 1894: Entertainer Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia ‘‘Bricktop’’ Smith was born at Alderson. She performed in Paris in the 1920s and opened her own club, called the Music Box, in 1926.

Aug. 14, 1943: Astronaut Jon Andrew McBride was born in Charleston. McBride became an astronaut in 1979 and piloted the space shuttle Challenger on an eight-day mission in 1984.

To read more about West Virginia’s people, places, history, arts, science and culture, go to “e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia” at www.wvencyclopedia.org. Developed by the West Virginia Humanities Council, it is an interactive reference site showcasing West Virginia’s history, culture, and people. e-WV is free of charge and available to anyone with access to a computer and Internet connection.

For more information contact the West Virginia Humanities Council, 1310 Kanawha Blvd. E., Charleston, WV 25301, or at 304-346-8500.