Pierpont

Francis H. Pierpont was the first governor of the Restored State of Virginia from 1861 to 1868. The Restored State was the odd legal procedure that Pierpont came up to conduct a vote of "Virginians" to allow the western part of the state to secede to become West Virginia. Of course, the only people in the Restored State of Virginia, at least until the Civil War ended, were in western Virginia and they voted to allow the west (themselves) to go. Thus, Pierpont is considered the Father of West Virginia. This wonderful statute was crafted by Montana sculptor Gareth Curtiss, and was formally unveiled June 20, 2015. The sculpture was a project of Wheeling Heritage under the direction of Jeremy Morris.

More about the [|Statue] and [|Pierpont]. Thanks to Gary Zearott for the use of his excellent photos!//||||
 * [[image:Pierpont-head-GaryZsm.jpg]]//

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