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On This Day
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Old Sparky, the electric chair at the West Virginia Penitentiary.
Photo by Barbara Jean Cochran.
Photo by Barbara Jean Cochran

On February 10, 1949, a bill favoring the electric chair over hanging was introduced in the House of Delegates. The legislation was approved on March 12.

Learn more:
West Virginia Legislature Approves the Use of the Electric Chair
Electric Chair Legislation
"'Thy Brother's Blood': Capital Punishment in West Virginia"
Document-Based Questions


On This Day in West Virginia History: February

West Virginia Archives and History