On this date in 1863 West Virginia became the 35th state of the United States when it separated from Virgina during the American Civil War. I didn’t know a state can divorce itself. Something we tells me one day my home state of Illinois will do this one day.
Speaking of West Virginia, the Marx Toy Museum is dedicated to the 60 year history of a company most famous for making the World’s Only Fighting Robots, the Rock ‘em Sock ’em Robots. Founded in 1919, Louis Marx & Co. became popular after WWII when they sold lots and lots of metal and plastic tiny soldiers as well as the Big Wheel tricycle before calling it a day in 1980. The museum isn’t just about preserving old toys, it also tells the story of Louis Marx and the people who helped produce them. But I have a feeling visitors usually come for the cases and cases of classic wind-ups, dump trucks, Lone Ranger and Circus playsets and Johnny West figurines. The 1950s theme continues in the vintage soda shop and gift store. Considering America has returned to the politics of the 1950s as of late, this sounds like a museum your local congressman would love to support.
