Mostly cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 86F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..
Tonight
Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
Mostly cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 86F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..
Tonight
Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming foggy and damp after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 72F. Winds light and variable.
Updated: July 14, 2025 @ 9:44 am
A marching unit makes its way down 3rd Avenue in a parade that highlighted the 1913 Huntington reunion of the Grand Army of the Republic.
EditorƵs Note: This is the 598th in a series of articles recalling vintage Huntington scenes.
In 1913, a half century after the Civil War, the city of Huntington welcomed hundreds of grizzled veterans of that great conflict. First, in May, West Virginia members of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans, conducted a reunion in the city.
After the end of the Civil War, various state and local organizations were formed for veterans to network and maintain connections with each other. Founded in 1866, the Grand Army of the Republic Ƶ often referred to as the GAR Ƶ emerged as the largest and most influential such organization. The first GAR post in West Virginia was organized at Martinsburg in 1880. By 1889, the organization had 3,161 members in 89 local posts throughout the state. For many years the West Virginia GAR members held an annual encampment somewhere in the state, and in 1913, a May 20-22 event brought them to Huntington.
The visiting veterans, who arrived by train from all parts of the state, found virtually every building in the downtown business district either flying the nationƵs flag or draped in red, white and blue bunting. Headquarters for the three-day event was the Elks Club, while the Ladies Auxiliary met at the Florentine Hotel. A highlight of the gathering was a grand march down 3rd Avenue. After voting to meet the following next year in Moundsville, the Union veterans adjourned and entrained for their homes.
Later that same year, on Oct. 9 and 10, downtown Huntington was ƵinvadedƵ by nearly 200 members of the United Confederate Veterans of West Virginia. Like the Union veterans, the Confederate vets conducted their business sessions at the Elks Club. A reception at the Fifth Avenue Hotel highlighted the conventionƵs social activities. A march through the cityƵs downtown marked the close of the convention.
