Mountain State Forest Festival Parade (May 1963)

The photos I’m sharing today come from the Ralph Murphy photo archive, which my husband received from his Aunt Jean in 2012. This collection includes 21 boxes of slides—thousands of images Ralph captured between 1947 and 1984. His slides document scenic travels across the United States, family gatherings, and candid moments with friends and co‑workers. I digitized the collection in 2015, and they still bring me joy today.

These particular photos show another parade—this time, part of the Mountain State Forest Festival held in Elkins, West Virginia.

The festival, founded in 1930, began as a community effort inspired by regional homecoming and harvest celebrations. With guidance from organizers of Winchester, Virginia’s Apple Blossom Festival, Elkins created a fall event highlighting West Virginia’s forests and natural beauty. The first festival was a success and has since grown into a major annual tradition—run largely by volunteers, expanded to more than a week of events, and interrupted only during World War II. In 1963, the Forest Festival took place in Elkins from October 2–6.

Centennial‑Year Celebration
The 1963 Mountain State Forest Festival marked West Virginia’s centennial with its trademark autumn pageantry. Events included parades, folk dancing, wildlife exhibits, wood‑chopping contests, and the coronation of Queen Silvia XXVII.

Special guests featured Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Band, Metropolitan Opera star Eleanor Steber, and winners of the State Centennial Photographic Contest. Thousands of visitors gathered to enjoy the colorful fall scenery and festivities dedicated to preserving the state’s timberlands.

Centennial Parade Circuit
In 1963, the Elkins Forest Festival played a statewide role. Its longtime director, Phil K. Harness, was known for staging smooth, high‑energy parades in Elkins. That reputation earned him a new assignment during the Centennial year—helping organize a season of themed parades across West Virginia.

Throughout the summer and fall, a core set of professionally built floats traveled from town to town, forming the backbone of each celebration. Local bands, marching groups, and community entries filled out the rest, giving every stop its own personality.

The parade series began in Clarksburg (May 4), then moved through Huntington, Bluefield, Charleston, Martinsburg, Weirton, Parkersburg, Wheeling, and Oak Hill, before returning to Elkins in early October—just in time to merge with that year’s Forest Festival.

The Clarksburg parade alone included 20–30 floats and 40–50 bands, lasting about three and a half hours. Aunt Jean labeled this group of slides “Parade May 1963.” The photos you see below were captured by Uncle Ralph.

Queen Silvia XXVII—Ann Clayton Bradt
Ann Clayton Bradt of Martinsburg was chosen as Queen Silvia XXVII, reigning over the festival’s royal court. A college student majoring in elementary education, she had previously earned honors as Miss Berkeley County and first runner‑up for Miss Shenandoah Apple Blossom. Known for her academic excellence, community involvement, and love of teaching, Ann represented West Virginia’s grace and achievement during the centennial celebration.

You’ll see her in the photo below, identified through yearbook images from James Madison University (1963) and Shepherd University (1964).

Ann Clayton Bradt, Queen Silvia XXVI (1963)

The festival’s royal court included 36–45 members (newspaper accounts vary). I’ve confirmed 23 names: Judith Shelton, Marsha Widney, Elizabeth Parker Welton, Elizabeth Lee Harness, Mary Gretchen Singleton, Mary Alicia Tutwiler, Wendy Robertson Walker, Carolyn Tyson Rice, Jo Anne Sheridan, Candy Blair, Elizabeth Kaye Fox, Mary Elizabeth Morgan, Carolyn Sue Howard, Cynthia Parcell Neal, Mary Rachel Smoot, Sally Hresan, Olivia Bibb, Patricia Lee Jones, Sharen Ann Stover, Bettina Altizer, Cheryl Sue Horton, Linn Marie Bland, and Marie Diane Buck.

Centennial Queen—Nancy Grace Conwell
In addition to Queen Silvia’s coronation, the festival featured West Virginia’s Centennial Queen, a one‑time statewide honor marking the state’s 100th anniversary, bestowed on Nancy Grace Conwell. Her presence linked the Elkins celebration to the broader centennial festivities held across the state that year.

You’ll see her in the photo below, identified through Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register and Beckley Post-Herald newspaper accounts (1963).

Nancy Grace Conwell, of Clarksburg, West Virginia,
Centennial Queen (1963)

Four women were named Queen finalists: Sandra Lee Ross, Dee Ann Moore, Peggy Catherine Tucker, and Barbara Ann Broadwater. Nancy’s float, along with one for her court, appeared in every parade. Following her coronation, she toured the state throughout 1963, greeting crowds and representing the Centennial spirit.

Nancy was a gifted student and campus leader whose poise, intellect, and creativity earned her recognition statewide. A 1959 graduate of Bridgeport High School, she earned her degree in English and Education from Fairmont State College (1963), where she served as Homecoming Queen, held leadership roles in Gamma Chi Chi and the Young Democrats, and appeared in numerous theatrical productions. After student teaching at Bridgeport High, she taught briefly at Lumberport Middle School.

Her accomplishments culminated in her selection as West Virginia’s Centennial Queen of 1963, placing her at the center of the state’s hundred‑year celebration.

In 1964, Lumberport High School honored her achievements with a yearbook section titled Special Awards Won by Students and Teachers at L.H.S., featuring a photo of Nancy accepting the West Virginia Centennial trophy.

Centennial Floats
Several of Ralph’s photos capture the professional Centennial floats that toured the state. The “100th Anniversary of Emancipation” float celebrated the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation (1863–1963). Three young women in white gowns represent freedom and progress, and behind them stands a torch of liberty symbolizing enlightenment and emancipation. The float’s red, white, and blue design, with laurel leaves and flags, echoes the Centennial’s patriotic theme. You’ll also notice the official 1963 West Virginia Centennial Commission logo hanging on poles in several of these photos.

West Virginia Centennial Commission,
Official Logo (1963), public domain

The State Capitol float features four princesses seated beside a model of the State Capitol dome, framed by a large white outline of West Virginia with a red star (likely marking Charleston) and the centennial years 1863–1963 spelled out in red letters.

   

Although the image quality isn’t perfect, I hope you enjoy this group of photos from Ralph’s archives. They capture a vivid moment in West Virginia’s history—when local pride and statewide celebration came together in one unforgettable parade.

To see others from his collection, click here.

References

• Ann Bradt, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia (1963), U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900–2016.
• Ann Bradt, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, West Virginia (1964), U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900–2016.
• Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, p. 5, July 1, 5, 15, and 29, 1963.
• Centennial Parades Chairman Named, Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, May 19, 1963.
• Centennial Queen’s Identify to be Withheld Four Months, The Weirton Daily Times, Weirton, West Virginia, December 15, 1962
• Clarksburg Girl Crowned Queen of Centennial, Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, April 28, 1963.
• Daily Calendar, Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, July 18, 1963.
• Elkins Forest Fete to Open on Thursday, The Charleston Daily Mail, Charleston, West Virginia, October 1, 1963.
• Festival Maids of Honor Chosen, Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, July 30, 1963.
• Festival Princess, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, June 20, 1963.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/110796544/nancy_grace-hall: accessed June 13, 2026), memorial page for Nancy Grace Conwell Hall (10 Aug 1941–17 May 2013), Find a Grave Memorial ID 110796544, citing Bridgeport Cemetery, Bridgeport, Harrison County, West Virginia, USA; maintained by Gina (contributor 46846562).
• Forest Festival Princesses, The Charleston Daily Mail, Charleston, West Virginia, July 5, 1963.
• Gowns of Forest Festival Princesses Designed in Fall Shades of Silk Velvet, The Charleston Daily Mail, Charleston, West Virginia, October 1, 1963
• Helps in Staging Centennial Parades, The Raleigh Register, May 21, 1963.
• History of Mountain State Forest Festival; https://www.forestfestival.com/history/. 
• In Elkins Oct. 2–6, Martinsburg Girl Chosen Queen to Reign Over Forest Festival, Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, July 21, 1963.
• Local Girl Named Princess for Forest Festival Event, Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, July 11, 1963.
• Logo of the 1963 West Virginia Centennial Commission; https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/images/2751. 
• Named Princess, Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, June 22, 1963.
• Nancy Conwell, West Virginia, Lumberport High School (1964), U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–2016.
• Nancy Grace Conwell Centennial Queen, Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, April 29, 1963.
• Nancy Grace Conwell, West Virginia, Fairmont State University, Fairmont, West Virginia (1964), U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900–2016.
• Princesses Named, Hinton Daily News, Hinton, West Virginia, June 27, 1963.
• Stage Set for Forest Festival, Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, September 29, 1963.
• The Weirton Daily Times, Weirton, West Virginia, p. 5, June 24, 1963.
• The Woman’s Page, Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, p. 5, July 8, 1963.
• WVU Coed Selected to Serve in Festival Court, Beckley Post-Herald, The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, July 21, 1963.