The staff at HQ has created 70 tough questions to test your knowledge of our region. What’s more, we doubt anyone will be able to answer all of them correctly.
By The Editors
HQ 127 | AUTUMN 2024
How well do you know Huntington? Put your local knowledge to the test with HQ’s Ultimate Huntington Quiz! From landmarks to legends to pop culture connections, we’ve crafted a set of questions that will challenge even the most seasoned Huntingtonian. If there’s one thing we’ve learned after 35 years in business, it’s that the people and places that have shaped this community are absolutely worth knowing. We’ll be mighty impressed if you can answer all of them without consulting Google.
1. What year was Huntington founded?
2.Name the three railroads that at one time converged in Huntington.
3.What famous gang robbed the Bank of Huntington in 1875?
4. What famed sculptor created the city’s Collis P. Huntington statue? Hint: He also sculpted Mount Rushmore.
5. Name the former Douglass High School student and principal who founded Negro History Week, today celebrated as Black History Month.
6. What famous American philanthropist, known for his contributions to libraries and education, was instrumental in the construction of the Cabell County Public Library? 
7. During which two years did the Ohio River flood Huntington?
8. At one point this company founded in 1922 employed 1,700 workers and remained Huntington’s largest employer for decades. What is the company’s name?
9. Name the Huntington family who built and operated the Keith-Albee Theatre for 78 years before donating it to Marshall University in 2006.
10. What is the name of the order of Catholic nuns from Germany that founded St. Mary’s Hospital in 1924?
11. What was the name of Huntington’s first brewery?
12. What Marshall University basketball coach originated the fast break and the 2-3 zone defense, hallmarks of the modern game?
13. Name the Huntington mayor, lawyer, banker and businessman who is credited with founding both Ritter Park and the Huntington Museum of Art. Hint: His name is not Ritter.
14. For nearly 100 years, this store on the corner of Fourth Avenue and 10th Street sold the best men’s and women’s apparel in town. What was it called?
15. Name the bottle-making factory that employed as many as 1,100 workers in 1947. It closed in 1993.
16. Soupy Sales, the king of early morning comedy in the 1950s and 1960s, is considered Huntington’s most famous resident. But what was his real name?
17. When and where was Huntington’s deadliest fire?
18. This actress and model gained fame as television’s first blonde bombshell. Born Virginia Ruth Egnor, she was better known by what iconic stage name?
19. The Shoney’s restaurant chain is named after what Huntington native?
20. What Douglass High School basketball standout is credited with breaking the color line in West Virginia when he signed to play for Marshall University in 1955?
21. The West Virginia Building is the city’s tallest. How many floors does it have?
22. What was the original name for the Huntington Museum of Art?
23. What did the Huntington’s former Houdaille Industries plant manufacture?
24. What Huntington resident won the 1964 U.S. Amateur Championship and is considered one of the greatest amateur golfers of all time?
25. Name the Academy Award-winning actor who spent four days in Huntington in 1966 preparing for his role in the movie Cool Hand Luke.
26. Who played “Mr. Cartoon” on WSAZ-TV’s afternoon cartoon show?
27. Name the glass factory located neat Huntington Tri-State Airport that was known for its crackle glass and cranberry glass pieces.
28. Which famous comedian, actor and Oscar host spent his freshman year at Marshall and was a big fan of Monty’s Pizza?
29. The Marshall University Memorial Fountain is turned off every year on Nov. 14 to honor the lives of those lost in the 1970 plane crash. What day is it turned back on?
30. Where was the opulent Club Pompeii located?
31. What year did Marshall College become Marshall University?
32. One of Huntington’s finest restaurants from 1967-2004 was connected to the Colonial Lanes bowling alley. What was the restaurant’s name?
33. Which Huntington native and Marshall alumnus was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1975 for his role as Billy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest?
34. Name the star who was scheduled to be the first performer at Huntington’s brand-new civic center in 1977.
35. What are the names of Camden Park’s two roller coasters?
36. Dustin Hoffman’s character in the 1989 movie Rain Man was based in large part on what Huntington resident?
37. Name the businesswoman who got her start in retail working at The Smart Shop in Huntington before going on to work for The Limited, where she became the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
38. This talented tenor rose to fame on Broadway in 1991 playing Jean Valjean in Les Misérables. Can you name him?
39. Name the entrepreneur who started out as a cleanup boy at Chapman Printing before going on to own the company as well as dozens of other business operations in seven states.
40. In 1992, what Thundering Herd soccer player was called on to kick his first (and only) college football field goal that gave Marshall its first ever NCAA I-AA national championship?
41. Before Pullman Square was developed, what was the nickname given to the area between Eighth and Tenth streets and Third Avenue and Veterans Memorial Boulevard?
42.Who was Huntington’s only female mayor?
43. What was the beloved Fourth Avenue eatery known for its Texas Red Chili?
44. What Huntingtonian holds the distinction of being both the youngest and oldest governor of West Virginia?
45. Marshall University star Randy Moss made history at the 1997 Heisman Trophy ceremony when he became the first finalist to wear what accessory during the nationally televised event?
46. What beloved Huntington eatery had locations at both Eighth Street and First Street? Hint: College students loved the First Street location because it was open nearly all night.
47. Which Third Avenue nightclub, popular in the 1980s and 1990s, was named after MLB pitcher Donnie Robinson?
48. Chad Pennington led the 1999 Thundering Herd football team to a 13-0 record. Where did the AP poll rank Marshall at the end of the season?
4 9. Name the genial gentleman who founded Jim’s Steak & Spaghetti House.
50. Only Tom Brady and Steve Grogan played more seasons with the New England Patriots than this former Marshall star and current Huntington resident. What is his name?
51. Name the Huntington physician who was said to be on the fast track to becoming the nation’s youngest Surgeon General until his life was tragically cut short on 9/11 when his plane crashed into the Pentagon.
52. What West End factory made men’s trousers, suits and sports coats as well as a stylish line of women’s clothing before closing in 2003?
53. Who wrote the screenplay for the movie We Are Marshall?
54. This assistant football coach at Marshall, played by Matthew Fox in the film We Are Marshall, missed the ill-fated plane crash in 1970. What is his name?
55. Which Huntington native has been the announcer for television’s Wheel of Fortune since 2011?
56. Name the Marshall alumna best known for her role as Berta on the hit television series Two and a Half Men.
57. Which former Thundering Herd basketball star went on to be named the NBA Coach of the Year for the 2004-2005 and 2012-2013 seasons?
58.Which Huntingtonian was placed on TIME Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2018? Her efforts to combat the opioid epidemic in Huntington were featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary Heroin(e).
5 9.This former Marine stormed the beaches at Iwo Jima. When he passed away at age 98, he was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. What was his name?
60. Marshall has defeated two Top 10 football teams in the last 20 years. Can you name them?
61.Whose name can be found on numerous buildings throughout Huntington because of the millions of dollars she and her husband Jimmy donated to the city?
62. Waitresses at this unique eatery on Ninth Street let children choose a toy from a basket after dinner. What was the restaurant’s name?
63. Early in his career — which would see him go on to become the CEO of Intuit and president of Marshall University — one of Brad Smith’s bosses tried to convince him to change what trait?
64.Which renowned wildlife artist has a nature trail named in his honor at Harris Riverfront Park? His work has appeared in L.L.Bean, on postage stamps, in magazines and more.
65. Before it was Marshall’s Visual Arts Center or Stone & Thomas, this six-story building on Third Avenue was known by what name?
66.Which Huntington native had a successful career on Wall Street before being named CEO of Oscar de la Renta?
67. In which sport did Marshall win its only NCAA Division I national championship?
68. Civic leader Mike Perry converted his Wayne County farm into a museum that pays tribute to West Virginia’s Appalachian roots. What did he name it?
69. What world-famous playwright, actor, composer and lyricist says his favorite podcast is My Brother, My Brother and Me (MBMBaM), hosted by three McElroy brothers from Huntington?
70. This Marshall baseball coach was promised a new stadium for the program in 1967. It was finally built and named in his honor in 2024. What was the coach’s name?
The Ultimate Huntington Quiz Answers
1. 1871
2. B&O, C&O and Norfolk & Western
3. The James-Younger Gang
4. Gutzon Borglum
5. Dr. Carter G. Woodson
6. Dale Carnegie
7. 1913 and 1937
8. The Nickel Plant or INCO
9. The Hyman family
10. Pallottine Missionary Sisters
11. Fesenmeier Brewing Co.
12. Cam Henderson
13. Rufus Switzer
14. George H. Wright’s
15. Owens-Illinois
16. Milton Supman
17. The Huntington State Hospital
18. Dagmar
19. Alex Schoenbaum
20. Hal Greer
21. 15
22. Huntington Galleries
23. Automobile bumpers
24. William C. “Bill” Campbell
25. Paul Newman
26. Jule Huffman
27. Pilgrim Glass
28. Billy Crystal
29. The first day of spring
30. Holiday Inn Downtown
31. 1961
32. Rebels & Redcoats
33. Brad Dourif
34. Elvis Presley
35. The Big Dipper and The Little Dipper
36. Joseph Sullivan
37. Verna Gibson
38. Mark McVey
39. Marshall Reynolds
40. Willy Merrick
41. The Superblock
42. Jean Dean
43. Chili Willi’s
44. Cecil Underwood
45. Sunglasses
46. Dwight’s
47. Robby’s
48. No. 10 in the nation
49. Jim Tweel
50. Troy Brown
51. Paul Ambrose
52. Corbin Ltd.
53. Jamie Linden
54. Red Dawson
55. Jim Thornton
56. Conchata Ferrell
57. Mike D’Antoni
58. Jan Rader
59. Hershel “Woody” Williams
60. Kansas State and Notre Dame
61. Joan Edwards
62. Bailey’s Cafeteria
63. His West Virginia accent
64. Chuck Ripper
65. Anderson Newcomb
66. Alex Bolen
67. Soccer
68. Heritage Farm Museum & Village
69. Lin-Manuel Miranda
70. Jack Cook
