If you are a Mountaineer, you may believe you know everything about West Virginia’s history and culture. However, the state’s old laws demonstrate that lawmakers once enacted rules that seem strange today.
While many of these rules are no longer enforced, they provide a glimpse into the past and serve as a reminder of how strange laws can appear decades or centuries later.
Abandoning Your Refrigerator
Refrigerators and other airtight appliances, such as freezers, do not last forever. As a result, many West Virginians have most likely violated the law by throwing them out without first removing the entry doors.
Is there a catch? If your airtight appliance is under two feet tall, you do not need to remove the doors.
If you get in trouble for abandoning your refrigerator door, you could face a $200 fine and up to six months in jail. Ouch!
Whistling Underwater
Sorry to break it to you, underwater whistle lovers, but it is illegal to whistle underwater in West Virginia.
The law may have been intended to prevent people from causing disturbances near lakes and streams, but it is difficult to imagine anyone whistling underwater.
Even if no one is arrested for this today, it’s amusing to consider a law against such a silly and seemingly harmless act.
Owning Flags of Certain Colors
Prior to 2010, owning a red or black flag was illegal in West Virginia.
What could former lawmakers’ motivations be for this, you wonder? They saw red and black flags as being sympathetic to or supporting non-US governments and ideals.
Any red or black flags in West Virginian closets can now be displayed in public.
Sunday Hunting Restrictions
West Virginia once had strict Sunday hunting rules. The plan was to make Sundays special for rest and religious observance.
In 2018, all restrictions on Sunday hunting were lifted. However, it was a long road to get there; first, West Virginia relaxed its hunting laws to allow only hunting on private land. Hunters can now hunt on public land on Sundays.
Even though many residents now hunt on Sundays, the old rules are an intriguing part of West Virginia’s history. They demonstrate how community values can shape laws, even if those laws later appear odd.
Hat Wearing
If you enjoy a good hat, it was wise to avoid West Virginia theaters until recently. A former law made it illegal to wear hats in theaters and other places of entertainment.
The reasoning was that hats obscured the view of those behind them. As silly as this law may appear now, we must applaud former lawmakers for their thoughtfulness.
Before 2010, if you were caught wearing a hat in a theater or other place of entertainment, you could have been charged with a misdemeanor, with a fine ranging from $2 to $10.
No, we did not leave out a couple of zeros from those numbers.
