NITRO, W.Va. – Nitro began its centennial year celebration with a kickoff ceremony Thursday at the Nitro World War I Museum.
Nitro was founded on December 23, 1917, as an ammunition production center for troops fighting in World War I.
Billy Wayne Bailey, the deputy secretary for the state Department of Veterans Assistance, said World War I served as a significant moment of growth for West Virginia as a whole.
“Steel was needed to be made to make the armaments, so more coal had to be mined,” Bailey said. “Coal had to start being mined at a record rate.”
Other items the United States needed for the war: gunpowder and explosives.
According to Nitro Historic Commission President Rich Hively, three sites including the location where Nitro currently stands were selected as locations for gunpowder plants.
“We were here because World War I,” Hively said.
The war is so much a part of Nitro’s identity, Congress recognized Nitro as a “living memorial to World War I” in 1982.
In October, the city erected new street signs featuring a silhouette of a World War I-era solider.
Nitro Mayor David Casebolt said the city’s founding is what makes Nitro unique.
“Nobody can offer the history that Nitro has,” Casebolt said.
Hively said he hopes the celebrations gives people understanding and pride about Nitro’s role in the war.
“I’ve lived here all my life, and I talk to people that have no idea how Nitro became,” Hively said.
Casebolt said events will be held throughout the year, and will hopes citizens will use these opportunities to learn about Nitro’s past.
“Everybody in town will be able to celebrate the centennial,” Casebolt said. “Everybody in town will be able to become part of our history where we’re bringing our history back to life.”
The city also unveiled a logo for the centennial at Thursday’s ceremony.