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| Jane Lew Town Hall August 2026 |
I recently visited the town of Jane Lew, West Virginia. I've been THROUGH Jane Lew numerous times while traveling I-79 between Charleston and Morgantown, but I never really stopped there to look around. On a recent WV road trip, we made a detour just to eat breakfast at the town's Lightburn Family Diner (which was awesome by the way!). You can read more about those adventures at my blog: WV Road Trip Part One.
As I was just doing some reading on the history of the town for that blog post, I stumbled across a most unusual newspaper article. According to the December 19, 1902 edition of the Clarksburg Telegram, a Mr. Bishop of Jane Lew sent a rooster to R.M. Orr of Clarksburg. This wasn't an ordinary rooster, however. This particular rooster had FOUR LEGS. The strange creature initially caused a stir at the local depot, but many believed that the two extra appendages were not real. It was believed they were somehow stuck on, and then camouflaged by the natural feathers.
I wouldn't be so quick to call B.S. on that too soon. Chickens are sometimes born with extra legs. It's a condition called polymelia and is often caused by incomplete twinning or some type of genetic mutation. Most often, the extra limbs are smaller than usual or malformed in some way. Rarely can the animal move the extra appendages. They tend to just sort of flop around. Luckily, this doesn't seem to affect the animal's life span or quality of life in any significant way.
This story reminds me of another West Virginia chicken with polymelia. In 1923, a THREE LEGGED chicken went missing from Wayne County. That chicken was a Plymouth Rock breed and while only a couple of months old, was quite the topic of conversation around town. I never did find out what happened to that bird...
Wayne County's Weird Chicken Blog
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| Clarksburg Telegram 19 December 1902 |
Every barnyard has its own pecking order, but every once in a while, a truly unusual rooster comes along and turns all farmyard expectations upside down. Whether it’s an eccentric bird sporting feathered boots and an outrageous crest, or a quirky cockerel that prefers human companionship over minding the flock, these feathered personalities are full of charm. Beyond their unmistakable morning calls, their bold strut and comical antics have a way of stealing the spotlight on any homestead. Celebrating the distinctive character of an oddball backyard bird reminds us how entertaining keeping poultry can be. If you want to take a short, relaxing pause after reading up on funny farmyard tales and unique livestock stories, feel free to visit https://spingranny.com.pl.
ReplyDeleteHet ontdekken van charmante plekjes net buiten de snelweg tijdens een roadtrip levert vaak de mooiste verrassingen op, zoals zo'n lokaal dinertje waar je heerlijk kunt ontbijten. Het doorbreken van de routine en even afwijken van de vaste route maakt reizen pas echt de moeite waard.
ReplyDeleteWie na het lezen van al dit reisavontuur even wil ontspannen en de gedachten wil verzetten, kan trouwens een kijkje nemen op https://zumospin.com.nl/app.
Wat is het mooiste of meest verrassende plekje waar jullie ooit terecht zijn gekomen nadat jullie spontaan van de snelweg af gingen?
What a bizarre piece of local history! A four-legged rooster sounds like something from folklore, but knowing that polymelia can actually occur in chickens makes the old newspaper story surprisingly believable. I love how a simple road-trip detour can uncover these forgotten little mysteries from the past. Now I’m genuinely curious whether anyone ever discovered what became of that three-legged Plymouth Rock. For something completely different to explore afterward, https://rubyreels-australia.com is worth a look.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the most fascinating stories are hiding in old newspapers. A curious example comes from Jane Lew, West Virginia, where a December 1902 report described a rooster with an extraordinary feature: it reportedly had four legs. The unusual bird had been sent by a local man to someone in Clarksburg and caused quite a stir when it arrived at the local depot.
ReplyDeleteAt first, some observers suspected that the extra legs were somehow attached to the bird and disguised with feathers. But such a strange appearance is not necessarily impossible. Chickens can be born with extra limbs, a congenital condition known as polymelia, which can result from developmental abnormalities such as incomplete twinning.
The story is particularly interesting because it was not the only unusual chicken reported in West Virginia. Another account mentioned a three-legged Plymouth Rock chicken in Wayne County in 1923. These stories show how unusual animal births could quickly become local curiosities and memorable pieces of community folklore.
Whether every detail of the four-legged rooster story can be independently verified today is another question, but the newspaper account remains a fascinating glimpse into the strange and unexpected stories that once captured public attention. More unusual history and folklore can also be explored naturally through chickenroad.
A great piece of local history. The four-legged rooster from 1902 turns out to be plausible, since polymelia is a real congenital condition in chickens, usually from incomplete twinning. The 1923 three-legged Plymouth Rock in Wayne County is a nice parallel. More at https://thegolisimo.es
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