Marlinton, West Virginia has always had spelling problems with its name.

In the early 20th century, Andrew Price, the first mayor of the town, wrote the verses to a poem to discourage this mistake. Hashtag Lewisburg City Paper has also begun a special campaign to raise awareness with an “Aint No ‘G’ in Marlinton” apparel line that you can find at the city paper store called Shop Local WV at christinae6.sg-host.com/store or shopwvlocal.com.

Just think… you can complete any outfit with an embroidered “Aint No ‘G’ in Marlinton” Trucker Hat. It has a structured fit, adjustable plastic snapback, and a curved visor that matches its underbill. This apparel line also comes in shirts and hoodies.

Shop Local WV is a digital shopping experience from our city paper staff

Shop Local WV is a digital store shopping experience with curated collections from our city paper staff.  You will find the latest in West Virginia apparel featuring historic landmarks including the Lewisburg raglan shirt, White Sulphur Springs hoodie, Fayetteville hoodie, Clifton Forge shirt, and Charleston sweatshirt to name a few.

Everything offers a contemporary look to your wardrobe while promoting the cities, towns, historic landmarks, city paper writers, and artists in West Virginia. Shop Local WV is another way to connect our readers with local communities. Links to local attractions are included with each product listing.

Back to the campaign. In order to truly appreciate that there ain’t no g in Marlinton, here is Mayor Andrew Price’s poem:

There Ain’t No “G” in Marlinton by Mayor Andrew Price

A smart and stylish man was he,
He had a college-bought degree,
He wished to buy some timber land,
And so he took his pen in hand,
But when it all was said and done,
He hurt his friend in Marlinton,
He did a capital crime you see,
Spelling Marlinton with a G.
There ain’t no G in Marlinton,
There ain’t no G in Marlinton,
There ain’t no G in Marlinton,
There ain’t no G in Marlinton.
Jacob Marlin, a hunter bold,
Settled here in days of old,
He camped in a hollow tree,
And spelled his name with nary G.
His partner, a hunter, also came,
Stephen B. Sewell, was his name,
The year was seventeen-fifty-one,
They founded the town of Marlinton.
While they dwelt in solitude,
Sewell got in an ugly mood;
He took his knife and on a tree,
Cut M A R L I N G.
Then Jacob Marlin, mighty quick,
Fell on him like a thousand brick,
For it always riled his family,
For folks to spell the name with G.
Old Jacob Marlin died in bed,
Sewell –– the Indians killed him dead.
It was an awful fate,
but he was prone to use the extra G.
Let all take warning from his fate,
And when our town they designate,
They sure must mind their p’s and q’s,
This awful G we can’t excuse.

Andrew Price, first mayor of Marlinton (1871 – 1930)

– Hashtag Lewisburg City Paper. November 2020.