Skip to Main Content

Historical marker.

Marker: Home of the Jones Diamond

Field review by the editors.

Peterstown, West Virginia

Grover Cleveland Jones and his family were celebrities in 1940. They were invited guests to the New York World's Fair and they got to meet Mayor LaGuardia and have dinner with President Roosevelt. That's because Grover and his wife, Annie, had produced 15 consecutive sons, and all were alive and well. The family's endorsement was sought by a number of companies, but Grover refused and the Jones's went home to Peterstown. That must have been a difficult decision, as Grover struggled as a county school teacher to support his vast family.

He needn't have bothered -- although he didn't know that at the time. In a cigar box, in a tool shed behind the Jones house, was a 34.48 carat blue-white diamond, the largest ever discovered in North America. Grover and his eldest son, "Punch," had kicked it up in 1928 while pitching horseshoes in their yard. They had thought that it was just a piece of quartz -- until Punch went to college in 1942 and showed it to a geology professor.

Punch was killed in combat in 1945. Grover and Annie had yet another boy, and then finally a girl, and then called it quits. Grover lent the diamond to the Smithsonian for several years, then brought it back to West Virginia and kept it in a safe deposit box in a local bank. He never sold the Jones Diamond -- but the family did, in 1984, ten years after he died.

Is there another big diamond lying in the dirt of Peterstown? The marker that briefly tells the Jones story was placed near their home, so you might want to bring some horsehoes and scuff up some soil when you visit....

Marker: Home of the Jones Diamond

Address:
Sycamore St., Peterstown, WV
Directions:
On southbound US 219/Market St. at the corner of Sycamore St. Three blocks northeast of the bridge into Virginia.
Hours:
Historical Marker Visible. Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Save to My Sights

Nearby Offbeat Places

John Henry StatueJohn Henry Statue, Talcott, WV - 18 mi.
Patrick Swayze - Dirty Dancing Memorial RockPatrick Swayze - Dirty Dancing Memorial Rock, Pembroke, VA - 15 mi.
Raymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Transportation MuseumRaymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Transportation Museum, Pulaski, VA - 24 mi.
In the region:
Space Shuttle Replica, Coalwood, WV - 47 mi.

More Quirky Attractions in West Virginia

Stories, reports and tips on tourist attractions and odd sights in West Virginia.

Explore Thousands of Unique Roadside Landmarks!

Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. Start here.
Use RoadsideAmerica.com's Attraction Maps to plan your next road trip.

My Sights

My Sights on Roadside America

Create Your Own Bizarre Road Trips! ...Try My Sights

Mobile Apps

Roadside America app: iPhone, iPad Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! ...More

Roadside Presidents app: iPhone, iPad Roadside Presidents app for iPhone, iPad. POTUS landmarks, oddities. ...More

West Virginia Latest Tips and Stories

Latest Visitor Tips

Sight of the Week

Sight of the Week

Easter Island Moai in America (Mar 25-31, 2024)

SotW Archive

USA and Canada Tips and Stories

More Sightings