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West Virginia is a state in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north and east, Maryland to the east and northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest.
- Charleston
Charleston is the capital and most populous city of the U.S....
- Flag of West Virginia
This work has been released into the public domain by its...
- Thomas Lee
Colonel Thomas Lee (c. 1690 – November 14, 1750) was a...
- Parkersburg, West Virginia
Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County,...
- Senate
The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West...
- Cities
West Virginia is a state located in the Southern United...
- Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West...
- Geography of West Virginia
The climate of West Virginia is generally a humid...
- Glen Ferris, West Virginia
Glen Ferris is a census-designated place (CDP) on the...
- Hurricane
Hurricane (/ ˈ h ɜːr ʌ k ɪ n / HUR-uh-kin) is a city in...
- Charleston
The U.S. state of West Virginia has 55 counties. Fifty of them existed at the time of the Wheeling Convention in 1861, during the American Civil War, when those counties seceded from the Commonwealth of Virginia to form the new state of West Virginia. [1]
CountyFips Code [14]County Seat [7]Est. [1]1843177218471836- Prehistory
- European Exploration and Settlement
- Trans-Allegheny Virginia, 1768-1861
- Civil War and Split
- Resources
- 20th Century
- See Also
- References and Bibliography
- External Links
The area now known as West Virginia was a favorite hunting ground of numerous Native American peoples before the arrival of European settlers. Many ancient earthen mounds constructed by various mound builder cultures survive, especially in the areas of Moundsville, South Charleston, and Romney. The artifacts uncovered in these give evidence of a vi...
In 1671, General Abraham Wood, at the direction of Royal Governor William Berkeley of the Virginia Colony, sent the party of Thomas Batts and Robert Fallum into the West Virginia area. During this expedition the pair followed a tributary of the Kanawha River they named Woods River for their sponsor, and discovered Kanawha Falls. Their journey conti...
Many settlers crossed the mountains after 1750, though they were hindered by Native American resistance. The 1744 Treaty of Lancaster had left ambiguous whether the Iroquois had sold only as far as the Alleghenies, or all their claim south of the Ohio, including the rest of modern West Virginia. At the convening of the 1752 Treaty of Logstown, they...
In 1861, as the United States itself became massively divided over slavery, leading to the American Civil War (1861–1865), the western regions of Virginia split with the eastern portion politically, and the two were never reconciled as a single state again. In 1863, the western region was admitted to the Union as a new separate state, initially pla...
Salt
The new state benefited from development of its mineral resources more than any other single economic activity after Reconstruction. Much of the northern panhandle and north-central portion of the state are underlain by bedded salt deposits over 50 feet (15 m) thick. Salt mining had been underway since the 18th century, though that which could be easily obtained had largely played out by the time of the American Civil War, when the red salt of Kanawha Countywas a valued commodity of first Con...
Timber
West Virginia was forested. During the period 1870 to 1920 most of the old-growth forest was logged. Logging was supported by a dense rail network extending throughout the mountains and hollows. Small pockets of virgin forest remain at Gaudineer Scenic Area and Cathedral State Park.
Coal
In the 1850s, geologists such as British expert Dr. David T. Ansted (1814–1880), surveyed potential coal fields and invested in land and early mining projects. After the war, with the new railroads came a practical method to transport large quantities of coal to expanding U.S. and export markets. Among the numerous investors were Charles Pratt and New York City mayor Abram S. Hewitt, whose father-in-law, Peter Cooper, had been a key man in earlier development of the anthracite coal regions ce...
Woman suffrage
West Virginia suffragists worked at supporting the agendas put forward by the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the National Association of Colored Women and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in the 1890s through the early part of the 20th century. According to historian Anne Wallace Effland, conservative social and religious beliefs together with the campaigns by anti-suffragists kept up a solid defense against them. The organized work by women's clubs during World War I hel...
State hatcheries and tourism industry
Wildlife biologist Robert Silvester of the State Wildlife Center wrote a history of conservation in West Virginia. He explains as industry developed in the region, the people of West Virginia saw a need for wildlife conservation. The Wildlife and Fish Commission was created in 1921. The commission established the French Creek Game Farm in 1923. Various game animals and now protected birds were raised for conservation repopulating or control reasons throughout the state. Coincidentally, it was...
World War II
West Virginia enthusiastically supported World War II, with 67,000 men and about 1,000 women donning uniforms. Unemployment ended as the mines, railroads, mills and factories worked overtime to create the "Arsenal of Democracy" that supplied the munitions to win the war. However, repeatedly John L. Lewis called his United Mine Workersunion out on strike, defying the government, outraging public opinion, and strengthening the hand of anti-union Congressmen. In the postwar years, he continued h...
Surveys
1. Abramson, Rudy, and Jean Haskell, eds. Encyclopedia of Appalachia(2006) 1864pp; 2000 articles by experts 2. Charles H. Ambler and Festus P. Summers. West Virginia, the Mountain State (1958)a standard history 3. Brisbin, Richard A. et al. West Virginia Politics and Government(1996) 4. Callahan, James M. Semi-Centennial History of West Virginia (1913), online, old useful narrative 5. Callahan, James Morton (1922). "West Virginia" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 32 (1...
Pre 1877
1. Ambler, Charles H. Sectionalism in Virginia from 1776 to 1861 (1910) 1.1. Rasmussen, Barbara. "Charles Ambler's Sectionalism in Virginia: An Appreciation," West Virginia History,Spring 2009, Vol. 3 Issue 1, pp 1–35 2. Ambler, Charles H. A History of Education in West Virginia From Early Colonial Times to 1949 (1951), 1000 pages 3. Curry, Richard Orr. A House Divided: A Study of Statehood Politics and Copperhead Movement in West Virginia(1964) 4. Curry, Richard Orr. "A Reappraisal of Stateh...
Since 1877
1. Ambler, Charles H. A History of Education in West Virginia From Early Colonial Times to 1949 (1951), 1000 pages 2. Becker, Jane S. Inventing Tradition: Appalachia and the Construction of an American Folk, 1930–1940(1998). 3. Campbell, John C. The Southern Highlander and His Homeland (1921) reissued 1969. online edition 4. Corbin, David Alan. Life, Work, and Rebellion in the Coal Fields: The Southern West Virginia Miners, 1880–1922(1981) 5. Conley, Phil. History of West Virginia Coal Indust...
WV, An Archaeological Treasure Online Gallery, Fort AncientsCompact History Geographic Overviewby Lee Sultzman1 day ago · West Virginia, constituent state of the U.S. It was admitted as the 35th state of the union in 1863. It is bordered to the north by Pennsylvania, to the east by Maryland and Virginia, to the southwest by Kentucky, and to the northwest by Ohio. The state capital is Charleston.
Nov 6, 2009 · Learn about the history and facts of West Virginia, a state that seceded from Virginia during the Civil War and became a major coal-producing region. Find out about its famous natives, landmarks, events and attractions.
A comprehensive overview of the history of West Virginia from prehistoric times to the present. Learn about the geological, cultural, and political events that shaped the state's development, from the Appalachian Orogeny to the Civil War. Explore the role of Native Americans, explorers, settlers, and industries in West Virginia's history.
It is often abbreviated W. Va. or simply WV. About 1,800,000 people live in the state. West Virginia is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north, by Ohio to the north and west, by Kentucky to the west, by Maryland to the north and east, and by Virginia to the east and south.
