After many years of contention between eastern Virginia, which was populated by large landowners with strong ties to England, and western Virginia, with a population of German and Scotch Irish farmers, a boiling point was reached at the start of the Civil War. When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, delegates from 50 northwestern counties of Virginia decided to break away from Virginia to form their own state. An application for admission to the Union was made to Congress and approved by President Lincoln in 1863 making West Virginia the 35th state in the US.
The convention debates on West Virginia statehood were held in the courthouse on the top floor of Independence Hall which has been restored to it’s original glory. The first and second floors have exhibits about the conventions and West Virginia’s role in the Civil War. A short film is shown in the basement theater.
An elevator accesses all of the floors and all of the exhibits are easily viewed.
The parking lot is very small with little room to turn around so do not turn into the lot unless your RV is short. Parking is very limited on the downtown streets. Museum
40.06422, -80.72152
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