Introduction to History of West Virginia
Little is known of the prehistoric peoples who lived in what is now West Virginia except that they probably were food gatherers and hunters and arrived there as early as 10,000 years ago. About 2,000 B.C., cultivation of crops was begun. Mound builders lived in the area from about 1000 B.C. to 1000 A.D. During historic times, the major tribes of the region were the Shawnee and the Delaware.
Important dates in West Virginia1660's Large numbers of Indians in what is now West Virginia died during wars and disease epidemics.1727 Germans from Pennsylvania established a settlement at New Mecklenburg (now Shepherdstown).1742 John P. Salling and John Howard discovered coal on the Coal River.1754-1755 The French and Indians defeated troops led by George Washington and General Edward Braddock.1773 Plans for Vandalia, a 14th American colony--which would have included West Virginia--collapsed as the Revolutionary War approached.1775 Gas was discovered near Charleston.1836 The first railroad reached the state at Harpers Ferry.1859 John Brown and his followers raided the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry.1861 The counties of western Virginia refused to secede with Virginia. These counties organized a separate government that supported the Union.1863 West Virginia became the 35th state on June 20.1872 The people ratified the present state constitution.1919-1921 Labor disputes in Logan and Mingo counties led to conflicts between labor and management.1924 John W. Davis of Clarksburg received the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. He was defeated by Republican Calvin Coolidge in the general election.1954 The West Virginia Turnpike, connecting Charleston and Princeton, opened.1959 The National Radio Astronomy Observatory began operating at Green Bank.1968 Explosions and fire in a coal mine at Farmington took 78 lives. The disaster led to new mine safety laws.1972 The Buffalo Creek Flood, one of the worst in West Virginia history, resulted in over 100 deaths near Man.1985 The West Virginia Legislature established a state lottery to help raise money for the state.2006 The West Virginia Legislature passed several new mine safety laws after 14 miners died in accidents.European Exploration and Settlement. Until the late 17th century, the Virginia backcountry (of which West Virginia was a part until the Civil War) was unknown to European settlers. The first European believed to have entered what became West Virginia was John Lederer, a young German sent to explore the backcountry by Sir William Berkeley, governor of Virginia, in 1670. In 1671 Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam reached what is now the Virginia—West Virginia border. England based its claim to the Ohio Valley on this expedition. Other expeditions followed, some seeking furs to trade and others hoping to locate suitable land for settlement. In 1716 a company led by Governor Alexander Spotswood reached the base of the Alleghenies and officially claimed the land to the west for Virginia.
Places to visit in West VirginiaFollowing are brief descriptions of some of West Virginia's many interesting places to visit:Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, at New River Park in Beckley, is a restored mine first operated in the late 1800's. Visitors can take a riding tour of the mine and view exhibits at the Coal Museum. A coal company house, mine superintendent's home, and one-room schoolhouse are also at the site.Blennerhassett Island, in the Ohio River near Parkersburg, was the site of a mansion built by Harman Blennerhassett about 1800. Blennerhassett, with Aaron Burr and others, was suspected of planning an independent government in the southwestern region of the United States. A reconstruction of the mansion has been built over the original foundation.Cass, in Pocahontas County, has a state-owned scenic railroad powered by steam locomotives. Trains run through beautiful mountain country on the tracks of a former logging railroad.Charles Town, the county seat of Jefferson County, was founded in 1786 by Charles Washington, younger brother of George Washington. A jury at the Jefferson County Courthouse found John Brown guilty of murder and treason after his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. A stone marker designates the site of the John Brown Gallows. Several historic homes stand in the area around Charles Town. Harewood was built about 1770 for George Washington's brother Samuel. Dolley Payne Todd and James Madison were married in this house in 1794. Charles Washington built Mordington, or "Happy Retreat," about 1780. Bushrod Washington, grandnephew of the president, built Claymont Court in 1820.Jackson's Mill, near Weston, was the family farm where the Confederate General Stonewall Jackson spent his boyhood. In 1921 this area became the first state 4-H Club camp to be established in the United States.National Radio Astronomy Observatory, in Green Bank, is a center for the study of radio waves from space. During the summer, visitors at the observatory may inspect radio telescopes that measure the waves, and view a film about the observatory's work.New River Gorge Bridge, on U.S. 19 near Fayetteville, is one of the world’s longest steel arch span bridges. A visitor center provides a scenic overview and an audio-visual presentation.West Virginia Independence Hall-Custom House, in Wheeling, was the site of statehood conventions that led to the founding of West Virginia in 1863. Visitors can view exhibits detailing the movement for statehood.National forests and parklands. Monongahela National Forest lies entirely within West Virginia, in the eastern part of the state. Parts of George Washington and Jefferson national forests extend into West Virginia from Virginia. The town of Harpers Ferry is famous in Civil War history. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park lies on the boundary between West Virginia and Maryland, as does the nearby Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Bluestone National Scenic River, Gauley River National Recreation Area, and New River Gorge National River are in the southern part of West Virginia.State parks and forests. West Virginia has 38 state parks and 9 state forests. Among the best known state parks is Blackwater Falls, near Davis. There, sparkling water tumbles 63 feet (19 meters) over a rocky ledge. For information on the parks and forests of West Virginia, write to Division of Tourism and Parks, 90 MacCorkle Ave., SW, South Charleston, WV 25303.Tradition has the first settlement in West Virginia being made by Morgan Morgan, a Welshman, on Mill Creek, in 1731. However, it is believed that Germans from Pennsylvania founded what is now Shepherdstown around 1727. Coal was discovered near present-day Racine in 1742, but the economic life of the trans-Allegheny region centered on agriculture for more than a century.
The early settlers of West Virginia were mainly Germans, Scotch-Irish, and English. Soon after their arrival, they came into conflict with the other claimants to the Ohio Valley, the French. Several settlements were attacked by the French and their Indian allies during the French and Indian War (1754–63). In Lord Dunmore's War (1774), a major battle between militia and Indians under Chief Cornstalk was fought at Point Pleasant. During the Revolutionary War, Indians and British loyalists made raids on western settlements.
After the Revolution, there was a wave of immigrants. By 1790 some 55,000 people lived in what is now West Virginia; the population had more that tripled by 1830. In the mid-19th century, a division of interest between the eastern and western sections of Virginia became apparent. The western counties felt that they were not getting a fair share of public funds and complained of unequal representation in the legislature. Because representation was based partly on the number of slaves held, the landholders of the Tidewater and Piedmont areas held more legislative seats in proportion to their numbers than the poorer western settlers. The growth of antislavery sentiment in the west in the 1840's and 1850's added to sectional tensions. In 1859 the abolitionist John Brown raided the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, but failed in his plan to spark a slave insurrection throughout the South.
John Brown at Harpers Ferry. John Brown, a famous abolitionist, captured the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry in 1859 as part of an unsuccessful plan to start a rebellion of slaves.Civil War and Independence
After Virginia seceded from the Union at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, representatives of the western counties met in Wheeling. They declared Virginia's secession unconstitutional and chose a governor loyal to the Union, Francis H. Pierpont. The Reorganized Government of Virginia, as it was called, was recognized by the federal government. As the war continued, sentiment for the creation of a new state grew. In 1862 a constitution was adopted, and on June 20, 1863, West Virginia was admitted as the 35th state. Wheeling was its capital. No major battles of the Civil War were fought in the state.
At the end of the war in 1865, West Virginia was a largely underdeveloped rural state, with a population of about 400,000. The separation from Virginia had left unsettled political conditions. In 1872 a new constitution was adopted to reflect changes wrought by the war and its aftermath. The capital was moved to Charleston in 1870, then back to Wheeling in 1877, and finally to Charleston again in 1885.
During the late 19th century, West Virginia's abundant natural resources began to be developed. Cities and towns were built as the coal, oil, gas, and timber industries grew and as railroads spread across the state. Population increased steadily, with many immigrants from southern and eastern Europe coming to work in the state's mines and factories.
Modern Development
By the early 20th century, West Virginia ranked first in the production of bituminous coal and high in the output of crude oil and natural gas. World War I accelerated industrial development, particularly in steel and chemicals. In the 1920's, the state was the scene of armed violence, especially iri Mingo and Logan counties, during the struggle for unionization of the coal industry by the United Mine Workers.
Economic growth was halted by the Great Depression of the 1930's, and West Virginia suffered acutely. In 1932 voters turned out of office the Republican party, which had controlled government since the turn of the century, and elected Democrats who supported the New Deal programs of the Roosevelt administration. Prosperity revived temporarily as a result of the production demands of World War II.
In the 1950's and 1960's, population declined as coal mines were shut down, the result of the increasing popularity of other fuels, and as machinery replaced workers. Some 250,000 people left the state during 1950–70. The plight of West Virginia and other states of Appalachia was an issue during the 1960 Presidential campaign and led to numerous federal programs that brought some aid to the chronically depressed region. In the 1960's, tourism began to be an important revenue source.
There was a brief upsurge in demand for coal during the international oil crisis of the 1970's. However, during the late 1970's and early 1980's, coal mining, still the state's main industry, was severely affected by slumping production following prolonged strikes and decreased demand. The depressed condition of the steel industry nationwide added to the state's economic problems and resulted in record unemployment in the mid-1980's. Economic recovery did not begin until the 1990's.
In the 1990s, coal production, the timber industry, and tourism expanded to help the economic situation. From 1990 to 2000, the state’s population increased by about one percent, and Robert C. Byrd, chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and from the state, helped West Virginia gain federal projects that created more jobs. These included an FBI fingerprint center at Clarksburg as well as federal highway construction and water development projects. In January, 2006, 14 miners died in two separate incidents. Subsequently, the West Virginia State Legislature passed new mine safety laws, calling for better lost miner tracking systems, stockpiled oxygen for them, and improved emergency response times.