West Virginia, state of
A State of the
United States formed from
Virginia west of the
Alleghany Mountains, is of irregular shape, a narrow strip known as the Panhandle extending north between
Pennsylvania and
Ohio some 70 miles, and
Maryland cutting a triangle out of the northeastern portion.
It lies between lat. 37° 5′ and 40° 37′ N., and long.
77° 4′ and 82° 40′ W. Its general boundary is
Pennsylvania and
Maryland on the north,
Virginia on the east and south, and
Kentucky and
Ohio on the west.
Area, 24,780 square miles in fifty-four counties.
Population, 1890, 762,794; 1900, 958,800.
Capital,
Charleston.
Harper's Ferry established as a ferry......1748
Baptist church formed at
Opequon,
Berkeley county, under charge of
Rev. John Gerard, from
New England......1754
Battle of the Trough, near
Moorefield.
A small band of settlers pursuing Indians under Kill
Buck are hemmed in between mountain and river, and obliged to retreat with loss of half their number......spring of 1756
Massacre of the garrison of Fort
Seybert, 12 miles from site of
Franklin, by
Indians......May, 1758
Romney laid out and named by Lord Fairfax......November, 1762
Capt. William Arbuckle, the first white man to traverse the
Kanawha Valley, reaches the site of
Point Pleasant.......1764
English exploring expedition under
Colonel Crogan descends the
Ohio, encamping at West Columbia and Little Guyandotte River......May, 1765
George Washington, on a surveying expedition to the
Ohio, passes through
Romney......Oct. 9, 1770
Indians attack the crew of a trading canoe from
Pittsburg on the
Ohio, near
Wheeling, killing one man, thus breaking a ten years truce, April 16.
The settlers declare war and engage in a battle near the mouth of
Captina Creek......April 27, 1774
Fort Union built on site of
Lewisburg......1774
Fort Fincastle, afterwards
Fort Henry, at
Wheeling, built......1774
Battle of Point Pleasant, at the mouth of the
Great Kanawha......Oct. 10, 1774
Fort Randolph, at
Point Pleasant, begun.......Oct. 10, 1774
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John Harvie and
John Nevill, chosen to represent
western Virginia in the Virginia convention, are admitted to seats......March 21, 1775
Convention of Virginia frontiersmen west of the
Alleghany Mountains at
Pittsburg elects
John Harvie and
George Rodes delegates to Continental Congress......May 16, 1775
Tory insurrection under
John Claypole, a resident of
Hardy county, suppressed by troops under
General Morgan......June, 1775
Captain Foreman and twenty-one men massacred by Indians about 4 miles from
Moundsville......Sept. 25, 1777
Fort Henry unsuccessfully besieged by Indians under
Simon Girty......Sept. 27-28, 1777
Cornstalk,
Shawnee chief, murdered at
Point Pleasant......Nov. 10, 1777
Fort Randolph besieged by
Indians......May, 1778
Attack by the Indians on
Donnally's Fort, 10 miles northwest of
Lewisburg......May, 1778
By grant of
William Penn in 1681, the western boundary of
Pennsylvania is the meridian 5 degrees west of the
Delaware.
Virginia in ceding to the
United States lands beyond the
Ohio, in 1784, reserved a strip about 70 miles long upon the
Ohio west of
Pennsylvania, now known as the Panhandle......March 1, 1784
General Assembly directs the establishment of
Morgantown......October, 1785
Wheeling laid out in town lots by
Col. Ebenezer Zane......1793
Charleston created by act of legislature......Dec. 19, 1794
Aaron Burr visits
Herman Blennerhassett at his island in the
Ohio, 2 miles below
Parkersburg......1805
First steamboat on the
Great Kanawha, the
Robert Thompson, ascends the river from
Point Pleasant to
Red House shoals......1819
John Brown, seeking “to free the slaves,” captures
Harper's Ferry......Oct. 16-17, 1859
Petroleum discovered at
Burning Springs, on the north bank of the
Kanawha......1860
First public Union meeting in
West Virginia, declaring against secession, held at
Preston......Nov. 12, 1860
Forty-six delegates from what is now
West Virginia, vote on the ordinance of secession; 9 for, 29 against; seven are absent, one excused......April 17, 1861
Garrison at
Harper's Ferry burn the arsenal and flee into
Maryland......April 21, 1861
West Virginia declares for the
Union......April 21, 1861
First Wheeling convention on the future of
western Virginia meets in
Washington Hall,
Wheeling......May 13, 1861
First Virginia Federal Infantry mustered in on Wheeling Island by
Major Oaks......May 15, 1861
Second Wheeling convention meets at
Washington Hall,
Wheeling, June 11, 1861; adopts a declaration of rights, June 13; an ordinance to reorganize the
State government, June 19; and elects
Francis H. Pierpont governor......June 20, 1861
General Rosecrans defeats Confederates under
Gen. R. S. Garnett, in the
battle of Rich Mountain......July 11, 1861
Battle of Carnifex Ferry; Confederates under
Gen. H. A. Wise attacked by Federals under
Rosecrans......Sept. 10, 1861
General Reynolds repulses Confederates under
Lee in battle at
Cheat Mountain......Sept. 12-14, 1861
Convention at
Wheeling passes an ordinance to form a new State in
western Virginia called
Kanawha, Aug. 20, 1861; ordinance ratified by popular vote of 18,408 to 781......Oct. 24, 1861
Federals burn
Guyandotte......Nov. 11, 1861
Constitution for a new State, named
West Virginia, framed by convention which meets at
Wheeling, Nov. 26, 1861, and completes its labors, Feb. 18; constitution ratified by popular vote of 18,862 to 514......April, 1862
General Assembly of reorganized
Virginia at
Wheeling assents to the erection of the new
State of West Virginia......May 12, 1862
Harper's Ferry surrendered by
Gen. Dixon H. Miles to Confederates under “
Stonewall”
Jackson......Sept. 15, 1862
Gen. J. A. J. Lightburn retreats through the
Kanawha Valley, pursued by Confederates under
General Loring......1862
Congress admits
West Virginia into the
Union from June 20, 1863......Dec. 31, 1862
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Confederates under
General Jones burn 100,000 barrels of petroleum at
Burning Springs......May 9, 1863
Inauguration of new State government takes place at
Wheeling......June 20, 1863
Supreme Court of Appeals organized at
Wheeling......July 9, 1863
Gen. W. W. Averill defeats
Maj. John Echols in battle of
Droop Mountain......Nov. 6, 1863
Transfer of the counties of
Berkeley (Aug. 5, 1863) and
Jefferson (Nov. 2, 1863) from the
State of Virginia to
West Virginia is recognized by joint resolution of Congress......March 10, 1866
Amendments to State constitution ratified, excluding from citizenship all who had, subsequent to June, 1861, given voluntary aid to the Southern Confederacy......May 24, 1866
Legislature ratifies the Fourteenth Amendment......Jan. 16, 1867
West Virginia University at
Morgantown opened......June 17, 1867
Legislature ratifies the Fifteenth Amendment......March 3, 1869
Charleston chosen as seat of government by legislature, Feb. 20, 1869, from......April 30, 1870
Amendment to article III., section 1 of the
State constitution, rehabilitating citizens disfranchised, ratified by the people......April 27, 1871
Constitution framed by a convention which meets at
Charleston, Jan. 16, 1872, and completes its labors, April 9, 1872; ratified by the people......Aug. 22, 1872
Legislature meets at
Wheeling as temporary seat of government by act of Feb. 20, 1875......Nov. 10, 1875
Strike on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad begun at
Martinsburg......July 16, 1877
At election held by act of Feb. 21, 1877, to locate the
State capital after May 1, 1885,
Charleston has 41,288 votes,
Clarksburg, 30,812;
Martinsburg, 8,049......Aug. 7, 1877
Nathan Goff, Jr., appointed
Secretary of the Navy......Jan. 6, 1881
Act striking the word “white” out of the Woods jury law of 1872-73......1881
Act passed establishing a State board of health......June 11, 1881
West Virginia normal and classical academy at
Buckhannon opened......1882
West Virginia Immigration and Development Association organized at
Wheeling......Feb. 29, 1888
Returns of election for governor in November, 1888, were:
Nathan Goff, Republican, 78,714;
A. B. Fleming, Democrat, 78,604.
Fleming contests for fraudulent returns, and is declared elected by a party vote of the legislature, 43 to 40......Feb. 4, 1890
Hatfield-
McCoy feud ended by a marriage......March 21, 1891
First State board of agriculture meets at
Charleston......May 4, 1891
Stephen B. Elkins qualifies as
United States Secretary of War......Dec. 24, 1891
Coal miners went on strike July 2, 1897
[Ended by compromise, Sept. 11.]
Ex-Senator W. T. Willey dies at
Morgantown......May 2, 1900
Ex-Postmaster-General William L. Wilson dies at
Lexington, Va......Oct. 17, 1900
Wisconsin 
