West Virginia’s first capitol building

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — When West Virginia was first formed, it had to decide where its capitol would be.

Although, the capitol of the state now resides in Charleston, it was not the first location to house the seat of government.

When West Virginia came into being, the state capitol was Wheeling, with good reason. Much of the statehood movement was organized in Wheeling , so when statehood was finally declared on June 20, 1863, it became the obvious choice, at least for a while.

The first capitol building was the Linsly Institute building , where it would stay for years. The Linsly School was a military institute when it loaned its building out to be used as the state capitol building. Constructed in 1859, the building features Greek Revival and Italianate architectural styles.

Eventually, complaints about Wheeling’s location resulted in the capitol being moved to the more centralized city of Charleston in 1970. Promises of a new capitol building brought it back to Wheeling in 1875, but it ultimately came back to Charleston in 1885 .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.