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#  Entered Union   Year Settled

35th       June 20, 1863     1727

 

Nickname

Mountain State

 

Rank      Population

37th       1,814,468

 

Rank      Square Miles

41st        24,230

 

State Bird

Northern Cardinal

 

State Flower

Rhododendron

 

State Tree

Sugar Maple

 

State Motto

Montani semper liberi   Mountaineers are always free

 

In 1861, Virginians in the northwestern part of the state defied Virginia's secession from the United States. The region chose to remain in the Union and form a new state. West Virginia was admitted into the Union in 1863, after conditions requiring the gradual emancipation of slaves had been met.

 

The state motto is "Mountaineers are always free," and West Virginia lives up to its nickname of the "Mountain State." With an average altitude of 1,500 feet above sea level, it's the highest of any state east of the Mississippi River.

 

For a long time, West Virginia was a leading producer of coal in North America, but many people left to pursue better employment opportunities. That trend has turned around, and now the state's economy is in a more stable condition. The capital is Charleston.

 

West Virginia Admitted as the 35th State in the Union

"Mountaineers Are Always Free" is the state motto of West Virginia. The phrase reflects the history and identity of the state and indicates how West Virginia became the 35th state in the Union on June 20, 1863. The land that formed West Virginia used to be part of Virginia, but the two areas differed in both surroundings and people.

 

Pioneering individuals, mountaineers, settled in the western portion, while a slave-holding aristocratic society developed in the eastern portion. Westerners wanted to separate from Virginia, and first tried to in 1769, but were unsuccessful.

 

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861. Very few of the residents of the western counties owned slaves, so they decided to stay with the Union. As a result, West Virginia, where "Mountaineers Are Always Free," was formed.

 

The Appalachian Mountains have always been an important resource in West Virginia. Beneath them is the largest supply of coal in the nation. Until the 1940s, many West Virginians worked as miners. Nowadays, the tops of West Virginia's mountains are blasted off to expose the coal inside for extraction. The mountains have also attracted different kinds of residents and travelers.

 

Many people have retired to West Virginia to enjoy its wealth of natural resources. The state, with its Appalachian Mountains, is the highest in elevation east of the Mississippi. Forest covers about three-fourths of the state, while farms cover many of the ridges and fertile valleys.

 

Tourists come from all over to visit West Virginia's 33 state parks, experience its world-class white-water rafting, or encounter its unique cultural traditions in music and the arts. Many West Virginians today would still boast their motto to be true: "Mountaineers Are Always Free."

 

Harpers Ferry

The small town of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, played a significant role in United States history, even before the state of West Virginia separated from Virginia during the Civil War. In 1859, John Brown, an abolitionist, (someone who wanted to see slavery abolished), led a raid on the town. He hoped to use weapons seized from the U.S. Armory and Arsenal to free slaves in the area. Brown then planned to launch similar raids elsewhere from the surrounding hills. He did not succeed, but the raid contributed to tensions leading to the Civil War.

 

During the Civil War, both the Confederate and the Union armies wanted control of Harpers Ferry. Not only did it have an arsenal and armory (a place to store weapons), but also the town was located at the meeting point of important railroads and at the meeting of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. In fact, Harpers Ferry changed hands eight times during the war, which shows just how much both sides wanted to control it.

 

Thunder in the Valley

There is a city in West Virginia that changed control between the Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War 18 times!

 

"Thunder in the Valley," is an annual event in Charles Town, West Virginia, to help remember its Civil War heritage. During the Civil War, the Shenandoah Valley was a strategic area, as it was on the main travel route north and south.

 

During "Thunder in the Valley," battle re-enactments are staged. People dress up as Union and Confederate soldiers, set up replicas of Union and Confederate camps, and re-create the brief fights and battles that took place during the Civil War. One of the re-enactments is the invasion of Charles Town by Confederate General John Imboden. People dress up as Union and Confederate soldiers and take up positions in the town for the re-enactment.

 

Although the thunder of battle is not as loud in the re-enactment as it must have been in the real battle, the smoke, noise and movement of soldiers still gives a good idea of what the invasion was like.