West Virginia State Capitol in Richmond, Virginia. After Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, the northwestern counties of Virginia loyal to the United States started the process which would ultimately create the State of West Virginia on June 20, 1863. Settling on a state capital location proved to be difficult. For several years, the capital of West Virginia shifted back and forth between Wheeling and Charleston. Other locations, including Martinsburg and Clarksburg were offered as alternatives. The state's citizens voted on the final location of their capital, Charleston, on August 7, 1877. From the state's inception in 1863, the legislature met in the
U.S. Route 219 in West Virginia County, Maryland. U.S. Route 219 in West Virginia U.S. Route 219 (US 219) is a part of the U.S. Highway System that travels from Rich Creek, Virginia to West Seneca, New York. In the U.S. state of West Virginia, the U.S. Highway travels from the Virginia state line near Peterstown to the Maryland state line near Silver Lake. US 219 enters West Virginia in Peterstown at the split of US 219 and WV 12. US 219 then heads northeast into Union. US 219 continues through Greenbrier County running through the towns of Ronceverte, Lewisburg, where it intersects US 60, and