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
State Fair of West Virginia State Fair of West Virginia The State Fair of West Virginia is an annual state fair for West Virginia, United States. It is held annually in mid-August on the State Fairgrounds in Fairlea, near Lewisburg, West Virginia in the southeastern part of the state. The 2018 Fair runs from August 9- 18. The State Fairgrounds consists of a large open field for carnivals and exhibitions, a horse track, grandstands, and several exhibition buildings. Free parking is provided adjacent to the fairgrounds and, until 2006, free camping was also available in a large field with running-water toilets and showers, but no