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
West Virginia Route 618 Bridge. The eastern terminus is at an interchange with US 50 just east of Parkersburg. West Virginia Route 618 West Virginia Route 618 is an east–west state highway located almost entirely in Parkersburg, West Virginia. The route follows the former path of U.S. Route 50 through downtown Parkersburg. It was created when US 50 was realigned onto a bypass of Parkersburg constructed as part of an upgrade of Corridor D. The designation is meant as a continuation of Ohio's State Route 618, though that route turns North at the Parkersburg-Belpre Bridge before it would actually meet West Virginia Route 618.