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 220 in West Virginia U.S. Route 220 in West Virginia U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a U.S. Highway that travels from Rockingham, North Carolina, to Waverly, New York. In the state of West Virginia, it travels for from the Virginia state line south of Harper to the Maryland state line at Keyser. The highway enters West Virginia south of Harper in Pendleton County. From the state line, US 220 parallels the South Branch Potomac River as it progresses northward. north of Harper, US 220 travels through Franklin, where it intersects US 33. The highway enters Grant County approximately north of Franklin. Within Grant