On June 20, 1863, at the height of the Civil War, Wayne was one of fifty Virginia counties that were admitted to the Union as the state of West Virginia. Later that year, the counties were divided into civil townships, with the intention of encouraging local government. This proved impractical in the heavily rural state, and in 1872 the townships were converted into magisterial districts. Wayne County was divided into five districts: Butler, Ceredo, Grant, Lincoln, and Union. A sixth district, Stonewall, was formed from part of Grant District in 1878. In the 1920s, Westmoreland was created as the county's seventh magisterial district. Grant District was discontinued between 1960 and 1970, followed by Lincoln in the 1980s.