While not as popular as the Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the West Virginia Independence Hall is one of the most important buildings in the history of West Virginia. Now a state run museum, this is the building where the majority of the legislature took place in West Virginia’s journey to statehood, housing the first and second Wheeling Conventions.

Its completion, coinciding with the beginning of the Civil War, provided a facility for heated political discussions and constitutional conventions that led to eventual statehood for West Virginia in 1863. Here, issues dividing many Virginians – slavery being one of many – were debated, compromised and shaped into the skeleton of statehood.

Restored to it’s 1800’s grandeur, it’s a quick (2 hours) and free way to learn about the state’s history and succession.