What is National West Virginia Day?
We recognize each state in the order they entered the union, beginning with Hawaii and ending with Hawaii on Independence Day. We feature a small part of each state's past, foods, and the people who make up the state. There's so much more to discover, we can't help but celebrate our beautiful country even more.
When Virginia voted to separate from the Union, Western Virginians remained faithful to their Union allegiances, wrote their own constitution, and petitioned Congress for statehood. On June 20, 1863, West Virginia, the 35th state, was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863. It was the first state to be established from another state and one of two established during the Civil War.
The North meets South at Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry is ripe with abolition movements and Civil War History, from John Brown's rebellion to Stonewall Jackson's Confederate victory.
The mountain state
West Virginia is dominated by three majestic mountain ridges, also known as The Mountain State. The Allegheny, Appalachian, and the Blue Ridge Mountains also provide the state with seventy-eight percent forest over its total area. West Virginia is the country's largest producer of coal east of the Mississippi River thanks to the rugged mountains and slews of bituminous coal stores.
