Nearly six years before President Lincoln signed the proclamation making West Virginia the 35th State in the Union, construction had begun on the
Wheeling Custom House. 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 in 1863. Here, issues dividing many Virginians - slavery being one of many - were debated and shaped into the skeleton of statehood. Serving as the Restored Government of Virginia (aligned with the Union) from 1861-1863, it is known today as West Virginia Independence Hall. Open daily 10am-4pm, March-December; Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm the rest of the year. Free.