West Virginia Independence Hall
West Virginia Independence Hall is a museum in West Virginia, at a modelled elevation of 201 m. Culley Hill stands 475 m to the south-southeast, 20 miles off. Historic National Road - West Virginia passes 0.5 miles off. 18 named summits stand within 25 miles.
Governor Pierpont used this building as his office during the time of the “Restored Government of Virginia.”
The story
West Virginia Independence Hall is a historic government building at 1528 Market Street in downtown Wheeling, West Virginia, United States. It was built in 1860 under the supervision of architect Ammi B. Young for the federal government as a custom house, post office and courthouse. It is architecturally significant for its innovative uses of wrought iron as a framing material, and is historically significant for its role in the American Civil War. It housed the Wheeling Convention (1861), as well as the West Virginia Constitutional Convention (1863), which resulted in the separation of Unionist West Virginia from Confederate Virginia. This made it the only state to secede from a Confederate state during the war. The building was originally built as the custom house for the Western District of Virginia, and later became the center of government for the Restored Government of Virginia from 1861 to 1863, with Francis H. Pierpont serving as its governor. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1988. The building is now a state-run museum, housing exhibits on West Virginia history.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates from 1859.
Wikidata Q7986856, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What to expect
- Operated by
- West Virginia
How to reach it
- 0.5 mi off the Historic National Road - West Virginia, National
- 0.8 mi off the Ohio River Scenic Byway, National
- 1.1 mi off the Historic National Road - Ohio, National
- 3.5 mi off the Drovers' Trail Scenic Byway
Overlooks nearby
- Suicide Hill · 1 mi
- Highland Hills Overlook · 21 mi
- Old Fort Steuben Bridge Pier Viewpoint · 22 mi
- Kiedaisch Point · 27 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Wheeling Historic District: 0.1 mi
- Wheeling Heritage Port: 0.3 mi
- Wheeling Heritage Port Sculpture Garden: 0.3 mi
- Centre Market Square Historic District: 0.4 mi
- Eastern Park: 0.5 mi
- West Virginia Independence Hall: 0.0 mi
- B&O Railroad: 0.0 mi
- Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial: 0.2 mi
- Walter Reuther Memorial: 0.2 mi
- Augustus Pollack Monument: 0.2 mi
- Hawthorn Hill: 7.9 mi
- Horsemill Hill: 9.9 mi
- Clark Hill: 13.0 mi
- Galloway Knob: 13.7 mi
- Sampson Hill: 14.6 mi
- Bennett Memorial Museum: 0.2 mi
- Sedgwick House Museum: 2.3 mi
- Bellaire Toy and Plastic Brick Museum: 2.7 mi
- National Imperial Glass Museum: 3.6 mi
- Kruger Street Toy and Train Museum: 3.7 mi
- Francis Pierpont: 0.0 mi
- Tortoise: 0.3 mi
- Heron: 0.3 mi
- Bobo the Elephant: 0.3 mi
- Mingo Statue: 1.0 mi
- Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge - Upper Twin Island: 4.9 mi
- Grand Vue Park: 8.4 mi
- Sunfish Creek State Forest: 18.5 mi
- Raven Rocks: 21.0 mi
- Clarington 254 Park: 22.9 mi
- East Wheeling Community Park: 0.4 mi
- 14th Street Greenhouses: 0.4 mi
- Farm 18: 0.4 mi
- REACH Garden: 9.6 mi
- Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack: 0.6 mi
- West Virginia State Penitentiary Tours: 10.3 mi
- West Alexander Fairgrounds: 11.5 mi
- Wyit Sprowls Covered Bridge: 16.9 mi
- Belmont - I-70 West Bound Rest Area: 15.3 mi
- Belmont - I-70 East Bound Rest Area: 15.4 mi
- Horsemans Picnic Area: 15.1 mi
- Raven Rocks Falls: 21.2 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of West Virginia Independence Hall. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culley Hill | SSE 153° | 475 m | 20.1 mi |
| Mosier Hill | E 80° | 457 m | 17.3 mi |
| Sampson Hill | E 84° | 454 m | 14.6 mi |
| Tunnel Hill | SSE 150° | 453 m | 19.7 mi |
| Riggs Knob | S 187° | 435 m | 15.0 mi |
| Garrett Hill | ENE 63° | 420 m | 23.7 mi |
| Chapel Hill | WSW 255° | 415 m | 14.9 mi |
| Clark Hill | WNW 283° | 414 m | 13.0 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:27 | 18:59 | 19:35 |
| June solstice | 05:55 | 20:15 | 20:56 |
| September equinox | 07:11 | 18:46 | 19:22 |
| December solstice | 07:42 | 16:18 | 17:01 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 30 | 33 | 41 | 52 | 62 | 70 | 74 | 74 | 67 | 55 | 44 | 35 |
| Precip in | 3.4 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Wheeling, under a mile away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
National Register of Historic Places, reference 70000660OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial siteOpenStreetMap element way/721034149
Day trips start here
- Washington · 26 mi
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