Charleston boasted several downtown hotels from around the turn of the 20th century. The northwest corner of the Kanawha Street (now the Boulevard) and Hall Street was home to the Hale House. It was torn down and in 1885, A.L. and Meredith Ruffner, along with the...

Watt Powell Park was named for its primary benefactor, pro baseball player Watt Powell. Powell, a Hot Springs, Virginia native lived in Charleston and served on the Charleston City Council, as well as heading the Division of State Parks. The first ballpark was Kanawha...

West Virginia’s first state Capitol building stood in Wheeling, roughly 180 miles north of the current location. The legislature met on the Linsly Military Institute campus in Wheeling from 1863 until 1870 when the new building in Charleston was completed. The state’s...