History is for Everyone

WV, USA

West Virginia Independence Hall

Government Building

While constructed in 1859 as the Wheeling Custom House, this building served as the site of the Wheeling Conventions of 1861 that created the state of West Virginia during the Civil War. Its location at the heart of Wheeling connects the town's Revolutionary-era role as a frontier Virginia garrison to its later significance as the birthplace of a new state. The building is now a National Park Service site and museum interpreting both the Civil War and the broader history of Wheeling.

Visiting Today

Address

1528 Market St, Wheeling, WV 26003

Hours

Mon–Sat 9am–5pm; closed Sunday and federal holidays

Connected Events

Jan 1769
Ebenezer Zane Founds Wheeling Settlement

Colonel Ebenezer Zane, Silas Zane, Jonathan Zane, Elizabeth "Betty" Zane

Jan 1776
Fort Fincastle Renamed Fort Henry

Colonel Ebenezer Zane, Silas Zane, Jonathan Zane, Elizabeth "Betty" Zane

Sep 1777
First Siege of Fort Henry — September 1777

Colonel Ebenezer Zane, Silas Zane, Jonathan Zane, Elizabeth "Betty" Zane, Colonel David Shepherd

Jan 1778
Continuous Frontier Raids Along the Upper Ohio — 1778

Colonel Ebenezer Zane, Silas Zane, Jonathan Zane, Elizabeth "Betty" Zane

Sep 1782
Second Siege of Fort Henry — The Last Battle of the Revolution

Colonel Ebenezer Zane, Silas Zane, Jonathan Zane, Elizabeth "Betty" Zane, Captain William Caldwell

Sep 1782
Betty Zane's Gunpowder Run (Traditional Account)

Colonel Ebenezer Zane, Silas Zane, Jonathan Zane, Elizabeth "Betty" Zane