Explore America and discover people, places, art, history, and other items related to West Virginia in the Smithsonian’s growing digitized collections. Held in trust for the American people, the ...

By Stephen Smoot  West Virginia serves as one of the leading producers of energy in the United States, ranking fifth among all states in that category. Most associate West Virginia with coal and ...

When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, the portion now known as West Virginia broke off to form its own state. Admitted to the Union in 1863, West Virginia was the only state created from ...