Fifth Most Beautiful State Capitol Building: Charleston, West Virginia

Fall 2015-16 UM Enrollment for U.S. by U.S. State

EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s no secret that the University of Mississippi has a diverse population of students from across the United States and around the world. In fact, there are students from every state in the nation, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico comprising the total of 20,827 (U.S. students) on the Oxford and regional campuses including UMMC, according to University of Mississippi Institutional Research. Mississippi holds the largest share (58.11 percent), but the remaining states share the other almost 42 percent. There are four Ole Miss students from West Virginia (0.02 percent).

Photo by O. Palsson as seen on Wikipedia.

A state that was formed because of the Civil War, the West Virginia Capitol Plaza in Charleston features statues of Abraham Lincoln and Stonewall Jackson, a native of West Virginia who became a legend for the Confederacy.

The state of West Virginia was created June 20, 1863 as western counties were more loyal to the keeping the union intact than joining the South. The capital city was up in the air for 14 years until 1877 when the state finally decided to establish it in Charleston opposed to Wheeling.

The current Capitol building was constructed in 1925 and dedicated in 1932.

Its architecture is Colonial Revival and Italian Renaissance. The structure consists of buff limestone. An interesting footnote, architect Cass Gilbert liked the design of the chamber’s interior so well that he reused part of the design for the United States Supreme Court. West Virginia’s State Capitol joined the list of the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The State Capitol is included in The Capitol Plaza which also houses the Governor’s Mansion. The front of the Plaza faces the Kanawha River. The Capitol Plaza includes two wings which lie perpendicular to the east and west ends of the building, forming an open-ended quadrangle centered on a fountain, one of three in the Plaza.

(Special credit to Wikipedia for providing the historical references.)

Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. Currently, Steve is a highly successful leader in the real estate business who lives in Oxford with his wife Rosie. You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at 985-852-7745.

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