Landmarks in West Virginia

Andrews United Methodist Church and International Mother's Day Shrine

Grafton, Taylor County, West Virginia, 26354
The first Mother's Day was celebrated here on May 10, 1908 inspired by Ann Jarvis, who had been active in Mother's Day campaigns for peace and worker's safety and health since end of American Civil War.

Barrackville Covered Bridge

Barrackville, Marion County, West Virginia, 26452
Built in 1853 by Eli and Lemuel Chenoweth, well-known bridge builders of the time, the 148 feet span is now closed to motor traffic. It was restored in 1999.

Berkeley Castle

Berkely Springs (Bath), Morgan County, West Virginia, 25411
The 13 room cottage was built by Samuel Taylor Suit, the manufacturer of a popular whiskey. Begun in 1885, the "castle" became the local venue for galas and other events of the social elite.

Big Bend Tunnel

Talcott, Summers County, West Virginia, 24981
The tunnel is 6,500 feet long and was bored from 1870 to 1872. The legend of the race between John Henry and the steam powered drill began here. It is said that his ghost haunts the tunnel.

Charleston Town Center

Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia, 25389
Charleston Town Center is an enclosed shopping mall. It is one of the largest enclosed malls to be located in a downtown shopping district.

Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences

Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia, 25301
The Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences is a facility dedicated to promoting performing arts, visual arts, and the sciences. All three being housed under one roof makes the Clay Center one of the few of its kind in the United States.

Core Arboretum

Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia, 26506
In 1948, Professor Earl Lemley Core convinced the president of West Virginia University to set some newly aquirered property aside for the study of biology and botany. In 1975 the arboretum was named in Core's honor.

Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park

Droop, Pocahontas County, West Virginia, 24946
Droop Mountain was the site of the last major conflict of the American Civil War in West Virginia. The battlefield was transformed into a historical, outdoor recreation area by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression.

Fairfax Stone Historical Monument

Davis, West Virginia
The Fairfax Stone was a surveyor's marker placed to settle a boundary dispute and to determine the proprietorship and boundaries of a large tract of largely unsurveyed land in the colonies of Maryland and Virginia during the Survey of 1736/37.

Homer Laughlin China Company

Newell, Hancock County, West Virginia, 26050
Initially began as Laughlin Pottery in East Liverpool, Ohio, the company was started in 1871 by brothers Shakespeare and Homer Laughlin. By the late 1920s all production was centered at the West Virginia factory and the Ohio site was abandoned.

Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy

Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, 26003
Founded in 1848, Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy is a private Catholic school. Grades seven through twelve are all female and the Montessori and Elementary schools are co-ed. The school has announced that it will cease operations on May 31, 2008.

Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort

Chester, Hancock County, West Virginia, 26034
The track was known as Waterford Park prior to 1990. In 1994, the track was authorized to have slot machines. The Mountaineer now has casino table games, a convention center and entertainment venue called "The Harv."

North Central West Virginia Airport (CKB)

Rosemont, Harrison County, West Virginia, 26330
The airport first opened in 1935 as the Tri-County Airport, a joint effort of Harrison, Marion and Taylor County. It has also been called Benedum Airport and Harrison-Marion Regional Airport.

Peter Tarr Furnace

Hancock County, West Virginia
Built in 1794, this is reported to be the first Iron Furnace west of the Alleghanies. As well as making cooking utensils and iron grates, this furnace also cast the cannonballs used by Commodore Oliver H. Perry in the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie.

Tomlinson Run State Park

Hancock County, West Virginia
Tomlinson Run State Park sits on 1,398-acres (5.66 km�) along the small Ohio River tributary of the same name. The park may be the only place in West Virginia that offers overnight accommodations in a yurt.

West Virginia State Capitol

Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia, 25305
The WV Capitol took eight years to complete. It was constructed in three stages. The west wing was built in 1924-25; the east wing was constructed in 1926-27; and the rotunda connecting the wings was completed in 1930-32.

West Virginia State Penitentiary

Moundsville, Marshall County, West Virginia, 26041
This gothic structure operated as a penitentiary from 1876 to 1995. Courts ruled that the 5 x 7-foot (2.1 m) cells were cruel and unusual punishment and the prison was closed. The site is now maintained as a tourist attraction and training facility.

World's Largest Teapot

Chester, Hancock County, West Virginia, 26034
Originally a giant Hires Root Beer barrel, the landmark was brought to Chester in 1938 and converted to a teapot. At the time, Chester and the surrounding communities were home to the largest pottery industry in the world.