"Charleston, West Virginia " a Charleston Travel Page by butterflykizzez04

I was born in Charleston WV on January 8, 1964. I love this city. I have seen it change over the years and I miss the past to be truthful.

I will constantly be adding to this page, because there is so much to share about charleston.

Charleston, WV is the county seat of Kanawha County and the capital of West Virginia (1788-1793 and 1885-present.) Charleston was originally chartered in 1794 as Charles Town, so named for by town's founder, George Clendenin, for his father, Charles Clendenin. The community's name was changed to Charleston in 1818

Charleston, WV is located about: 5 miles east of South Charleston, WV; 13 miles east of Saint Albans, WV; 36 miles south of Ripley, WV; 50 miles east of Huntington, WV; and 55 miles northwest of Beckley, WV.

Charleston, WV was the site of Clendenins Fort, later renamed Fort Lee, an early frontier fort (1788-1796) which stood at the present-day corner of Brooks Street and Kanawha Boulevard . Colonel Andrew Lewis and his company of troops reached the site of present-day Charleston on Sept. 21, 1774, in route to the Battle of Point Pleasant.

The manufacture of salt was first industry to develop in Charleston area during the late-1700's, in area known as the Kanawha Saltines. The drilling of first natural gas well in the US happened in 1815, near the foot of present-day Brooks Street in Charleston, WV.