Friday, January 26, 2007

West Virginia Capital

Recently, I found myself in Charleston, West Virginia, on a Sunday afternoon. It had been a long while since I visited the state capital and decided that this would be the day. Below are the results from my trip.

The capital was not always in Charleston. But, it has been there a long time.
For a state that is portrayed as a poor, backward, hick state that is occupied by a bunch of illiterate "Deliverance-type", hillbillies, Charleston has a very nice capital building and capital complex. Below is a statue of Stonewall Jackson on the capital lawn. He was born in what would later become West Virginia. Check out the dome...its gold!
The capital and dome look great in the afternoon sun. Did I mention, its gold!
What a nice dome. See the gold!
Abe Lincoln get a statue at the capital. He signed the papers that let West Virginia officially become a state on June 20, 1863. Smack-dab in the middle of the Civil War. The dome shines because...its gold!
From the capital, you can see the mighty Kanawha River.
Little known, but important fact...wild animals are running around in the capital. Watch out for these fellers. And please "Don't feed the bears."
If you poke fun of West Virginia, or especially, Robert C. Byrd (West Virginian of the 20th century by resolution of the West Virginia legislature), there is a huge figure of Byrd that will track you down and zap you where you stand. Be careful what you say. The walls have ears.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Soooooo ... what's the dome made of?

(Actually, I have seen it in person myself. It glowed magnificently against a drab gray sky.)

Mike said...

I wish everyone in today's world could be as humble as Robert C. Byrd.

On a recent drive to Huntington, my wife and I played "punch-buggy" with Robert C. Byrd landmarks. We lost count after 20 or so punches.

robkroese said...

Did you know that a dome like that can be covered with a lump of gold the size of an orange?

Don't ask me why I know that.

Anonymous said...

Great Photos! I am proud to have been raised in the wild and wonderful state of West Virginia, by two loving grandparents who were strong in their faith and values. My grandfather worked the coal mines for 34 years; raising his children, and me, on a miner's pay--just like the song!

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