Impact of the Civil War

The Civil War brought almost a complete suspension of educational activities in present West Virginia, and it was during this period, on June 20, 1863, that West Virginia became the 35th state of the Union.  At this time, the leaders of this new state created the greatest barrier to the establishment of public free schools on a statewide basis by their proscriptive legislation against school teachers and school trustees of pro-southern sympathies.  By so doing, thousands of individuals were eliminated (barred) from making their contributions to the cause of education.  However, the new state leaders did include in their program plans for providing needed school teachers.

The need for trained teachers, being a subject of discussion among the legislatures of the new state, resulted in their requesting the new Governor, on February 3, 1865, to appoint a commission to report “a definite plan for the location, internal arrangements and the support of one or more [normals].  Also, they were interested in a public free school system throughout the entire state.

The 1866 House of Delegates considered a bill to establish “a State Normal” at an undesignated place to be determined by a commission, but this bill was brushed aside by a substitute measure authorizing the establishment of four state normals:  one at West Liberty, Ohio County;  one at Fairmont, Marion County;  one at Martinsburg, Berkeley County; and the fourth at Charleston, Kanawha County.  Following efforts to substitute first Point Pleasant, Mason County, and then Union, Monroe County, for Charleston, the bills were laid on the table and left there.  Therefore, the failure of the 1866 Legislature to establish even one State normal school was an invitation to interested persons to make ready for the coming session.

It should be noted here that both Wheeling and Charleston were eliminated as sites for the proposed normals because they each desired to be the capital of the new state.  Also, Montgomery and Bethany were eliminated because of their being a possible site for an Agricultural College, which later became the West Virginia University.

The chief emphasis influencing the location of the proposed normal schools was placed upon educational tradition and material advantages in the form of facilities available for use.  These reasons were largely responsible for the act of February 27, 1867 establishing the “West Virginia State Normal School” at Marshall College.  Even before this act was passed, a legislative decision was made to establish Branch Normals at West Liberty and Fairmont.  During the time it took to establish Branch Normals at Fairmont, on August 15, 1867, and West Liberty, on March 1, 1870, there was a change of leadership of West Virginia.

In 1870, the new state leadership was dominated by the ex-Confederates with the Union Democrats.  They also appreciated the need for trained teachers, and they added another criterion for the location of proposed normal schools.  Their first concern was to provide teacher training institutions for those parts of the State that had been neglected.

The story continues. Controvery about the location of the Mercer County Courthouse could have derailed the efforts to establish Concord. Read about the Courthouse Controversy here.