By Charlotte Lane, chair
West Virginia Public Service Commission
In 1861, as the Civil War raged and brother fought against brother, the counties in the western part of Virginia began the process of seceding from the eastern part of the state. Originally known as Kanawha, by the time President Lincoln proclaimed our official statehood the area had been renamed West Virginia. Our state constitution was ratified in March 1863, and on June 20, 1863, West…