On March 6, the Legislature adopted House Concurrent Resolution 29, designating an adaptation of the “West Virginia Shawl” as the official state tartan.

Many Americans can claim Celtic roots, and, as a result, more than 20 other states have adopted official state tartans. According to the resolution, a majority of West Virginia’s earliest settlers were of Celtic descent.

The pattern for the tartan is based on a previously undiscovered “West Virginia Shawl” found at the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in Barboursville. The official state tartan is based on this design and contains the following colors, each one representing a different aspect of the state:

– Scarlet for the state bird, the cardinal
– Yellow for the fall colors
– Blue for the rivers and lakes
– Black for the official state animal, the black bear, and the state’s oil and coal resources
– Green for the state flower, the rhododendron, and the state’s meadows
– Azure for the sky
– White in order to include all the colors of the United States

One of the most popular features of the State Capitol Complex is the West Virginia Veterans Memorial, a two-story oval shaped monument honoring more than 10,000 West Virginians who made the ultimate sacrifice in defending our nation during 20th century conflicts.

Designed by P. Joseph Mullins, the memorial is composed of four limestone monoliths surrounded by a reflecting pool and the interior walls are faced in polished black granite etched with the names of the men and women who served in the four major branches of military service. Mullins also sculpted the four figures representing the four major 20th century battles, one figure for each branch of the military.

Construction is currently taking place at the Veterans Memorial to make corrections to names. One of the black granite panels that was damaged when a motorist drove their vehicle through the memorial last March is being replaced. The names that appeared on this panel will be etched on the new panel.