Mission guide

West Virginia Charleston Mission

The West Virginia Charleston Mission serves a historic Appalachian region centered on Charleston, where English and Spanish are spoken.

  • English
  • Spanish
Shop the shirts
West Virginia Charleston Mission Heart Map design

West Virginia Charleston Mission shirts

Every style made for this mission, printed when you order.

West Virginia Charleston Mission T-Shirt in Solid White, front view

West Virginia Charleston Mission T-Shirt

$29.00

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West Virginia Charleston Mission Heart Map shirt in White: West Virginia outline with a red heart, front view

West Virginia Charleston Mission Heart Map Shirt

$29.00

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West Virginia Charleston Mission Flag Map shirt in White: West Virginia state flag in the outline of West Virginia with navy lettering, front view

West Virginia Charleston Mission Flag Map Shirt

$29.00

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I Glory in My Jesus, in the language of this mission

2 Nephi 33:6 as it reads in the Book of Mormon for each language spoken here.

I Glory in My Jesus shirt in English on White: “I glory in my Jesus”, 2 Nephi 33:6

I Glory in My Jesus Shirt

$29.00

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I Glory in My Jesus script shirt in English, white ink on Dark Chocolate: “I glory in my Jesus”, 2 Nephi 33:6

I Glory in My Jesus Script Shirt (White Ink)

$29.00

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I Glory in My Jesus shirt in Spanish on White: “Me glorío en mi Jesús”, 2 Nefi 33:6

I Glory in My Jesus Shirt – Spanish

$29.00

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I Glory in My Jesus script shirt in Spanish, white ink on Dark Chocolate: “Me glorío en mi Jesús”, 2 Nefi 33:6

I Glory in My Jesus Script Shirt (White Ink) – Spanish

$29.00

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See every mission language →

About the mission

The West Virginia Charleston Mission is associated with West Virginia and has its mission home in Charleston, the state capital. Charleston sits in the Kanawha Valley, an area shaped by forts, salt production, natural gas, and state history.

Missionaries serve in English and Spanish. Families can learn about Charleston's history and find practical mission shirts for their missionary.

At a glance

Country
United States
Main city
Charleston, West Virginia, 48,864 people (2020 census)
Time zone
Eastern Time (UTC-5)
Climate
Four-season humid subtropical climate, with warm, humid summers and snowy winters
Church in West Virginia
17,663 members, 4 stakes, 39 congregations
Mission languages
English and Spanish

A short history of the area

William Morris built Fort Morris in 1773, creating the first permanent settlement in the Kanawha Valley. In 1787, Colonel George Clendenin and Virginia Rangers built Fort Lee at what is now Brooks Street and Kanawha Boulevard. The Virginia General Assembly established Charlestown in 1794, and the name was shortened to Charleston in 1818.

Salt production helped Charleston grow after the first salt well was drilled in 1806. The area also produced natural gas, beginning with a well drilled in 1815 while Captain James Wilson was searching for salt. Charleston became West Virginia's permanent state capital in 1885, and the present capitol was dedicated in 1932.

The Church here

  1. 1832Joseph Smith visited the portion of Virginia that later became West Virginia to purchase paper for the Church's printing press.
  2. 1832Two missionaries baptized 40 converts in the area.
  3. 1837Bathsheba Wilson Bigler Smith was baptized.
  4. 1840sMissionaries frequently stopped to preach in Wheeling while traveling to Washington, D.C.
  5. 1884A congregation of 26 people was organized in the state.
  6. 1970The first stake in West Virginia was created in Charleston on August 23.
  7. 1980The West Virginia Charleston Mission was organized on July 1.

Temples nearby

Roanoke Virginia Temple

Announced · About 120 miles from Charleston

Columbus Ohio Temple

Dedicated September 4, 1999 · About 135 miles from Charleston

The Book of Mormon here

Missionaries in this mission share the Book of Mormon in these languages. Tap a cover to read it free.

English Read it free → Spanish Read it free →

Cover art is an illustration. Links open the free edition on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Before you go

Fun facts

  • The adjacent community of Kanawha Salines, now Malden, was once the world's top salt producer. At its height, more than 60 salt furnaces operated around the clock, with as many as 3,000 enslaved people working there.
  • Yeager Airport was built in 1947 by clearing 360 acres on three mountaintops and moving more than nine million cubic yards of earth.
  • Charleston's Sternwheel Regatta began in 1970, ended in 2008, returned in 2022, and is now held during Independence Day weekend.

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