Institute, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Institute is an unincorporated community on the Kanawha River
in Kanawha County
, West Virginia
, USA. The community lies off of Interstate 64
and West Virginia Route 25, and has grown to intermingle with nearby Dunbar. Institute is home to West Virginia State University
(formerly the West Virginia Colored Institute, the source of the town's toponym) West Virginia State Community and Technical College
, and the West Virginia State Police Academy
. It was also the site of an August 2008 chemical plant explosion that killed two and injured eight at the Bayer CropScience facility.
The community is the location of the prehistoric Shawnee Reservation Mound, one of three remaining Adena
-era earthwork mounds
and enclosures found in an eight-mile stretch along the river. It was also called Fairgrounds Mound and Poorhouse Mound. It is located in Shawnee Regional Park. This mound is about 20’ high and 80’ in basal diameter, but was originally 25’ high and greater than 80’ in diameter. These mounds originally numbered more than 50 and there were ten enclosures when inventoried in the late 19th century by the Bureau of Ethnology. They were likely built approximately 300 BCE to 200 CE
.
Located on the campus of West Virginia State University are East Hall
and Canty House
, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1988.
Kanawha River
The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century.It is formed at the town of Gauley...
in Kanawha County
Kanawha County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 200,073 people, 86,226 households, and 55,960 families residing in the county. The population density was 222 people per square mile . There were 93,788 housing units at an average density of 104 per square mile...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, USA. The community lies off of Interstate 64
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. 40, and U.S. 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange with I-264 and I-664 at Bowers Hill in Chesapeake, Virginia. As I-64 is concurrent with...
and West Virginia Route 25, and has grown to intermingle with nearby Dunbar. Institute is home to West Virginia State University
West Virginia State University
West Virginia State University is a historically black public college in Institute, West Virginia, United States. In the Charleston-metro area, the school is usually referred to simply as "State" or "West Virginia State"...
(formerly the West Virginia Colored Institute, the source of the town's toponym) West Virginia State Community and Technical College
West Virginia State Community and Technical College
Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College , formerly known as West Virginia State Community and Technical College, is a comprehensive community and technical college that provides a broad spectrum of associate degrees, certificates, industry certifications, continuing education, community...
, and the West Virginia State Police Academy
West Virginia State Police Academy
The West Virginia State Police Academy is a law enforcement training institution, operated by the West Virginia State Police, located in Institute, West Virginia. The academy trains West Virginia troopers for the State Police force and all newly hired municipal, university police officers, sheriff...
. It was also the site of an August 2008 chemical plant explosion that killed two and injured eight at the Bayer CropScience facility.
The community is the location of the prehistoric Shawnee Reservation Mound, one of three remaining Adena
Adena
Adena can mean:*Adena, Ohio, USA*Adena, Colorado, USA*The Adena culture, a Mound-building Native American culture.*The Adena Mansion, Thomas Worthington's home and estate in Chillicothe, Ohio...
-era earthwork mounds
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
and enclosures found in an eight-mile stretch along the river. It was also called Fairgrounds Mound and Poorhouse Mound. It is located in Shawnee Regional Park. This mound is about 20’ high and 80’ in basal diameter, but was originally 25’ high and greater than 80’ in diameter. These mounds originally numbered more than 50 and there were ten enclosures when inventoried in the late 19th century by the Bureau of Ethnology. They were likely built approximately 300 BCE to 200 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
.
Located on the campus of West Virginia State University are East Hall
East Hall (Institute, West Virginia)
East Hall is a historic home located on the campus of West Virginia State University at Institute, Kanawha County, West Virginia. It was built in 1893, and is a modest, two-story frame building with a hipped roof. In 1937, it was moved from the east side of campus to the west quadrangle...
and Canty House
Canty House
Canty House, also known as "The Magnolia," is a historic home located on the campus of West Virginia State University at Institute, Kanawha County, West Virginia. It was built about 1900, as a simply designed, two-story frame farm house. In 1923, it was remodeled to its present form in the...
, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1988.