The first place to visit along this tour of western Virginia and
West Virginia is the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Museum. The famous
writer was the first woman to win both the Nobel and Pulitzer
Prizes in literature. See Droop Mountain Battlefield, the site
of the largest Civil War battle (November, 1963). Next, travel
to the Monongahela National Forest and visit Cranberry Glades, a
botanical area home to plants that typically grow only in the
Canadian tundra. Continue north to Charleston and tour the state
capitol building. The capitol boasts a 300-foot-high dome and is
made of steel and smooth limestone. The building was designed by
the architect of the U.S. Treasury and U.S. Supreme Court
buildings, Cass Gilbert.