(Wheeling: John F. M'Dermot, Public Printer, 1865)
Chap. 10. - An Act for the Abolishment of Slavery in this State.
Passed February 3, 1865.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
1. All persons held to service or labor as slaves in this state, are hereby declared free.
2. There shall hereafter be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in this State, except in punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.
Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood: February 1865