Young for the federal government as a custom house, post office and courthouse.

[2][3] The building is now a state-run museum, housing exhibits on West Virginia history.

Stylistically it is an early example of Renaissance Revival architecture, with round-arch window and door openings, including an arcaded set of arches at the entrance.

[3] The interior of the building repeats some of the features of the exterior, notably the use of round-arch openings for doorways.

Due to its location on the Ohio River, Wheeling was designated an inland port in the 1850s, and thus needed a custom house.

When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, a significant portion of northwestern Virginia opposed that state's secession from the Union.

Most of it was occupied by the Conservative Life Insurance Company, which made a three-story addition, and was responsible for adding the fourth floor.