When you think about "floating," your mind might conjure up images of a day spent on a lazy river, bobbing along on an inner tube. Believe it or not, West Virginia's seat of government is no stranger to river transportation. That fascinating fact is one of the most intriguing aspects of the history of West Virginia's Capitols and helped inspire the name for this documentary — "A Moving Monument: The West Virginia State Capitol."

The Mountain State's Capitols were "moving" from two different perspectives — they were cherished symbols and they also literally moved six times. During its first 20 years of statehood, West Virginia saw its Capitol travel from Wheeling to Charleston, then back to Wheeling and finally back to Charleston again.

Riverboats were the mode of transportation chosen for these journeys — trips that were taken so often that some folks began to joke about "The Floating Capitol." The documentary describes how at various times the steamboats Mountain Boy, Emma Graham, the Chesapeake and the Iron Valley were packed with some combination of state officials, archives and official papers as state government was moved from one city to another.

The political drama gives the story as many twists and turns as the river. The documentary details how cities promised to build new quarters for the Capitol if lawmakers would move it within their respective borders. Martinsburg, Charleston, Clarksburg and Wheeling all sought the prize. Legal action was threatened and taken. Supporters of Charleston's bid even traveled with the circus to lobby for votes in a statewide election that was held to decide the issue.

Viewers of the documentary not only get to hear about the political tug of war that led to "The Floating Capitol" they see some of the images from the days when history was made. Vintage photos from historian Jerry Sutphin's extensive library of riverboat memorabilia show some of the actual river journeys of "The Floating Capitol."