Barbour County, West Virginia

Barbour County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Named:  In honor of the distinguished Virginia jurist Judge Philip Pendleton Barbour (1783-1841)

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Early History of Barbour County, West Virginia

Barbour County was created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly on March 3, 1843 from parts of Harrison, Lewis and Randolph counties. Most historians claim that the county was named in honor of the distinguished Virginia jurist Judge Philip Pendleton Barbour (1783-1841). He was born in Orange County Virginia on May 25, 1783, studied law, was a member of the Virginia General Assembly (1812-1814), represented Virginia in the US House of Representatives (1814-1825, 1827-1830), served as Speaker of the US House of Representatives (1821-1823), and as Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court (1836-1841). Others claim that it was also named for his older brother James Barbour (1775-1842). He was the Governor of Virginia (1812-1814), a member of the US Senate (1815 to 1825), Secretary of War during John Quincy Adams' Administration (1825-1828), and the US Envoy to Great Britain in 1828.

Richard, Cotteral and Charity Talbot, and their mother, were the first English settlers in Barbour County. They arrived in 1780. Richard was then 16 years old, Cotteral was 18 and Charity was 20. They built a cabin about two miles northwest of the current county seat, Philippi, along the waters of what would later be called Hacker's Creek. They were forced to abandon their cabin several times due to Indian uprisings, and twice had to leave the county entirely due to Indian raids. In 1788, Richard married Margaret Dowden, then 11 years old, and they had 13 children. Also in 1788, Cotteral married Elizabeth Reger. Most of the two family's children remained in Barbour County and for several generations the Talbot family name was by far the most numerous in the county.

Philippi, named in honor of Philip Pendleton Barbour, was established as the county seat by the act creating the county. The act mistakenly spelled the town Phillippa. The town was originally called Anglin's Ford, in honor of William Anglin who had settled there in the early 1780s. It was later called Booth's Ferry in honor of Daniel Booth who had come to own the land sometime around 1800. The town's current name was established by the act creating the county and the spelling was corrected to Philippi when the state legislature chartered the town on February 14, 1844. The first meeting of the county court was held on April 3, 1843 at the home of William F. Wilson.

Although previous encounters between Confederate and Union troops had taken place at Gloucester Port, Baltimore and Sewell's Point, the Battle of Philippi, on June 3, 1861, is said to have been the first significant land battle between the Union and Confederate Armies during the Civil War. The Union forces, under the command of General B. F. Kelly, surprised and routed the Confederate forces, under the command of Colonel George A. Porterfield.

The Philippi Bridge, built in 1852, was the first bridge captured during the Civil War. Local legend has it that President Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, held a secret meeting at the bridge shortly after the Civil War began in a futile effort to end the conflict.

Formation of Barbour County

On March 3, 1843 the General Assembly of Virginia passed the bill establishing the County of Barbour out of parts of the Counties of Harrison, Lewis and Randolph. The county was named in honor to and in memory of Philip P. Barbour of Virginia. The first court was held at the home of William F. Wilson on the first Monday of April, 1843. The bill described the boundary lines forming the new county:

Beginning opposite the mouth of Sandy Creek, on the east side of Valley River, with the several meanders thereof, to McDaniel's Ferry, thence a straight line to the dividing ridge of the waters of Simpson's Creek and Bartletts Run (so as to include Reuben Davisson's farm in the new county); thence a straight line to the old farm now occupied by Samuel Bartlett; thence to the head of Goodwins run; thence a straight line to William Beans on Gnatty Creek; thence a straight line to the head of Pecks Run; thence with the dividing ridge between the head of Pecks Run and Hackers Creek to the gap of said ridge, where the road crosses, leading down to Hackers Creek; thence a straight line to Samuel Black's residence including the farm of the said Black within the new county) on Buckhannon River; thence a straight line to the mouth of Sarvis Run, on the middle fork of the Valley River; thence a straight line to the gap of the Laurel Hill mountain where the widow Corley's corner tree stands; thence with the top of the said mountain until where it comes to the Preston County line; thence with the Preston and Randolph County line to the beginning.

From: West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia, compiled by Hardesty.

Neighboring Counties:

• East: Tucker County
• North: Taylor County
• Northeast: Preston County
• Northwest: Harrison County
• Southeast: Randolph County
• Southwest: Upshur County

Cities:

• Belington
• Brownton
• Galloway
• Junior
• Kasson
• Moatsville
• Philippi (County Seat)
• Volga
   

County Resources: