Barbour County, West Virginia

Infobox U.S. County
county = Barbour County
state = West Virginia




map size = 225
founded = 1843
seat = Philippi
area_total_sq_mi =343
area_water_sq_mi =2
area percentage = 0.57%
census yr = 2000
pop = 15557
density_km2 =18
web =
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Barbour County is a county located in north-central West Virginia, USA. It was formed in 1843 when the region was still part of the state of Virginia. Philippi, the county seat, was chartered in 1844. Both county and city were named for Philip Pendleton Barbour, a U.S. Congressman from Virginia and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Battle of Philippi, also known as the "Philippi Races", was fought in Barbour County on June 3, 1861. Although a minor action, it is generally considered the first land engagement of the American Civil War.

Alderson-Broaddus College, an American Baptist institution, is located in the county. The College's Physician Assistant (PA) program is one of the oldest and best established in the world.

As of 2000, the population of Barbour County was 15,557.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 343 square miles (888 km²), of which, 341 square miles (883 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (5 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.57% water.

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

*Taylor County (north)
*Tucker County (east)
*Randolph County (southeast)
*Upshur County (southwest)
*Harrison County (west)
*Preston County (northeast)

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there are 15,557 people, 6,123 households, and 4,365 families residing in the county. The population density is 46 people per square mile (18/km²). There are 7,348 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county is 97.36% White, 0.49% Black or African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. 0.47% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 6,123 households out of which 30.10% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.20% are married couples living together, 10.30% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% are non-families. 25.10% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.60% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.47 and the average family size is 2.94.

In the county, the population is spread out with 23.00% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $24,729, and the median income for a family is $29,722. Males have a median income of $24,861 versus $17,433 for females. The per capita income for the county is $12,440. 22.60% of the population and 18.40% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 32.00% of those under the age of 18 and 16.70% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

History

ettlement and formation

The first white settlement in present-day Barbour County was established in 1780 about 2 miles upriver from the future site of Philippi. The region had had no permanent Indian settlements and so conflicts with Native Americans were relatively infrequent in the early days.

Barbour County was formed in 1843 and named for the late Virginia politician and jurist Philip Pendleton Barbour (1783-1841). Barbour had served as a U.S. Congressman from Virginia, Speaker of the House, and Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Civil War

Philippi was the scene of the first land battle of the American Civil War, on June 3, 1861. The battle was later lampooned as the "Philippi Races" because of the hurried retreat by the Confederate troops encamped in the town. The battle is reenacted every June during the town's 'Blue and Gray Reunion.'

At daylight on June 3, two columns of Union forces under the command of Col. Benjamin Franklin Kelley and Col. Ebenezer Dumont, with perhaps 3,000 men, arrived from Grafton and attacked about 800 poorly-armed Confederate recruits under the command of Col. George A. Porterfield. The Union troops had marched all night through a heavy rain storm to arrive just before daylight. The surprise attack awakened the sleeping Confederates. After firing a few shots at the advancing Union troops, the Southerners broke lines and began running frantically to the south, some still in their bed clothes.

The Union victory in a relatively bloodless battle propelled the young Major General George B. McClellan into the national spotlight, and he would soon be given command of all Union armies. The battle also inspired more vocal protests in the Western part of Virginia against secession. A few days later in Wheeling, the Wheeling Convention nullified the Virginia ordinance of secession and named Francis H. Pierpont governor. These events would eventually result in the separate statehood of West Virginia.

Registered Historic Places in Barbour County

* Belington
** Bernard E. Wilmoth House
* Berryburg
** Adaland
* Carrollton
** Carrollton Covered Bridge
* Clemtown
** Ida L. Reed Homestead
* Elk City
** J. N. B. Crim House
* Philippi
** Barbour County Courthouse
** Peck-Crim-Chesser House
** Philippi B & O Railroad Station
** Philippi Covered Bridge
** Philippi Historic District
** Whitescarver Hall

Economy

Cities and towns

Incorporated communities

*Town of Belington
*Town of Junior
*City of Philippi

Unincorporated communities

See also

* Audra State Park
* Barbour County Schools
* USS Barbour County (LST-1195)

References

*"Barbour County West Virginia...Another Look", Compiled by The Barbour County Historical Society, Taylor Publishing Company, Dallas, TX and Paoli, PA, 1979.

*Coonts, Violet Gadd, "The Western Waters: Early Settlers of Eastern Barbour County, West Virginia", Assisted by Gilbert Gray Coonts and Harold Cart Gadd, Published by Stephen P. Coonts, Denver, CO, Second ed, May 1991.

*Maxwell, Hu, "The History of Barbour County, From its Earliest Exploration and Settlement to the Present Time", The Acme Publishing Company, Morgantown, W.Va., 1899. (Reprinted, McClain Printing Company, Parsons, W.Va., 1968.)

*Smith, Barbara and Carl Briggs, "Barbour County" (Series: Images of America), Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC, 2000.

External links

* [http://www.barbourcountywveda.org/ Barbour County Economic Development Authority]
* [http://www.bc-net.org/barbour/Barbour+Schools.nsf?OpenDatabase Barbour County Schools]
* [http://barbourcountyfair.com/ Barbour County Fair Association]
* [http://www.wvgenweb.org/barbour/ WVGenWeb Barbour County]