| Back to e-WV The West Virginia Encyclopedia

Nicholas County

Named for Wilson Cary Nicholas (1761–1820), a Virginia governor and U.S. senator, Nicholas County was created by the Virginia legislature from parts of Greenbrier, Kanawha, and Randolph counties on January 30, 1818. Located in central West Virginia on the Allegheny Plateau, Nicholas County encompasses 654.1 square miles, with economic resources including bituminous coal, limestone quarries, timber, fruit farms, tobacco, and livestock.

Mapped Points

• Summersville

  Summersville, the county seat, was established about 1820 and incorporated in 1860. The town was named for Judge Lewis Summers, who introduced the legislation in the Virginia General Assembly to create Nicholas County.

• Richwood

  Founded as a sawmill town by the Cherry River Boom and Lumber Company, Richwood was incorporated in 1901. The area originally was known as Cherry Tree Bottoms but was renamed Richwood to reflect the wealth of timber in the area.

• Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park

  Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park encompasses the Carnifex Ferry Civil War battlefield. Here, on September 10, 1861, Union forces led by Gen. William S. Rosecrans defeated Gen. John B. Floyd’s Confederate troops.
  

  

• Monongahela National Forest

  The Monongahela National Forest is the only national forest that is completely within the boundaries of West Virginia.
  

  

• Summersville Lake

  Summersville Lake, located on the Gauley River, is West Virginia’s largest lake. The dam was built between 1960 and 1966 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at a cost of nearly $48 million.
  

  

• Gauley River

  The Gauley River rises on Gauley Mountain in western Pocahontas County in West Virginia, and drops nearly 4,000 feet along the 104-mile journey to its juncture with the New River.
  

  

• Birch River

  The Birch River drains an area of 143 square miles, and is the second-largest tributary of Elk River.

• Meadow River

  The Meadow River is a major tributary of Gauley River. It has its headwaters along the Greenbrier-Summers county line, in the high mountains northwest of Alderson.

• Highland Scenic Highway

  Beginning at Richwood and extending to a point near Marlinton, the Highland Scenic Highway provides access to the high mountains at the headwaters of the Cranberry and Williams rivers.
  

  

• Keslers Cross Lanes

  Keslers Cross Lanes was the site of a Civil War battle in August 1861.

• West Virginia State Gospel Singing Convention

  Mount Nebo is the site of the West Virginia State Gospel Singing Convention. The convention draws groups and soloists from West Virginia and nearby states.