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Pleasants County

Pleasants County, named for James Pleasants, governor of Virginia (1822–24), is one of the smallest counties in West Virginia.

Mapped Points

• St. Marys

  St. Marys, the county seat of Pleasants County, was established in 1849 by Alexander H. Creel. According to legend, Creel had a vision of the Virgin Mary while passing the site in a boat. She directed him to look at the (West) Virginia shore, saying that a happy and prosperous city would be built there.

• Belmont

  Belmont was incorporated on April 19, 1946, and named for the beautiful hills in the area.

• Ohio River

  The Ohio River begins at Pittsburgh, with the union of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. From there the Ohio travels 981 miles to Cairo, Illinois, where it joins the Mississippi.

• Willow Island Disaster

  Fifty-one men were killed when scaffolding collapsed during the construction of a new cooling tower at Monongahela Power Company’s Pleasants Power Station, adjacent to the Willow Island Power Station on the Ohio River.
  

  

• Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge

  The Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge protects habitat for wildlife in one of America’s busiest waterways. Seventeen of the refuge’s 21 islands lie within West Virginia.

• Middle Island Creek

  Smaller streams tend to be named creeks, runs, forks, or branches, whereas the term ‘‘river’’ is reserved for larger streams. There are exceptions. For example, Middle Island Creek of Pleasants and Tyler counties is longer than the Eastern Panhandle’s Stony River and far longer than Summers County’s Little Bluestone River.