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The exact location and date of the first settlement in present-day West Virginia are unclear. A settlement called "Potomoke" in 1717 may have been at Shepherdstown. Morgan Morgan, a Welsh immigrant, is often credited with making the first settlement near Bunker Hill, Berkeley County, around 1731. However, there were already settlers in the area by then. So, the "first settler" question may forever be a mystery.
The earliest colonists traveled through Pennsylvania to Western Virginia, following the Valley of Virginia, or Shenandoah Valley. This valley, a narrow corridor between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains, guided settlers from western Maryland to the Carolinas. Most people who settled in Western Virginia before the French and Indian War used this route.
Large numbers of immigrants didn't arrive until after 1730, when Virginia passed a law encouraging westward movement. This law allowed speculators to acquire 1,000 acres for each family they brought from outside the colony within two years. The law attracted many German and Scotch-Irish settlers, and by 1750, the population in the Shenandoah Valley had grown significantly.
The Fairfax Lands were granted in 1649 by King Charles II to seven loyal supporters, covering land between the Rappahannock and Potomac rivers. By 1719, Lord Thomas Fairfax became the sole owner, and his land included most of present-day West Virg...
The first permanent European-American settlement in Jefferson County started in the early 1700s. Land speculators Joist Hite and the Van Meter family sold land to German and English immigrants. Later, settlers from Virginia's Tidewater area arrive...
Shepherdstown, located along the Potomac River in Jefferson County, was possibly settled by German immigrants around 1717, making it one of the earliest settlements in present-day West Virginia. By 1734, Samuel Taylor was operating a ferry across ...
Harpers Ferry, originally called Peter's Hole, was settled by Robert Harper in the 1740s. He operated a ferry here, and the location was eventually renamed after him. Located where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet, Harpers Ferry would be the...
Charles Washington moved to present-day Jefferson County in 1780 after inheriting land from his half-brother George Washington. He started building his home, Happy Retreat, but died before it was finished. In 1786, he planned the construction of C...
Although Morgan Morgan is often named the first European settler in present-day Berkeley County, several families arrived earlier in the late 1720s. In 1730, the Vanmeters, Bryant, and Ross received large land grants on both sides of Opequon Creek...
Martinsburg, the county seat of Berkeley County, was founded in 1778 by Gen. Adam Stephen. The area along Tuscarora Creek had been settled in the 1740s by Joseph and John Morgan, who came from Pennsylvania. Stephen later set up gristmills and flax...
In March 1748, 16-year-old George Washington went on his first surveying trip of Lord Fairfax's land grant. He camped at the "fam'd warm springs," which were popular for their healing waters. Berkeley Springs, officially called Bath, became a town...
Hampshire County was first visited by Europeans around 1725, when explorers followed the Potomac River. Settlers started building homes in the 1730s, and by 1748, about 200 people lived at what would become Romney. In the early 1750s, Fort Pearsal...
Romney is located in the lower valley of the Potomac River's South Branch. The first Europeans to settle here were Job and John Pearsall, who arrived before 1738. By the late 1740s, around 200 settlers lived in the area, known as Pearsall's Flats,...
Hardy County, formed in 1786 from Hampshire County, was named after Samuel Hardy, a Virginia politician. In 1866, Grant County split off from Hardy. The county has two main towns: Moorefield, established in 1777, and Wardensville, founded in 1832....
Moorefield, the county seat of Hardy County, was chartered in October 1777 and is the fourth-oldest town in West Virginia. It's located where the South Fork of the South Branch meets the main South Branch of the Potomac River. The town was laid ou...
The first European settlement in what is now Pendleton County was established by 1740 near Cherry Grove. By 1747, several families, mostly of German descent, had settled at Fort Seybert and Upper Tract. German culture remained strong in the area w...
Petersburg, originally settled in 1745 as Lunice Creek, was renamed likely in honor of merchant Jacob Peters. Through the Civil War, it was part of Hardy County. In 1870, Petersburg became the seat of government of the new county of Grant and was ...
As pioneers ventured further west, they experienced more frequent encounters with Indians. The first settlers in what is now Randolph County were the Robert Files and David Tygart families, who arrived near Beverly and Dailey in 1753-54. Most of t...
Jacob Marlin and Stephen Sewell are often considered the first European settlers in the area, arriving near present-day Marlinton around 1749 and staying until at least 1751. Permanent settlement began in the early 1750s, but many settlers left du...
The first European-Americans in Monroe County were mostly Scotch-Irish and Germans from the Shenandoah Valley. Many came because they had been given land for fighting on the British side during the French and Indian War, or they were attracted by ...
Union is a historic town founded by James Alexander in 1774. He donated land for the town and Green Hill Cemetery. In 1800, the Virginia legislature made Union the county seat for the newly created Monroe County.Monroe County grew along with the y...
In 1751, pioneer John Lewis and his sons, Thomas and Andrew, camped in what is now Lewisburg while exploring the area. The town grew because of the Lewis Springs (pictured) and the militia that gathered there. Other factors in its growth included ...
White Sulphur Springs is named after its famous mineral springs, which are said to have healed European-Americans as early as 1778. A story says that Amanda Anderson, who had rheumatism, was brought to the springs on a stretcher but was able to ri...
In 1753, Andrew Culbertson moved to the New River at Crump's Bottom, near what is now Hinton. But, in 1755, during the French and Indian War, the settlements were destroyed. People returned around 1760, but their settlements were again destroyed d...
In the 1760s, John and Samuel Pringle—deserters from the British army at Fort Pitt—settled along the Buckhannon River, living in a hollow sycamore for about three years. By 1770, the Pringles and families such as the Hackers, Cutrights, and Hughes...
European settlers arrived in what is now Lewis County in 1769. They were mainly of Scotch-Irish, German, and English descent, including people such as John Hacker and Jesse Hughes, who were known for fighting Indians.The first courts in Lewis Coun...
Christopher Gist was the first European-American to visit what is now Marshall County in 1751 while exploring for the Ohio Company. The first European settlers, John Wetzel and his family, arrived around 1769 or 1770, followed by others like the Z...
The first Europeans to pass through present-day Keyser were William Mayo and George Savage, sent by Lord Fairfax in 1736 to find the source of the Potomac River. The first land grant in the area was issued by Fairfax to Christopher Beelor in 1752....
After the French and Indian War, early settlers, such as Capt. James Booth, Jacob Prickett, and David Morgan, moved into what is now Marion County. Because of the potential danger of Indian attacks, frontier forts were built, with Pricketts Fort b...
The first European-American settlement in what is now Monongalia County was made in April 1758 by Tobias Decker and 50 people. They built cabins where Deckers Creek meets the Monongahela River, now Morgantown. In 1759, Delaware Indians attacked, a...
Colonel Zackquill Morgan settled near the Monongahela River in 1771 and created a town on his land in 1783. The Virginia General Assembly established it as Morgantown in 1785. The town started as a small area along the river with water-powered ind...
Trapper John Simpson was the first known person of European descent to enter what is now Taylor County, in 1768. Shortly after, people started to settle along Booths Creek, located in the northwestern part of the county.Taylor County’s early econo...
Early settlers in Tucker County included Thomas and James Parsons, John Minear, and John Crouch. In 1778, John Minear brought the parts for the first sawmill west of the Alleghenies to what would become the community of St. George, transporting th...
In 1766, Thomas Butler and his brothers were the first permanent European-American settlers in what is now Preston County. Soon, others like Thomas Chipps, Jacob Corzad, John Scott, James Clark, and John (or Jacob) Judy joined them. In 1767, surve...
During the Indian wars in the early 1770s, forts were built along rivers from Fort Pitt to West's Fort at Jane Lew. Nutter's Fort was built in 1772 on Elk Creek. Nearby, by 1780, settlers were building their homes in rectangle patterns for protect...
In 1819, Clarksburg became the first U.S. judicial district west of the Allegheny Mountains. Influenced by local leader John George Jackson (pictured), it became a hub for ambitious young lawyers, including Joseph Johnson and John S. Carlile.The V...
The first European-American settler in this area was probably Adam Stroud, who arrived around 1769 near what is now Camden-on-Gauley, by Strouds Creek. Three years later, his family was killed by Indians. Few settlers arrived until the late 1700s ...
The first European-American settlement in the Wheeling area was established in 1769 by Ebenezer, Silas, and Jonathan Zane, who moved from the South Branch Valley. They were joined by enslaved people and friends like the Wetzels, Caldwells, Shepher...
In 1771, during a time of growing conflict between Indians and settlers, Harmon Greathouse arrived in what is now Hancock County, and in 1776, John Holliday ran a trading post at Hollidays Cove. Greathouse's son Daniel led a deadly raid on Indians...
In 1772, the Cox brothers (Friend, Israel, and Jonathan) claimed 1,200 acres in what is now Wellsburg. In March 1788, Charles Prather bought 481 acres from the Cox family for $3,000. In 1791, Prather asked Ohio County to create a town called Charl...
The first European-American settlers in this area were mainly German, Swiss, Scotch-Irish, and English. Edward Dulin settled New Martinsville in 1773, and James Troy settled Reader in 1788, later selling the land to Benjamin Reader. Proctor was na...
In 1780, the first European-American settlers in what is now Barbour County were Richard Talbott, his brother Cotteral, and their sister Charity. Back then, the area was still part of Monongalia County in Virginia. There were no permanent Indian s...
In 1785, Captain Alexander Parker bought what is now Parkersburg. In 1795, Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett bought an island called Backus Island, two miles below Parkersburg. Riverboat transportation became more important in the 1800s. In 1838,...
The first European to visit the area was probably Gabriel Arthur, who was captured by Indians in 1674. In 1742, John Peter Salling and John Howard explored Coal River. By 1771, Simon Kenton was hunting in the valley, and Walter Kelly started the f...
In 1771, hunters John Yeager, George Strader, and 16-year-old Simon Kenton camped near the Elk River. They trapped here until 1773, when they were attacked by Indians. Kenton and Strader escaped, but Yeager was killed. In 1775, Thomas Bullitt surv...
In 1775, Major William Morris and an enslaved man named Peter Morris claimed land in what is now Nicholas County. The major offered the land to his oldest son, William Jr., who later sold it to his brother Henry. Henry moved here in 1791 and built...
The first permanent European-American settlers in present-day Braxton County were the Carpenter family, who settled at the mouth of Holly River in the 1780s.Braxton's 516.7 square miles embrace the rolling central highlands of the state at elevati...
Thomas Hannon, likely the first permanent European-American settler in the early 1790s, helped establish Cabell County, a key stop for westward settlers along the Ohio River. Before the Civil War, settlers used Indian trails, including one upgrade...
The first permanent European-American settlements in what is now Boone County probably started in the 1790s, although many explorers and Indian hunting groups had visited before that. In 1742, John Peter Salling explored the area and discovered co...
European-American hunters first settled in what is now Tyler County in 1792, near Friendly. Most were of Scotch-Irish, English, and German descent. After the Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794), more settlers arrived, moving into land once used by Ind...
The first permanent settlers in this area were Jacob and Isaac LaRue in 1797. Soon, other families like the Riggses, Reynoldses, Tripletts, Smiths, and Baileys moved in. Alexander H. Creel played a key role in the county's creation. In 1843, he fo...
In 1770, Col. George Washington and Dr. James Craik traveled down the Ohio River. In 1771, Capt. William Crawford surveyed land for Washington in what is now Jackson County. The first permanent settlement was in May 1796 when three Revolutionary W...
European-Americans first settled in present-day Lincoln County in 1799, when the McComas family arrived near present-day West Hamlin. The Hatfields followed around 1800, settling above them on the river. Other early settlers included William W. Br...
By the late 1700s, people such as Alfred Beckley’s father, John, were buying large amounts of land in Raleigh and nearby counties.The first European-American settler in Raleigh is not known, but William Richmond, a Revolutionary War veteran, might...
Logan County's first burst of settlement was between 1792 and 1824, largely by families who came from Virginia and Kentucky. Most people lived on family farms. In the winter, many men worked by cutting timber and sending it downriver to towns, suc...
Oceana was founded in 1797 by John Cooke, a Revolutionary War veteran, and was the government center until 1907. By 1800, people were increasingly settling in what is now Wyoming County. In 1850, there were enough people to create the county from ...
Before 1800, European-American settlers moved into this area and started towns like Beaver Pond, Lake Shawnee, Oakvale, and Flat Top. There were no Indians living here when the Europeans arrived, but there were still raids into the late 1700s. Mor...
Prehistoric settlements have been found between Armstrong and Loup creeks. Indian trails and campsites along New River show how Indians moved through the area. The Paint Creek Valley was a path for Shawnee raiders going to and from eastern settlem...
The first European-American settlers in the Tug Valley arrived around 1800. They were mostly farmers from England, Ireland, and Germany. Later, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, people came to mine coal and build railroads. These new arrivals add...
The first European settler in what is now Ritchie County was John Bunnell, who built a cabin near Pennsboro by 1800. Before 1810, John Webster bought Bunnell's land and built the Old Stone House (pictured).Daniel Haymond was one of the first peopl...
The area was first settled by European-Americans around 1800. In 1787, James Caldwell received 20,000 acres of land, which was settled by the Davis brothers in 1808. The completion of the Northwestern Turnpike in 1838 helped the town of West Union...
In the late 1700s and early 1800s, European-American settlers moved to an area called "the Ford" where they could cross the river. The first gristmill was built in 1812. The county government was first organized at Salathiel Stalnaker’s home in De...
After the wars of the 1700s, the government gave large areas of land to veterans and others. Many of these lands ended up in the hands of speculators. In 1795, two men, Wilson Nicholas and Jacob Kenney, sold their land in what is now McDowell Coun...
Jesse Hughes, a scout, hunter, and explorer, is believed to be the first European-American to enter this area around 1770. He later settled in what is now Roane County with relatives like the Gandees, Tanners, Bonnets, and Alkire-Holswades. Many p...
European-American settlers, including Phillip Starcher, the first permanent settler in Calhoun County, began arriving in the early 1800s. Starcher built a cabin near what is now Arnoldsburg in 1810. Over time, more families, including some Revolut...
The first known European-American settler in the area was Sinnett Triplett, who arrived around 1812. He set up camp near Sinnett Branch, south of present-day Clay. Later, David McOlgin became the first permanent settler, living on the north side o...
James Conner, an early settler from eastern Virginia, explored this area in 1777 and received large land grants, possibly up to 5,000 acres. Around 1815, a small settlement called Hurricane Creek Bridge started near what is now the eastern edge of...
Elizabeth, originally called Beauchamp's Mills, was founded in 1822 and named after Elizabeth Woodyard Beauchamp, the wife of David Beauchamp, who ran a mill there. David was the son of William Beauchamp Sr., an early settler and Methodist ministe...
Wayne, originally called Trout's Hill and incorporated as Fairview in 1882, became the town of Wayne in 1911. The southern part of the county was slow to develop, while the northern part, near Cabell County, grew quickly after the Civil War. Hunti...
Cultures and Ethnicities of West Virginia
This Exhibit has 12 Sections
This Exhibit has 5 Sections
Exploration of Western Virginia
This Exhibit has 10 Sections
Indians, the Frontier, and Conflicts with Settlers
This Exhibit has 16 Sections