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 (1783-1841), 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
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the
census 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
Settlement and formation
The first white settlement in present-day Barbour County was established in 1782 by Richard Talbott about two 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.
- * Adaland, restored home of a 19th Century lawyer
Economy
Cities and towns
Incorporated communities
Unincorporated communities
Notable natives and residents
See also
