PPartart 11:: HHistoryistory ooff tthehe PPotomacotomac HHighlandsighlands BBYY BBETHETH SSEEEE IINTRODUCTIONNTRODUCTION OOFF HHIGHLANDIGHLAND HHISTORYISTORY “The mountains are calling and I must go.” - John Muir The land that makes up the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia encompassing the Allegheny Mountains and the Monongahela National Forest is all about extensive mountain views, raging water falls, winding, scenic roads and the wonders they bring. Charming mountain towns offer art galleries, historic museums, music, good food and lodging. The mountains and waters were vital for those first settlers as they made their homes and forged out a living. Today, they provide a great escape from a busy world. Many locals and tourists reap the joy and sustenance provided by the rivers and mountains as they revel in the abundant beauty of this part of West Virginia. The Potomac Highlands - bordering Maryland and Virginia - is a unique region with a distinct personality formed by a mixture of exuberance and practicality. First settled by Native Americans, it was primarily used as hunting grounds with some areas used for agricultural purposes. Later, it was inherited by the Tuscarora who migrated northward to New York and in 1712 became the sixth nation to formally be admitted to the Iroquois Confederacy. Following the French and Indian War, King George III feared more tension between Native Americans and settlers and issued the Proclamation of 1763 which prohibited settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. Much of the Potomac Highlands is used for hunting and farming today. There were originally five counties of the Potomac Highlands: Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, and Pendleton. These counties are in the upper Potomac River watershed and the mountainous uplands of the Eastern Panhandle and drained by the Potomac headwaters. Because of geographical proximity, topography, landscapes, culture 1 kluhiluilnnnand history, Pocahontas, Randolph, and Tucker counties are also part of the Potomac Highlands. The western edges of Grant and Mineral counties lie west of the Allegheny Front and are a part of the Allegheny Mountains. All the otherterritory is east of the Allegheny Front and a part of the Ridge and Valley system. This Potomac Highlands region of 2,722 square miles has many of the state’s most spectacular features. See Appendix A1: Places to Visit, pg A1 WWESTEST VVIRGINIAIRGINIA CCOUNTIESOUNTIES OOFF TTHEHE PPOTOMACOTOMAC HHIGHLANDSIGHLANDS 2 County Named For Founded County Seat Grant Ulysses Simpson February 14, 1866 Petersburg Grant Hampshire Hampshire County, December 13, 1753 Romney England Hardy Samuel Hardy December 10, 1785 Moorefield Mineral Minerals located in the February 1, 1866Keyser county Pendleton Edmund Pendleton December 4, 1787 Franklin Pocahontas Pocahontas of the 1821 Marlinton Powhatan Native American people Randolph Edmund Jennings 1787 Elkins Randolph Tucker Henry St. George 1856 Parsons Tucker, Sr. The eight county region in the Potomac Highlands Virginia has a population of approximately 117,000 with Hampshire County the oldest. The Highland people today are mostly rural nonfarm residents, with Elkins in Randolph County and Keyser in Mineral County the largest urban places in the region. Agriculture (especially poultry and livestock), tourism, forestry products, and manufacturing are the primary economic pursuits in the Potomac Highlands. In the late nineteenth century, this highland region was the scene of timbering, farming and mining industries and immigrants from at least 18 different countries settled in this part of the state to obtain work. With these immigrants came a culture and lifestyle that still carries on today (see Section 2, Ethnic Groups of the Highlands). Some groups made a stronger impact than others depending on the industry and the number of people involved. Lumber camps was an industry responsible for creating diverse communities in the early history of this region, with many Polish working in the camps. 2 Image Credit: Chance Hanna, https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/29236bd81edc42378eedf92e3286979c TTHEHE HHIGHLANDIGHLAND CCOUNTIESOUNTIES ((ININ AALPHABETICALLPHABETICAL OORDER)RDER) GRANT COUNTY Grant County, created from the western part of Hardy County in 1866, was named for Civil War General and the 18th president of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant. However, the history of the region dates back farther than that. Prior to becoming an official county, the area drew settlers because of its fertile land along the Potomac River’s south branch. The many streams that spread from the River made an excellent area for farming. Surrounding these valley regions were virgin forests, which soon Image Credit: transformed into a logging industry. https://www.familysearch.org/ Petersburg, the county seat, was first settled by German immigrants around 1745, making it one of the first settlements in the South Branch Valley, at a time when most 3 of what is now West Virginia was still a virgin wilderness. The city was named for Jacob Peterson, who owned and operated the first general merchandising store in the community. As word of the resources in the area spread, so did the population. Petersburg, WV The peril of Indian raids was severe Imgae Credit: is http://www.historicpublishing.org enough that George Washington and others planned a string of forts along the fringes of the settlements to which settlers could retreat for protection. Forts George and Mulligan were erected near Petersburg, Fort Peterson was built near North Mill Creek, and Fort Shobe was located near the junction of North and South Mill Creek. Union Colonel James A. Mulligan, from Illinois, along with his 23rd Illinois troops and more from Ohio, Pennsylvania and western Virginia, built in 1863 Fort Mulligan which overlooks Petersburg. The fort is still regarded as one of the best preserved fortifications in West Virginia. The logging industry continued to push the economy of Grant County through the 1900s. While the economy has diversified, today the area is known for its abundant natural resources. HAMPSHIRE COUTNY Hampshire County is steeped in English history. When Lord Fairfax, who owned a Royal Grant to the area, came upon some very large hogs and inquired where they had been raised, he was told they were from the South Branch of the Potomac Valley (now Hampshire County). He was so impressed with these hogs that he said that when a county was formed west of Frederick, he would name it after Hampshire County, England, famous for its Image Credit: very fat hogs. https://www.familysearch.org/ During the 1700s, Lord Fairfax sent a surveying party, including 16 year old George Washington, to survey his lands along the Potomac and South Branch rivers. Washington spent three summers and falls surveying Lord Fairfax’s estate, including present day Hampshire County. George W. Washington, a descendent of a brother of President George Washington, built a 19th-century Greek Revival plantation house, George W. Washington’s house “Ridgedale” Ridgedale, outside of Romney overlooking the Image credit: http://www.historichampshire.org South Branch River. 4 In 1762, Lord Fairfax had a survey to lay out Pearsell’s Flats into 100 half-acre lots. He renamed the town Romney in honor of a port city on the English Channel. The Virginia General Assembly recognized the town’s formation on December 23, 1762. As settlers continued to enter the county, Virginia decided to build a state road from Winchester to Romney along present day Route 50. This road was a boon to economic development as stage lines began operations, providing settlers more access to eastern markets. By 1786, a state road had been completed from Winchester to Romney. The Northwestern Turnpike was constructed in the mid-1830s, connecting Winchester to Clarksburg via Romney, and eventually on to Parkersburg on the Ohio River. As the frontier of the new nation moved westward, more roads were required to serve the expanding nation. The opening of the Northwestern Turnpike, a toll road connecting Winchester, Romney and Moorefield to further west was a major event in Hampshire County. By 1845, daily stage and mail service was established between Winchester and Parkersburg. Romney was a popular rest stop along the Turnpike, and a number of inns and taverns were built to accommodate travelers passing through the area. Romney changed hands at least 56 times during the war, placing second behind Winchester in changing hands the most during the Civil War. On June 11, 1861, Romney changed hands twice the same day. Some historians speculate that Romney actually changed hands more times than Winchester. In the late 1860s, Professor Howard H. Johnson of Franklin, Virginia (now Pendleton County, West Virginia), a blind teacher, was instrumental in bringing a school for the deaf and blind to Romney. In 1870, the West Virginia State Legislature appropriated $8,000 for the creation of the school. Many towns lobbied for the school’s location, but Romney was chosen when it offered the buildings and grounds of the Romney Literary Society. The school opened on September 29, 1870. Shepherdstown (then known as Mecklenburg) and Romney were chartered by the Virginia General Assembly on December 23, 1762. Romney claims it is older because its incorporation was listed before Shepherdstown in the Virginia Statutes at Large and its earliest settlers arrived in 1725 while Shepherdstown’s earliest settlers did not arrive until 1727. HARDY COUNTY Hardy County was formed from the southern portion of Hampshire County, Virginia in 1786. It was named after Samuel Hardy, who had served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, as the Lieutenant Governor in 1782, and as a delegate to the Continental Congress. There are two incorporated towns Imgage Credit: westvirginiahometownlocator.com 5 in the county, Moorefield and Wardensville. Moorefield, in the South Branch Valley, was formed in 1777 and named for Conrad Moore. It is the county seat. Among the earliest known inhabitants were Shawnee, who cleared land north of Moorefield in the “Indian Old Fields”, now referred to as “Old Fields”.