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Mineral County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 27,078. Its county seat is Keyser6.

History

Pre-Colonial History

The first native settlers in West Virginia's Potomac Highlands were the Mound Builders, also known as the Adena people. Remnants of the Mound Builder's civilization have been found throughout West Virginia. In 1722 the Iroquois surrendered their claims to land in the eastern panhandle.

Colonial Virginia History

John Lederer, a German physician and explorer employed by Sir William Berkeley, colonial governor of Virginia, is believed to be the first Englishman to set foot in present-day Mineral County. He explored the area in 1669.

The first recorded grants of land in West Virginia are made to Isaac and John Van Meter in 1730. This was in the Frankfort district of Mineral County.

In 1749 the first frontier fort, Fort Ohio, is built at Ridgeley. Fort Ashby is constructed in 1755, and is the last standing unit in the chain of forts built under the orders of George Washington. Fort Sellers was built near present day Short Gap, and Fort Cocke near Headsville.

In 1750 a frontier Blockhouse, New Creek Blockhouse, was built about 1 mile west of New Creek to protect local settlers.

Prior to 1738 the present Orange County, Virginia, situated on the cast side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, included all of Virginia west of the Blue Ridge. In that year, the Virginia Assembly passed an act dividing this territory into two counties: Frederick and Augusta. Hampshire County was formed from those two counties in 1753

Virginia State History 1776 to 1863

Ultimately Hardy County in 1785 and part of Morgan County in 1820 were formed from Hampshire County.

West Virginia History 1863 to Present

It was not until after West Virginia became a state in 1863 that the present Mineral County came into existence. Mineral County was created in 1866 by an Act of the West Virginia Legislature from the existing Hampshire County. The name was selected due to the vast reserves of minerals, especially coal.

Historical sites

Notable people from Mineral County

See also
USS Barr (APD-39)

Government

County Commission

Mineral County is governed by a three member commission, one member to be elected every two years to a six year term of office. The County Commission, as the governing body, is responsible for the fiscal affairs and general administration of county government. The County Commission does not possess inherent rights of self government but are creations of the State with the authority to carry out those functions specified by the WV Constitution or by legislative enactment.

  • County Coordinator:
    • Michael C. Bland, appointed

  • Secretary:
    • Rhonda L. Flanagan, appointed

  • Appointed Commissions
    • Planning Commission - Administers ordences involved with land use and construction.
      • Clyde Burdock - Chairperson
    • Development Authority - Administers Industrial Parks, and seeks news business to the county.
      • OPEN - Chairperson

Office of Assessor

WV CODE 11-3-10 requires that you report in writing all taxable property owned by you to the Assessor between July 1 to October 1. Failure to file will result in a penalty along with difficulty in obtaining vehicle and boat licenses.

  • Assessor:
    • Rose Anne Hanna-Maine, Republican: term ending 2009

Office of Circuit Clerk

The Ciruit Clerk is responsible for the following.

  • Circuit Clerk
    • Mary Margaret Rinehart, Republican: term ending 2009

County Clerk

The Clerk is elected to a six year term with the right to succeed himself/herself. The primary duties and responsibilities of the Clerk of the County Commission may be identified as two basic functions:
  • (1) to act as clerk (fiscal officer, secretary) of the County Commission, and
  • (2) to act as the receiver of fees charged for the instruments to be filed and recorded within the county. The official books and papers of the Office of the Clerk of the County Commission are considered permanent public records.

The County Clerk shall have the custody of all deeds and other papers presented for record in their counties and they shall be preserved therein. They shall have jurisdiction in all matters of probate, the appointment and qualification of personal representatives, guardians, committees, curators and the settlement of their accounts. The Clerk shall have custody of all election records, payroll and budgetary accounting, and accounts payable. The legislature sets the recording fees.

Hunting & Fishing licenses and Marriage license applications are available in the County Clerk's Office also.

  • County Clerk:
    • Isaac "Sonny" Alt, Republican, term ending 2011

Source Mineral County Commission

State Representatives

House of Delegates
Senate

Economic development

Mineral County Development Authority, The mission of the Mineral County Development Authority shall be to enhance the welfare of the citizens of Mineral County by promoting and assisting the recruiting, startup, growth and prosperity of responsible business and industry within the County.

Contact: Mineral County Development Authority Executive Director Route 3, Box 3048 Keyser, WV 26726 Phone 304-788-3383 Fax 304-788-0481

Mineral County Chamber of Commerce, The mission of the Mineral Country Chamber of Commerce is to stimulate and enhance the business environment and quality of life in Mineral County.

Contact: Mineral County Chamber of Commerce 1 Grand Central Park Keyser, West Virginia 26726 Phone (304) 788-2513 Fax (304) 788-3887

Industrial parks

Keyser Industrial Park is located next to Keyser, West Virginia Highway access is via WV Route 46 East of Keyser. The park is 18 miles from Interstate 68. Rail service inside the park is provided by CSX.

Fort Ashby Business and Technology Park is located near Fort Ashby, West Virginia Highway access is via WV Route 46 West of Fort Ashby. The park is 16 miles from Interstate 68. The park is fully wired for fiber optic communications, along with a 60 foot Wireless Internet Tower.

Education

Colleges

Potomac State College a two year school is located in the county seat of Keyser, West Virginia on the site of Civil War Fort Fuller.

Eastern West Virginia Community & Technical College holds classes at Mineral Counties Vocational and Technical School.

High schools

Frankfort High School located near Short Gap

Keyser High School located south of Keyser

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 852 km² (329 mi²). 849 km² (328 mi²) of it is land and 4 km² (1 mi²) of it (0.43%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

Mountains

The northern terminus of the Allegheny Front in West Virginia lies in Mineral County, and contains the highest point in the county. Known as the Pinnacle it is 3,104 feet above sea level. From the abandon fire tower you can see 4 states on a clear day, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. The Allegheny Front is the largest mountain in the county, on the north end it is also known as Green Mountain. On top of the Allegheny Plateau is located the town of Elk Garden, West Virginia in the southwestern portion of the county. The Potomac River Valley lies to west and north of the mountain, and the New Creek Valley lies to the east.

Knobly Mountain lies between the New Creek and Patterson Creek valleys. It is the longest mountain in Mineral County streching from the Grant County line in the south to the Potomac River in the north at Ridgeley, West Virginia.

To the east of the Pattersons Creek Valley lie a series of low hills which form the eastern border of the county with Hampshire County.

Rivers

  • North Branch of the Potomac River is the largest river, though not actually in the county. It forms the northern border of the county and the state border with actual border being the low water mark on the south side. Jennings Randolph Lake is located on this section of the Potomac River.

Minerals

Mineral County is the eastern most West Virginia county with coal deposits. No coal is found east of the Allegheny Front, and coal mining is only found on top of the Allegheny Plateau.

Natural gas is found east of the Allegheny Front as well as iron ore deposits. The county no longer produces iron, but several abanodon iron furnaces from the 19th century still exist.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 27,078 people, 10,784 households, and 7,710 families residing in the county. The population density was 32/km² (83/mi²). There were 12,094 housing units at an average density of 14/km² (37/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.16% White, 2.55% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,784 households out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.40% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 25.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,149, and the median income for a family was $37,866. Males had a median income of $32,337 versus $20,090 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,384. About 11.50% of families and 14.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.10% of those under age 18 and 11.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities, towns, and districts

Incorporated

Unincorporated

Districts

  • Elk District
  • New Creek District
  • Welton District
  • Frankfort District
  • Cabin Run District
  • Piedmont Independent District

Travel and toursim

Transportation

Parks and public recreational attractions

Larenim Park

  • Owned by the Mineral County Commission and operated by Parks and Recreation, the park size is 365 acres. Includes two pavilions with 10 tables, an amphitheatre with seating capacity of 600. One Little League field and one softball field. Fishing Areas; 2-flood control dams stocked by WVDNR (5 acres and 2.5 acres). All 365 acres are open to public hunting by permit. Approximately five miles of trails. An arboretum is under construction at Larenim to include a Shale Barrens Conservancy. Larenim Park is also home to the local theatre group, McNeill's Rangers.

Barnum Whitewater Area

  • Owned by Mineral County with size of approximately 40 acres. Includes four miles of rail/trail. This area has approximately one mile of river frontage on the North Branch of the Potomac River below Jennings Randolph Lake, along the old CSX railway. It is one of the best trout streams in West Virginia and also provides seven miles of whitewater rafting and canoeing for the entire family to enjoy. Public hunting permitted on surrounding state lands.

MINCO Park

  • Owned by the Mineral County Board of Education, Minco Park's size is 13.5 acres. Its' facilities include two pavilions with 50 picnic tables, nine cabins, a dining field, a chapel, meeting room, and bath/shower facilities.

Van Myra Campground

  • Owned by the State of West Virginia and leased by Mineral County, the campground area is 10 acres. Three picnic tables, four mini-pavilions, and picnic area only comprise this facility.

Dam Site #21

  • Owned by Mineral County, 178 acres, with no facilities. Fishing 10 acres flood control dam.

Jennings Randolph Lake

  • Jennings Randolph Lake named for Senator Jennings Randolph near Elk Garden offers extensive recreational opportunity with its 952 acres and more than 13 miles of shoreline. Howell Run Picnic Area overlooks the lake and contains 40 picnic sites, two pavilions, a playground and vault toilets. The Howell Run Boat Launch consists of a two lane concrete ramp. the Robert W. Craig Campground is situated on a high ridge overlooking the dam site and features 87 campsites, potable water, hot showers, vault toilets and a playground. A 3/4 mile long interpretive trail has been developed in the area. The West Virginia Overlook area contains a two tier Visitor Center. Waffle Rock, a unique natural rock formation, can also be viewed from the Overlook.

West Virginia state lands

Open to public hunting; no marked trails, but includes several miles of old logging roads. Size: 4,800 acres. Facilities: none

Hunting and fishing licenses are required throughout the state. Non-resident licenses, including short-term licenses for state recreational areas, may be obtained from nearly 800 license agents in the state. Hunting and fishing regulations are available from the Division of Natural Resources, 304-558-2771. License application forms may be obtained by calling 304-558-2758. A special stamp is required to hunt or fish on national forest lands.

Golf courses - public

Polish Pines - Privately owned, 9 Holes, Club House Mill Creek - Privately owned, 9 Holes, Club House

Swimming pools - public

City of Keyser - One Pool open to public City of Piedmont - One Pool open to public

1866 establishments | Mineral County, West Virginia | Northwestern Turnpike | Potomac River counties | West Virginia counties

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Mineral County, West Virginia".

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