Hampshire County
Lying just to the west of the great Valley of Virginia, Hampshire County, West Virginia has a rich and varied history. Once home to numerous tribes of prehistoric native Americans, the area was nearly empty and used only for a seasonal hunting ground when the white man first arrived. The fertile valleys of Hampshire's Potomac River tributaries were a welcome sight to the early settlers who longed for verdant, open spaces to satisfy their independent spirit.
Colonial Era Sometime in the 1730s and 1740s the trickle of explorers and settlers began. The migration was primarily from Pennsylvania rather than from the piedmont of Virginia.
County Established
In 1754, the opening year of the French and Indian War, Hampshire County was established with over twenty-six hundred square miles. It was the western frontier of the Colony of Virginia. Because Virginia's route to the upper Ohio River valley came through Hampshire County, the area became an important gateway to the developing west.
French and Indian War During the trying years of the French and Indian War, Hampshire bore the brunt of enemy attacks. Although Virginia was a long way from Canada, the French know that Virginia was one of the wealthiest and most populous Colonies and a leader in the push for British expansion to the west. It was because of this that Col. George Washington, Commander of the Virginia Regiment, built a chain of forts in Hampshire County as the northern bulwarks of his western line of defense. Col. Washington was familiar with the area, having traversed it for five seasons as a surveyor for Lord Fairfax, the proprietor of the Northern Neck Proprietary. During the terrible days of the first half of the French and Indian War, many settlers fled to more peaceful areas; many who stayed died on their farms at the hands of ravaging warriors. Before the fall of Fort Duquesne to Gen. Forbes in 1758, much of Hampshire County was devoid of people. After the war, the pace of settlement increased. In 1762 Romney was incorporated as the county seat. In 1787 Watson (later named Capon Springs) was incorporated at the medicinal springs in the south-east part of the county.
Transportation Routes Established In 1786 a state road had been completed from Winchester to Romney. As the frontier of the new nation moved westward, more roads were required to serve the expanding nation. In the 1830s the Northwestern Turnpike was built, eventually running from Winchester through Romney to Clarksburg and on to Parkersburg on the Ohio River. By 1845 a stage line ran from Romney to Morgantown and Parkersburg.
Civil War
The far western counties of Virginia were developing as industrial centers along the Ohio Rivers, but Hampshire and its neighboring counties remained rural, agricultural areas. It was during the war that Virginia was split, and Hampshire County became part of the new state of West Virginia. Hampshire's placement in the new state was a matter of Federal politics and did not reflect the sentiments of the people of the county.
Confederate Sympathies
Counties to the west had ties to the North by way of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the C&O canal; they had little in common with the commerce and government of Virginia. Hampshire County, on the other hand, was linked more to the Shenandoah Valley, and Hampshire's colonial heritage gave it stronger ties with the Commonwealth. Therefore, its sympathies were Southern. "Stonewall" Jackson had an early compaign in the County that attempted to cut the Federal government's transportation link to the western states that ran along the Potomac River, Hampshire's northern boundary. Because of this strategic location there were many troop movements through the county and Romney is said to have changed hands 56 times during the war.
Hampshire County raised thirteen Confederate companies for the war but only one Union company. After the Civil War on Sept. 26, 1867, Hampshire's citizens dedicated what was perhaps the first Confederate Memorial in the United States. It still stands today in Indian Mound Cemetery in Romney.
Modern Era
The fact that Indian Mound Cemetery is the burial site of two West Virginia governors (John J. Jacob - 4th Governor; John J. Cornwell - 15th Governor) evidences the county's involvement in the new State's political life.
Natural Beauty
Hampshire County has great natural beauty. Although the area is not now as bountiful for the hunter as was true in George Washington's day, Hampshire has always been an abundant land. The rivers are wonderful for swimming, and they abound with fish. The skies above are filled with wildfowl. The Trough, a cut that the South Branch River makes through the mountains, is one of the best locations for spotting the majestic bald eagle. The Potomac Eagle, a sightseeing passenger train, runs from spring through fall so tourists may view the breath-taking scenery and the eagles.
The several communities with "Spring" in their name give a hint to another natural treasure of the area known to early settlers. Even today, Capon Springs resort is renowned for its lovely wooded setting and its wonderful hospitality. Ice Mountain on the North River is a geologic anomaly with rare flora near its ice caves. Today it is maintained by the Nature Conservancy. Throughout the county there are fields, streams and mountains that offer a feast for the eyes and for the spirit.
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