Barbour County, West Virginia

Barbour County
Flag of Barbour County
Location of Barbour County in West Virginia
Location of Barbour County in West Virginia
West Virginia's location within the U.S.
West Virginia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°08′N 80°00′W / 39.13°N 80°W / 39.13; -80
Country United States
State West Virginia
FoundedMarch 3, 1843
Named forPhilip P. Barbour
SeatPhilippi
and largest city
Government
 • County AdministratorShana Frey [1]
 • County CommissionDavid Strait (R)[2]
Jamie Carpenter (R)[3]
Jedd Schola (R)[4]
Area
 • Total888.0 km2 (342.85 sq mi)
 • Land883.3 km2 (341.06 sq mi)
 • Water4.6 km2 (1.79 sq mi)  0.5%
 • Rank37th
Population
 (2020)
 • Total15,465
 • Estimate 
(2021)
15,468 Increase
 • Rank36th
 • Density17/km2 (45/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Area code(s)304, 681
Congressional district2nd
Senate district11th
House of Delegates district68th
Websitehttps://barbourcountywv.org/


"Map of Barbour County, W.Va., 1883", showing its eight magisterial districts

Barbour County is a county in north central West Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,465.[5] The county seat is Philippi,[6] which was chartered in 1844. Both county and city were named for Philip P. Barbour (1783–1841), a U.S. Congressman from Virginia and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The county was formed in 1843[7] when the region was still part of the state of Virginia. In 1871, a small part of Barbour County was transferred to Tucker County, West Virginia.

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.

For 114 years (1909-2023), Barbour County was home to Alderson-Broaddus College (later Alderson Broaddus University), an American Baptist institution. Its four-year Physician Assistant (PA) baccalaureate program was the first such anywhere.

  1. ^ "Barbour County Commission". Barbour County. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "2020 General Election Results: Barbour County". WBOY-TV. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  3. ^ "Barbour County has a new commissioner; more results from Doddridge electon [sic]". WVNews. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "Local election results for Barbour County". WBOY-TV. Retrieved November 6, 2023.(European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU 451: Unavailable for legal reasons)
  5. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  6. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  7. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 23, 2001. Retrieved July 23, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)