Barbour County, West Virginia
Barbour County is a county in north central West Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,465. The county seat is Philippi, 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 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.
Barbour County | |
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Flag | |
Location of Barbour County in West Virginia | |
West Virginia's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 39.13°N 80°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| Founded | March 3, 1843 |
| Named for | Philip P. Barbour |
| Seat | Philippi |
| and largest city | |
| Government | |
| • County Administrator | Shana Frey |
| • County Commission | David Strait (R) Jamie Carpenter (R) Jedd Schola (R) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 888.0 km2 (342.85 sq mi) |
| • Land | 883.3 km2 (341.06 sq mi) |
| • Water | 4.6 km2 (1.79 sq mi) 0.5% |
| • Rank | 37th |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 15,465 |
| • Estimate (2021) | 15,468 |
| • Rank | 36th |
| • Density | 17/km2 (45/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Area code(s) | 304, 681 |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Senate district | 11th |
| House of Delegates district | 68th |
| Website | https://barbourcountywv.org/ |
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.