Hillsboro, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Hillsboro is a town in Pocahontas County
, West Virginia
, United States
. The population was 243 at the 2000 census.
Hillsboro was named for pioneer John (Richard) Hill, from North Carolina, who built a log cabin near what is now Lobelia. Most of the early settlers were Scotch-Irish and worked in agriculture and stock raising.
Back in the 1800s the town of Hillsboro centered on the educational institution Little Levels Academy. Established in 1842, the school closed 18 years later at the onset of the Civil War. In 1865, the county purchased the building and ran it as a public school through the 1880s, and it became a school of higher order for boys called Hillsboro Academy. The basement of the Methodist Church served as a school of high order for girls called Hillsboro College, or Little Levels Seminary. Eventually the brick Academy was torn down and replaced by a wood frame school for both boys and girls. Later the school was re-built in brick as Hillsboro High School.
Millpoint, in northern Hillsboro, was once the site of a small industrial village, "including within its limits proper a store, a blacksmith shop, two flour mills, and three homes." One of the mills has been restored and can be seen along Rt. 219.
In 1892, famous author Pearl S. Buck was born in a large white two-story house at the northern end of town. Shortly thereafter, her family, Presbyterian missionaries, returned to China, but her West Virginia roots nevertheless had a significant impact on Pearl through her mother Carrie.
The Dutch-style "city house," now on the National Register of Historic Places
, has been restored into a museum, The Pearl S. Buck Birthplace
. It displays an array of antiques from the 1892 period, including many family originals. Also on the National Register of Historic Places are the Richard Beard House
and Locust Creek Covered Bridge.
In late June, the town hosts the annual Little Levels Heritage Fair, to celebrate the history of the Little Levels region.
Hillsboro is also the site featured in the movie Patch Adams where Dr. Patch Adams purchased land in West Virginia to build a medical clinic based on his philosophy of doctor-patient interaction. A medical clinic is planned but has not yet been constructed, as fund-raising is still underway.
Parks & Scenic Drives:
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (0.9 km²), all land.
of 2000, there were 243 people, 115 households, and 70 families residing in the town. The population density
was 680.0 inhabitants per square mile (260.6/km²). There were 136 housing units at an average density of 380.6 per square mile (145.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.35% White, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.
There were 115 households out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples
living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.66.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,583, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $30,278 versus $15,625 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $20,929. About 27.4% of families and 32.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 28.9% of those sixty five or over. In 1998, 21% of adults tested at a literacy level of 1, one being the lowest, compared to the national average of 22%.
Pocahontas County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,131 people, 835 households, and 527 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 7,594 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 243 at the 2000 census.
History
Back in the 1800s the town of Hillsboro centered on the educational institution Little Levels Academy. Established in 1842, the school closed 18 years later at the onset of the Civil War. In 1865, the county purchased the building and ran it as a public school through the 1880s, and it became a school of higher order for boys called Hillsboro Academy. The basement of the Methodist Church served as a school of high order for girls called Hillsboro College, or Little Levels Seminary. Eventually the brick Academy was torn down and replaced by a wood frame school for both boys and girls. Later the school was re-built in brick as Hillsboro High School.
Millpoint, in northern Hillsboro, was once the site of a small industrial village, "including within its limits proper a store, a blacksmith shop, two flour mills, and three homes." One of the mills has been restored and can be seen along Rt. 219.
The Dutch-style "city house," now on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, has been restored into a museum, The Pearl S. Buck Birthplace
The Pearl S. Buck Birthplace
The Pearl S. Buck Birthplace is a historic home in Hillsboro, West Virginia where American writer Pearl S. Buck was born. The home now serves as a museum offering guided tours...
. It displays an array of antiques from the 1892 period, including many family originals. Also on the National Register of Historic Places are the Richard Beard House
Richard Beard House
Richard Beard House is a historic home located near Hillsboro, Pocahontas County, West Virginia. It was built about 1890, and is a two-story Queen Anne style frame dwelling. The house has a side facing T-plan. The front facade features a one-story front porch running one half the width of the house...
and Locust Creek Covered Bridge.
In late June, the town hosts the annual Little Levels Heritage Fair, to celebrate the history of the Little Levels region.
Hillsboro is also the site featured in the movie Patch Adams where Dr. Patch Adams purchased land in West Virginia to build a medical clinic based on his philosophy of doctor-patient interaction. A medical clinic is planned but has not yet been constructed, as fund-raising is still underway.
Points of interest
Main Attractions:- Little Levels Heritage Fair, late June (Website)
- The Pearl S. Buck BirthplaceThe Pearl S. Buck BirthplaceThe Pearl S. Buck Birthplace is a historic home in Hillsboro, West Virginia where American writer Pearl S. Buck was born. The home now serves as a museum offering guided tours...
, Historic House and Museum (1875) - Patch AdamsPatch AdamsHunter Doherty "Patch" Adams, M.D. is an American physician, social activist, citizen diplomat and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971...
and the Gesundheit! InstituteGesundheit! InstituteThe Gesundheit! Institute is a project founded by Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams in 1971, located outside of Hillsboro in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. The Institute states its vision as being dedicated to revolutionizing health care delivery by replacing what the Institute sees as greed and... - Local Craft Shops
- The Pretty Penny Cafe
Parks & Scenic Drives:
- Watoga State ParkWatoga State ParkWatoga State Park is the largest of West Virginia’s state parks, covering slightly over . It is located near Seebert in Pocahontas County, West Virginia.-History:...
- Droop Mountain Battlefield
- Cranberry Glades Botanical AreaCranberry Glades Botanical AreaCranberry Glades — also known simply as The Glades — are a cluster of five small, boreal-type bogs in southwestern Pocahontas County, West Virginia, USA. This area, high in the Allegheny Mountains at about , is protected as the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, part of the Monongahela National Forest...
- Beartown State ParkBeartown State ParkBeartown State Park is a state park located on the eastern summit of Droop Mountain, southwest of Hillsboro, West Virginia, in northern Greenbrier County, West Virginia . The land was purchased in 1970 with funds from the Nature Conservancy and a donation from Mrs. Edwin G...
- Highland Scenic Highway
- Monongahela National ForestMonongahela National ForestThe Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over of federally-owned land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.The MNF includes some...
- Brooks Memorial ArboretumBrooks Memorial ArboretumBrooks Memorial Arboretum is an arboretum located in Watoga State Park, Hillsboro, West Virginia.The arboretum contains mature yellow poplars, Ohio buckeyes, cottonwoods, and other native species....
Famous residents
- Pearl S. BuckPearl S. BuckPearl Sydenstricker Buck also known by her Chinese name Sai Zhenzhu , was an American writer who spent most of her time until 1934 in China. Her novel The Good Earth was the best-selling fiction book in the U.S. in 1931 and 1932, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932...
, author and Nobel Prize winner. (1892–1973) - Dwight DillerDwight DillerDwight Diller is an American banjo and fiddle player and teacher. He is considered to be one of the most prominent exponents of the clawhammer banjo tradition....
, banjo and fiddle player and teacher
Geography
Hillsboro is located at 38°8′17"N 80°12′45"W (38.138068, -80.212581).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (0.9 km²), all land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 243 people, 115 households, and 70 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 680.0 inhabitants per square mile (260.6/km²). There were 136 housing units at an average density of 380.6 per square mile (145.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.35% White, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.
There were 115 households out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.66.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,583, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $30,278 versus $15,625 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $20,929. About 27.4% of families and 32.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 28.9% of those sixty five or over. In 1998, 21% of adults tested at a literacy level of 1, one being the lowest, compared to the national average of 22%.
Media
External links
- The Pretty Penny Cafe
- The Pearl S. Buck Birthplace
- The Little Levels Heritage Fair
- Hillsboro Town website
- The Pocahontas Times (County Newspaper)
- Paolo Marks Violins
- Pocahontas County Tourism
- Pocahontas County Chamber of Commerce
- Hillsboro Elementary School
- The Hillsboro Public Library
- Greenbrier Valley Local Foods Initiative