Orlando, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Orlando is an unincorporated community located in Braxton and Lewis
counties, West Virginia
, United States
. It is located on Oil Creek, a tributary of the Little Kanawha River
.
and Maryland
, many from the area of the South Branch of the Potomac River
. The pioneer settlers included the Posey/Skinner, Williams/Blake/Ocheltree, Riffle and Conrad families, among others.
During the Civil War
the area of Oil Creek and Clover Fork was almost entirely Confederate. Many young men joined the Confederate Army, other residents supported the Confederate cause in less official ways.
By the late 19th century several farming communities had developed in the Oil Creek watershed, including Blake, Peterson, Posey Run and others. The community that would become Orlando was named Confluence, as it was located at the confluence of two major tributaries, Three Lick and Clover Fork, with Oil Creek. These little communities in Oil Creek’s watershed tended to include a one room school, one or two churches, and perhaps a general store, blacksmith and/or grist mill.
In the late 19th century the Coal and Coke and then the Baltimore and Ohio railroad lines were built and they crossed near the community of Confluence. The community of Confluence became a sizable and prosperous town. In 1917 Confluence’s name was changed to Orlando for reasons that remain unclear. The town of Orlando flourished in the early 20th century, until train routes changed.
From the early 19th century until the mid-20th century, most of the land was devoted to family farming and farming for profit. Major industries have included lumbering, livestock, natural gas and oil production, railroad maintenance and hospitality.
Orlando has two churches, Baptist
and United Methodist, and a post office. Landmarks include the white frame Methodist Church built in 1873. the Warehouse, a white frame structure built about 1907 to house a produce business, and the red brick church built by the Roman Catholic parish of St. Michael in 1917 and today home of the thriving Baptist congregation.
Lewis County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,919 people, 6,946 households, and 4,806 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 7,944 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
counties, 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...
. It is located on Oil Creek, a tributary of the Little Kanawha River
Little Kanawha River
The Little Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, 169 mi long, in western West Virginia in the United States. Via the Ohio, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 2,320 mi² on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau...
.
History
First settlers came to Oil Creek's wilderness in the early decades of the 19th century from VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, many from the area of the South Branch of the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
. The pioneer settlers included the Posey/Skinner, Williams/Blake/Ocheltree, Riffle and Conrad families, among others.
During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
the area of Oil Creek and Clover Fork was almost entirely Confederate. Many young men joined the Confederate Army, other residents supported the Confederate cause in less official ways.
By the late 19th century several farming communities had developed in the Oil Creek watershed, including Blake, Peterson, Posey Run and others. The community that would become Orlando was named Confluence, as it was located at the confluence of two major tributaries, Three Lick and Clover Fork, with Oil Creek. These little communities in Oil Creek’s watershed tended to include a one room school, one or two churches, and perhaps a general store, blacksmith and/or grist mill.
In the late 19th century the Coal and Coke and then the Baltimore and Ohio railroad lines were built and they crossed near the community of Confluence. The community of Confluence became a sizable and prosperous town. In 1917 Confluence’s name was changed to Orlando for reasons that remain unclear. The town of Orlando flourished in the early 20th century, until train routes changed.
From the early 19th century until the mid-20th century, most of the land was devoted to family farming and farming for profit. Major industries have included lumbering, livestock, natural gas and oil production, railroad maintenance and hospitality.
Today
Because of damming projects in the late 20th century, Orlando today, surprisingly, sits in the center of West Virginia’s Lake District http://www.westvirginia.com/lakes/ situated between the Stonewall Jackson and Burnsville recreation areas. Most of the farming land is being returned to forest. The community is still populated by the descendents of the original settlers of the region.Orlando has two churches, Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
and United Methodist, and a post office. Landmarks include the white frame Methodist Church built in 1873. the Warehouse, a white frame structure built about 1907 to house a produce business, and the red brick church built by the Roman Catholic parish of St. Michael in 1917 and today home of the thriving Baptist congregation.