West Union, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Doddridge County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,403 people, 2,845 households, and 2,102 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile . There were 3,661 housing units at an average density of 11 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...
. The population was 806 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Doddridge County
Doddridge County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,403 people, 2,845 households, and 2,102 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile . There were 3,661 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...
. The mayor is Robert Fetty as of 2011. The town is located along Middle Island Creek
Middle Island Creek
Middle Island Creek is a river, 77 miles long, in northwestern West Virginia, USA. It is a tributary of the Ohio River, draining an area of 565 square miles on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau...
at the junction of U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended to San Francisco, near...
and West Virginia Route 18; the North Bend Rail Trail
North Bend Rail Trail
The North Bend Rail Trail is a rail trail in north-central and western West Virginia in the United States. It is operated by West Virginia State Parks and is part of the American Discovery Trail....
also passes through the town.
History
The area was first settled in the late 1700s by James Caldwell, who owned 20000 acres (80.9 km²) of land that included present West Union. Caldwell sold this land to Nathan Davis and his brothers about 1807. They in turn sold 16000 acres (64.7 km²) to Lewis MaxwellLewis Maxwell
Lewis Maxwell was a U.S. Representative from Virginia.Born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Maxwell moved with his mother to Virginia about 1800.He completed a preparatory course.He studied law....
, a Virginia congressman. Nearby Maxwell Ridge is said to have a cave that was later used by the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
.
Davis supposedly suggested the name West Union, in deference to a proposed town of Union to be built on the eastern side of the creek. Union has disappeared, if it ever existed, but West Union was incorporated in 1881. It was home to Matthew M. Neely, grandfather of West Virginia’s 21st governor. Governor Matthew M. Neely
Matthew M. Neely
Matthew Mansfield Neely was a Democratic politician from West Virginia. He is the only West Virginian to serve in both houses of the United States Congress and as the Governor of West Virginia...
was born just south of West Union.
Doddridge County’s oil and gas industry was a boon to West Union. By 1906, the Ideal Glass Factory opened to take advantage of the abundant gas. It was followed by the Doddridge County Window Glass Company. The two plants employed about 300 people. In later years a garment factory opened, but closed in the 1970s. Today farming, timbering, oil and gas, and the business of county government and public education support the area, and many people commute to jobs in Salem, Clarksburg, and Parkersburg, or to the North Central Regional Jail in Greenwood.
The Lathrop Russell Charter House
Lathrop Russell Charter House
Lathrop Russell Charter House is a historic home located at West Union, Doddridge County, West Virginia. It was built in 1877, and is a two story, "T"-shaped frame dwelling, with a low-pitched hipped roof with bracketed eaves. It features tall crowned windows and a two story side porch...
, Doddridge County Courthouse
Doddridge County Courthouse
The Doddridge County Courthouse in West Union, West Virginia was designed in the Victorian Romanesque style by J. Charles Fulton, who designed courthouses in Barbour County and Randolph County. Built in 1899 by contractor John B. Conn, the courthouse features stone carvings by James Grant. The...
, Silas P. Smith Opera House
Silas P. Smith Opera House
Silas P. Smith Opera House, now known as Doddridge County Public Library, is a historic theatre located at West Union, Doddridge County, West Virginia. It was built in 1900, and is a two story brick commercial building measuring 40 feet wide and 70 feet deep. It has simple Romanesque Revival style...
, and W. Scott Stuart House
W. Scott Stuart House
W. Scott Stuart House is a historic home located at West Union, Doddridge County, West Virginia. It was built about 1905, and is a three story, frame dwelling, with a two story front portico with Ionic order columns, wrap-around porch, and an opulent interior in a transitional Queen Anne style. It...
are individually listed 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...
. West Union is also home to two nationally recognized historic districts
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
: West Union Downtown Historic District
West Union Downtown Historic District
West Union Downtown Historic District is a national historic district located at West Union, Doddridge County, West Virginia. It encompasses 27 contributing buildings that include the commercial and civic core of the town, and surrounding residential buildings...
and West Union Residential Historic District
West Union Residential Historic District
West Union Residential Historic District is a national historic district located at West Union, Doddridge County, West Virginia. It encompasses 85 contributing residential buildings, built between about 1858 and 1940. They are representative of popular architectural styles from the late-19th...
.
Geography
West Union is located at 39.295594°N 80.775888°W (39.295594, -80.775888).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 (1.0 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 806 people, 345 households, and 219 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 2,197.3 inhabitants per square mile (841.1/km2). There were 420 housing units at an average density of 1,145.0 per square mile (438.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 99.50% White, 0.50% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population.
There were 345 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% 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, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 80.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $18,300, and the median income for a family was $21,875. Males have a median income of $25,000 versus $19,688 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 $10,539. About 28.3% of families and 33.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.7% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable natives and residents
- Ephraim BeeEphraim BeeEphraim Bee was an American pioneer, blacksmith, and inn-keeper from Doddridge County, West Virginia. He represented Doddridge County in the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1863 and 1866-1867....
, founder of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus VitusE Clampus VitusThe Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus is a fraternal organization dedicated to the study and preservation of Western heritage, especially the history of the Mother Lode and gold mining regions of the area...
. - Lewis MaxwellLewis MaxwellLewis Maxwell was a U.S. Representative from Virginia.Born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Maxwell moved with his mother to Virginia about 1800.He completed a preparatory course.He studied law....
(1790 - 1862), U.S. Representative from Virginia - Susan Friend Sheppard, author of metaphysical books, television personality ("Scariest Places on Earth" and "Mystery Hunters") and founder of the Haunted Parkerburg Ghost Tours; born and raised in West Union
- Clyde Ware, novelist ("The Eden Tree") and television and motion picture director and screenwriter (No Drums, No Bugles).