St. George, West Virginia

St. George
Unincorporated community
St. George

Location within the state of West Virginia

Coordinates: 39°10′0″N 79°42′8″W / 39.16667°N 79.70222°WCoordinates: 39°10′0″N 79°42′8″W / 39.16667°N 79.70222°W
Country United States
State West Virginia
County Tucker
Elevation 1,562 ft (476 m)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 26290-Past 26287-Current
GNIS feature ID 1552767[1]

St. George is an unincorporated community and former county seat of Tucker County, West Virginia.[2]

It is located on Cheat River where it is joined by Minear Run.

History

Originally known as Fort Minear and then as Westernford, St. George was settled in 1774 by German immigrant John Minear and his son, Jonathan, after early scouting visits to the area.

In 1856, an act creating the county specified that Tucker's county court was to be held on the lands of Enoch Minear, descendant of Jonathan Minear. The town was then renamed Saint George in honor of Henry St. George Tucker, Jr. (1828–63), the son of the county's namesake, Henry St. George Tucker, Sr. (1780–1848). During the Tucker County Seat War, on the evening of August 1, 1893, vigilantes from Parsons seeking to move the county seat broke into the courthouse and stole the county records and the courthouse bell, moving the government of Tucker County to Parsons, where it has remained to this day.[2]

The St. George Academy was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.[3]

Notable natives

References

  1. "Saint George". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. 2.0 2.1 West Virginia Encyclopedia: "Parsons." West Virginia Humanities Council, Charleston, WV. Accessed 2013-07-28.
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.