Wirt County, West Virginia

Wirt County
County
The Wirt County Courthouse in Elizabeth
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of West Virginia
West Virginia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°01′N81°23′W / 39.02°N 81.38°W / 39.02; -81.38
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
Founded	January 19, 1848
Named for	William Wirt
Seat	Elizabeth
Largest town	Elizabeth
Area
• Total	235 sq mi (610 km2)
• Land	233 sq mi (600 km2)
• Water	2.3 sq mi (6 km2)  1.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,194
• Estimate  (2021)	5,063
• Density	22/sq mi (8.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.wirtcounty.wv.gov

Wirt County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,194, ^[1] making it the least populous county in West Virginia. Its county seat is Elizabeth. ^[2] The county was created in 1848 ^[3] by the Virginia General Assembly and named for U.S. Attorney General and presidential candidate William Wirt. The county is served by one high school, Wirt County High School.

Wirt County is part of the Parkersburg-Vienna, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Wirt County was created from parts of Jackson and Wood counties on January 19, 1848. The county was named after William Wirt (1772–1834). ^[4]

The first European pioneer was William Beauchamp (1743–1808), a veteran of the Continental Navy and a Methodist minister. Beauchamp arrived in 1796 with a claim to 1400 acres on the Little Kanawha River. He farmed, built a mill, and laid out the town of Elizabeth, named after his daughter. ^[4]

Burning Springs was the site of an oil rush in the 1860s. In 1863 the town was burned, along with 100,000 gallons of oil, by Confederate cavalrymen. ^[4]

On June 20, 1863, at the height of the Civil War, Wirt County was one of fifty Virginia counties admitted to the Union as the state of West Virginia. Later that year, West Virginia's counties were divided into civil townships, with the intention of encouraging local government. This proved impractical in the heavily rural state, and in 1872 the townships were converted into magisterial districts. ^[5] Wirt County was divided into seven districts: Burning Springs, Clay, Elizabeth, Newark, Reedy, Spring Creek, and Tucker. Except for minor adjustments, the seven historic magisterial districts remained largely unchanged for over a century. In the 1980s, they were consolidated into three new districts: Central, Northeast, and Southwest. ^[6]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 235 square miles (610 km²), of which 233 square miles (600 km²) is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²) (1.0%) is water. ^[7]

Major highways

• West Virginia Route 5
• West Virginia Route 14
• West Virginia Route 47
• West Virginia Route 53

Adjacent counties

• Wood County (northwest)
• Ritchie County (northeast)
• Calhoun County (southeast)
• Roane County (south)
• Jackson County (southwest)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	3,353		—
1860	3,751		11.9%
1870	4,804		28.1%
1880	7,104		47.9%
1890	9,411		32.5%
1900	10,284		9.3%
1910	9,047		−12.0%
1920	7,536		−16.7%
1930	6,358		−15.6%
1940	6,475		1.8%
1950	5,119		−20.9%
1960	4,391		−14.2%
1970	4,154		−5.4%
1980	4,922		18.5%
1990	5,192		5.5%
2000	5,873		13.1%
2010	5,717		−2.7%
2020	5,194		−9.1%
2021 (est.)	5,063	[8]	−2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [9] 1790–1960 [10] 1900–1990 [11] 1990–2000 [12] 2010–2020 [1]

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,873 people, 2,284 households, and 1,699 families living in the county. The population density was 25 inhabitants per square mile (9.7/km²). There were 3,266 housing units at an average density of 14 units per square mile (5.4 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.55% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 0.31% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,284 households, out of which 35.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.60% were non-families. 22.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 29.60% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,748, and the median income for a family was $33,872. Males had a median income of $29,088 versus $17,965 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,000. About 17.00% of families and 19.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.60% of those under age 18 and 13.90% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 5,717 people, 2,391 households, and 1,689 families living in the county. ^[13] The population density was 24.6 inhabitants per square mile (9.5/km²). There were 3,231 housing units at an average density of 13.9 units per square mile (5.4 units/km²). ^[14] The racial makeup of the county was 97.5% white, 1.5% black or African American, 1.7% two or more races, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.5% of the population. ^[13] In terms of ancestry, 23.5% were American, 23.0% were German, 12.4% were Irish, and 9.3% were English. ^[15]

Of the 2,391 households, 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.4% were non-families, and 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 44.4 years. ^[13]

The median income for a household in the county was $36,705 and the median income for a family was $43,517. Males had a median income of $35,829 versus $28,460 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,438. About 11.8% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.6% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over. ^[16]

Politics

United States presidential election results for Wirt County, West Virginia ^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,120	82.14%	409	15.85%	52	2.01%
2020	2,134	80.44%	466	17.57%	53	2.00%
2016	1,911	78.90%	386	15.94%	125	5.16%
2012	1,427	65.73%	676	31.14%	68	3.13%
2008	1,496	64.32%	782	33.62%	48	2.06%
2004	1,727	65.07%	896	33.76%	31	1.17%
2000	1,518	63.73%	818	34.34%	46	1.93%
1996	928	43.55%	906	42.52%	297	13.94%
1992	939	39.42%	1,043	43.79%	400	16.79%
1988	1,125	54.45%	929	44.97%	12	0.58%
1984	1,450	62.45%	868	37.38%	4	0.17%
1980	1,176	51.29%	1,058	46.14%	59	2.57%
1976	1,031	46.59%	1,182	53.41%	0	0.00%
1972	1,442	67.60%	691	32.40%	0	0.00%
1968	1,051	52.26%	820	40.78%	140	6.96%
1964	899	41.14%	1,286	58.86%	0	0.00%
1960	1,347	56.31%	1,045	43.69%	0	0.00%
1956	1,444	54.95%	1,184	45.05%	0	0.00%
1952	1,474	58.40%	1,050	41.60%	0	0.00%
1948	1,291	50.99%	1,233	48.70%	8	0.32%
1944	1,418	54.79%	1,170	45.21%	0	0.00%
1940	1,818	53.91%	1,554	46.09%	0	0.00%
1936	1,612	47.23%	1,783	52.24%	18	0.53%
1932	1,486	42.75%	1,944	55.93%	46	1.32%
1928	1,561	54.41%	1,272	44.34%	36	1.25%
1924	1,491	48.03%	1,587	51.13%	26	0.84%
1920	1,680	54.88%	1,376	44.95%	5	0.16%
1916	951	46.73%	1,072	52.68%	12	0.59%
1912	213	10.89%	953	48.72%	790	40.39%

Notable People

• Howard B. Lee- served as the Republican Attorney General of West Virginia from 1925 to 1933. His efforts to eliminate government corruption during that time helped to end the West Virginia Mine Wars.
• Jessica Dawn Lynch (born April 26, 1983) is an American teacher, actress, and former United States Army soldier who served in the 2003 invasion of Iraq as a private first class.

• Charles Brooks Smith - was a Union Army veteran, businessman and Republican politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for a single term from West Virginia's 4th congressional district.

Communities

Town

• Elizabeth (county seat)

Magisterial districts

Current

• Central
• Northeast
• Southwest

Historic

• Burning Springs
• Clay
• Elizabeth
• Newark
• Reedy
• Spring Creek
• Tucker

Unincorporated communities

• Beaverdam
• Beulah Hill
• Brohard
• Burning Springs
• Cherry
• Creston
• Enterprise
• Freeport
• Garfield
• Greencastle
• Hilbert
• Ivan
• Lucile
• McClain
• Morristown
• Munday
• Newark
• Palestine
• Peewee
• Rover
• Sanoma
• Two Run
• Windy
• Zackville
• Adriengrad

See also

• Hughes River Wildlife Management Area
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Wirt County, West Virginia

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 23, 2001. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
4. "Early History of Wirt County". littlekanawha.com. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
5. Otis K. Rice & Stephen W. Brown, West Virginia: A History, 2nd ed., University Press of Kentucky, Lexington (1993), p. 240.
6. United States Census Bureau, U.S. Decennial Census, Tables of Minor Civil Divisions in West Virginia, 1870–2010.
7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
8. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021" . Retrieved August 14, 2022.
9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
11. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
12. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
13. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
14. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
15. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
16. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
17. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 28, 2018.

39°01′N81°23′W / 39.02°N 81.38°W / 39.02; -81.38