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Hancock County, smallest of West Virginia's counties, is located at the northern tip of the state's Northern Panhandle. The first Europeans to visit the area were French adventurers led by Celoron de Blainville in 1749. They buried lead tablets in the hills along the Ohio River in an attempt to claim the river valley for France. However, settlers from the English colonies soon moved into the area.
The earliest permanent settlement was Holliday's Cove on the southern boundary of present-day Hancock County. It was named after John Holliday, who built a log cabin there in 1776. Hancock County was formed in 1848 from Brooke County with a population of about 4,000, and named after John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Unlike many counties in West Virginia, Hancock County's economy has been based not on coal mining or agriculture, but on industry. Steel has been the foundation of the county's economy. The industrial base has made for high per-capita income and concentration of population.
New Cumberland, the county seat, is located beside the Ohio River. The town was laid out in 1839 by John Cuppy and was originally named Vernon. A number of early citizens objected to this name, and by 1840 the name was changed to New Cumberland.
Weirton, the county's largest city and its economic heart, was founded in 1909 by the Weirton Steel Corporation which was owned by the Weir family. Weirton was a town built by steel, for steel. Today, the steel mills are owned and operated by the workers.
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(From E. Lee North's 'The 55 West Virginias,' published by West Virginia University Press. Used with permission.)
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