Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, Serving West Virginia's First District


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     Mineral County lies in the Eastern Panhandle of the state. It is divided into two topographical sections separated by the great backbone of the Allegheny Front -- the western section, drained by many small tributaries of the North Branch of the Potomac, is part of the Appalachian Plateau and contains the coal-bearing regions; the eastern section, drained by Patterson and New creeks, which also flow into the North Branch, is part of the Ridge and Valley Province, and contains the richest farmland in the county.

     The area which became Mineral County once belonged to Lord Fairfax, an English nobleman who inherited approximately 2,800 square miles of property in the Potomac River basin. In 1754, Hampshire County was created, and until 1866 Mineral County would remain part of Hampshire and share its history.

     The plantation system of agriculture, so common in many Virginia counties, never took hold in the area now known as Mineral County; instead, small, independently owned holdings prevailed. The abundance of wood, coal and iron ore in the western part of the county attracted small industries.

     After the Civil War, the West Virginia Legislature divided Hampshire County and in 1866 created Mineral County, naming it for the rich mineral deposits of coal and iron ore found there. In 1870, the population of the county was 6,332.

     Coal production began soon after the Civil War. Spurred by a network of railroads that connected the coalfields in the eastern part of the county to the Baltimore and Ohio main line, production increased to 524,852 tons in 1888 and rose to a peak of 961,714 tons in 1910.

     Keyser, the county seat, was first known as Paddytown in honor of Patrick McCarthy, who settled here in 1760. It was renamed Keyser in 1874, for a vice president of the B&O.;

     Potomac State College, located at Keyser, was chartered in 1901 as a preparatory school for West Virginia University. In 1921 it became a two-year college. It is a branch of West Virginia University.

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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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