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Tucker County lies in the north-eastern part of the state and includes some of its most rugged and mountainous terrain. It is drained almost entirely by the Cheat River.
The first permanent settlers in the area were the Parsons brothers, Thomas and John, who came from the South Branch of the Potomac and settled about 1772 at Holly Meadows on the Cheat River. In 1774, John Minear, a German immigrant, founded a settlement where the town of St. George now stands. Tucker County was formed in 1856 from the northern portion of Randolph County, by an act of the Virginia General Assembly. It was named for Henry St. George Tucker (1780-1848), an eminent jurist and statesman of Virginia. In 1860, the county had a population of 1,428.
Tucker County has always been primarily an agricultural area, but the large reserves of coal, limestone, shale and timber have encouraged industrial development. With the coming of the railroads in the last years of the 19th Century, the county began an era of rapid economic expansion. In 1889, the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway Company completed a line from Elkins northward through Parsons and Thomas to Piedmont in Mineral County, linking Tucker County with the Baltimore and Ohio main line. This railway made possible the development of the timber and coal resources, and by 1911 the coal mines of the county were producing 2,213,947 tons -- an all-time high.
By 1910, the population of the area had grown to 18,675 and the county boasted two railroads, two paper mills, three tanneries, fifteen large sawmills, ten logging railways, lime kilns, stone crushers and almost a thousand coke ovens. The population declined substantially after 1910.
Besides agricultural products, the county produces leather, textiles and charcoal. The recreation and tourist industries have become increasingly important. Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Canaan Valley State Park, Blackwater Falls State Park and a part of the Monongahela National Forest are located in Tucker County.
Parsons, the county seat, is located on Shaver's Fork of the Cheat River. It was incorporated in 1893 and named for Ward Parsons, a pioneer who owned the land on which the town was built.
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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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