Qualla: Pendleton County, West Virginia

Pendleton County, West Virginia: Introduction

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Skye Marthaler, CC BY-SA 3.0. Sometime in 1745, a single man named Abraham Burner walked into a stretch of West Virginia river bottom that nobody had yet farmed, built a log cabin about half a mile downstream of what would become Brandywine, and became Pendleton County's first white settler. A local historian later recorded the scene: 'From almost at his very door his huntsman's eye was at times gladdened by seeing perhaps fifty deer either drinking from the stream or plunging in their heads up to their ears in search of moss.' That image - of fifty deer feeding undisturbed in the river bottoms - captures something about Pendleton County that is still true. The population in 2020 was 6,143, making it the second-least populous county in West Virginia. The deer are still here. So is most of the wildness.

Image: Skye Marthaler | CC BY-SA 3.0

Pendleton County, West Virginia: Edmund Pendleton's Counties

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Virginia General Assembly created Pendleton County in 1788 from parts of Augusta, Hardy, and Rockingham counties. The name honored Edmund Pendleton, who lived from 1721 to 1803 - a Virginia statesman and jurist, member of the Continental Congress, and first president of the V...

Image: Famartin | CC BY-SA 4.0

Pendleton County, West Virginia: Split in the War

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Nyttend, Public domain. Pendleton was divided in the Civil War. The northern section, including the Smoke Hole community, was staunchly Unionist. The communities of the upper North Fork - Germany Valley, Franklin - were strongly Confederate. In June 1863, the federal government included Pendleton County...

Image: Nyttend | Public domain

Pendleton County, West Virginia: Spruce Knob and the Protected Lands

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Stacy Hall, CC BY-SA 4.0. Spruce Knob - the highest point in West Virginia and in the entire Allegheny range at 4,863 feet - sits in Pendleton County. Significant portions of the Monongahela and George Washington National Forests cover the county, along with parts of the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National ...

Image: Stacy Hall | CC BY-SA 4.0

Pendleton County, West Virginia: Maple Syrup and Habitat for Humanity

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0. The economy mostly runs on small to medium-sized farms and small businesses. Franklin, the county's only incorporated town, holds most of the commerce. The North Fork Valley on the west side caters to outdoor recreation visitors with motels, restaurants, and guide services. In re...

Image: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia) | CC BY-SA 3.0

Pendleton County, West Virginia: The 1985 Killer Floods

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Nyttend, Public domain. On Election Day in November 1985, the remnants of Hurricane Juan combined with a cold front and dumped extraordinary rainfall on the central Appalachians. The South Branch of the Potomac at Franklin crested at 22.6 feet - more than 15 feet above flood stage in the shallow riverbe...

Image: Nyttend | Public domain