Qualla: Randolph County

Randolph County: Introduction

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 4.0. On July 11, 1861, a small Union force led by General William Rosecrans climbed a back trail to outflank a Confederate position on Rich Mountain in what was then western Virginia. The resulting Battle of Rich Mountain was tiny by later standards - perhaps a thousand engaged on each side - but it was, in important respects, the first significant Union victory of the Civil War. It happened in present-day Randolph County, which would not exist as part of West Virginia for another two years. The county that now covers 1,040 square miles of mountains, valleys, rivers, and one of the country's largest national forest tracts is the largest in West Virginia by area. It contains some of the most remote, ecologically unusual, and historically layered terrain in the Appalachian highlands.

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Image: Jarek Tuszyński | CC BY-SA 4.0

Randolph County: A County Older Than Two States

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA, CC BY 2.0. Randolph County was created out of Harrison County in 1787 - while West Virginia was still part of Virginia, sixty-two years before there was an idea of West Virginia. It was named for Edmund Randolph, then governor of Virginia, who would later serve as the first U.S. Attorney Ge...

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Image: NatalieMaynor from Jackson, Mississippi, USA | CC BY 2.0

Randolph County: First Union Victory, First Confederate State

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant), CC BY-SA 3.0 us. Western Virginia's geography - mountains and small valleys, with sympathies generally pro-Union - made it the first place in the Confederacy where Union forces could fight successfully on Southern ground. The 1861 Western Virginia Campaign included the Battle of Rich Mountain in ...

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Image: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 3.0 us

Randolph County: Largest County, Smallest Population

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant), CC BY-SA 2.5. Randolph covers 1,040 square miles - the largest county in West Virginia by area - and contains just 27,932 people as of the 2020 census. The population density is among the lowest in the state. Much of the county lies inside the Monongahela National Forest. The Cheat Mountain, R...

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Image: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) | CC BY-SA 2.5

Randolph County: Helvetia, Little Italy, and the Sinks of Gandy

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Reproduction, Public domain. Some of the most unusual places in West Virginia are tucked into Randolph County. Helvetia, founded in 1869 by Swiss immigrants, still observes Swiss-German traditions; its Fasnacht parade each February pulls visitors from across the country. A small unincorporated community is n...

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Image: Reproduction | Public domain