Barbour

Formed March 3, 1843 (32^nd county)

Barbour County (15,462), Philippi (2,925)

The classic brown stone Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse was built in 1903.  It sits on a square at Main, Church, Walnut, and Court streets.  United States Highway 250 is Main Street in the town.  J. Charles Fulton is the building designer.  The structure features a tower.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  There was an 1843 courthouse earlier in Philippi, the only county seat.  Barbour County was created on March 3, 1843 for Harrison, Lewis, and Randolph counties as the 32^nd county.  The county and county seat are named for Congressman Philip Pendleton Barbour. 

Barbour County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  One Circuit Court Judge, One Family Court Judge and One Magistrate Court Judge serve Barbour and Taylor counties.  The county is in the northeast part of the state.  Charleston, West Virginia is southwest and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is north of the county.  The county is shaped like the number 9 with a short leg.  Philippi is located in the northwest quarter of the county.  Philippi is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 18.9% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced FIL-I-PIE.

The area of the county is 341 square miles.  It is 38 out of 55 in the state.  It ranks 36 out of 55 in population in the state.  It has a density of 45.3 persons per square mile making it 29 out of 55 in the state.  Barbour County has 33.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 119 enters the county from the north, Taylor County, and exits to the southwest, Upshur County.  United States Highway 250 is joined with United States Highway 119 from Taylor County, splits and continues southeast into Randolph County.  The county center is 2.6 miles Southeast of Philippi.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Taylor, Preston, Tucker, Randolph, Upshur, and Harrison counties.