Hardy

Formed October 17, 1786 (7^th county)

Hardy County (14,298), Moorefield (2,521)

The red brick Neo-Classical building was constructed in 1914.  The building is on Washington Street at Elm Street.  United States Highway 220 is one block to the west of the courthouse.  Milburn, Heister & Company are the architects.  The building was enlarged in 1984.  It features columns.  There was an 1859 courthouse earlier also in Moorefield, the only county seat.  The county was created on October 17, 1786 from Hampshire County as the 7^th county.  Hardy County is named for Virginia statesman Samuel Hardy.  The county seat was named for settler Conrad Moore. 

Hardy County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Two Circuit Court Judges serve Hardy, Hampshire, and Pendleton counties and One Family Court Judge and Two Magistrate Court Judges serve Hardy, Grant, and Pendleton counties.  The county is located in the northeast on the border with Virginia.  Charleston, West Virginia is southwest and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is northwest of the county.  The county center is 5.2 miles East-Southeast of Moorefield nearer Fort Run.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Hampshire County and Virginia and Pendleton, Grant, and Mineral counties. 

The area of the county is 583 square miles.  It is 11 out of 55 in the state.  It ranks 38 out of 55 in population in the state.  It has a density of 24.5 persons per square mile making it 43 out of 55 in the state.  Hardy County has 19.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 220 enters the county from the north, Hampshire County and exits to the southwest, Grant County.  The county resembles a bird’s head facing southwest.  Moorefield is located in the western quarter of the county.  Moorefield is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 17.6% of the county population.