Putnam

Formed March 11, 1848 (40^th county)

Putnam County (57,435), Winfield (2,392), Hurricane (6,970)

The Romanesque Revival building was built in 1900 and added on in 1921, 1963, and 1974.  The county was created on March 11, 1848 and Winfield has always been the county seat.  It was the 40^th county from parts of Cabell, Kanawha, and Mason counties.  Putnam County is named for American Revolutionary War hero Israel Putnam.  The county seat was named for American Revolutionary War General Winfield Scott.  The facility is on Winfield Road at Courthouse Drive.  United States Highway 35 is Winfield Road.  Frank Pierce Milburn designed this red brick facility.  A Justice Center was added in 1997.  The courthouse features towers with veteran memorials on the grounds.

Putnam County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Two Circuit Court Judges, One Family Court Judge and Four Magistrate Court Judges serve Putnam County.  Putnam County is in the southeast part of West Virginia.  Charleston, West Virginia is directly east and Cincinnati, Ohio is west of the county.  The county center is 3.4 miles Southeast of Winfield.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Mason, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Cabell counties. 

The area of the county is 346 square miles.  It is 36 out of 55 in the state.  It ranks 10 out of 55 in population in the state.  It has a density of 166.0 persons per square mile making it 11 out of 55 in the state.  Putnam County has 25.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 64 passes east to west in the county from Kanawha County to Cabell County.  United States Highway 35 enters from the north, Mason County, and exits to the southeast, Kanawha County.  United States Highway 60 parallels Interstate Highway 64 from Kanawha to Cabell counties.  The county resembles a fat capital letter F.  Winfield is located in the western third of the county.  Hurricane is near the southwest border of the county.  Winfield is the county seat and Hurricane is the largest city.  Winfield is 4.2% of the county population while Hurricane is 12.1% of the county population.  This county is in the Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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