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Buckhannon was supposedly named by local white settlers for Buckongahelas, a renowned chief and commander of the Lenape during the Northwest Indian War and the American Revolution. His favorite hunting grounds were located near the present site of the city. The name Buckongahelas was widely misspoken by these Anglo-Saxon settlers as Buckongehanon. The name was later changed to its present form of Buckhannon. A sculpture of Buckongahelas, photographed above, was placed in Jawbone Park.
The history of Upshur County begins with the discovery and settling of the Buckhannon River Valley. Englishmen brothers Samuel and John Pringle were soldiers serving in the French and Indian War. In 1761, they abandoned their post at Fort Pitt. They traveled along the Monongahela River and Tygart Valley River (southward and upstream). When they found a fork in the latter river, they headed right. This junction is located at the mouth of the Buckhannon River.
The two brothers arrived in present-day Upshur County in 1764. They took up residence in an eleven-foot-deep cavity in a once-towering American Sycamore. They lived in the tree for about three years. This Sycamore, known as The Pringle Tree, is now a third-generation tree. It is located along the Buckhannon River, and is photographed above. During the harsh winters, they survived by fishing in the river, hunting bison and small game, and even survived run-in’s with bears.
In the Autumn of 1767, they were running out of ammunition; two charges of powder more exactly. Although they feared capture and incarceration for desertion, John decided to return for supplies. The closest settlements to their newfound home were on the South Branch Potomac River or Wappatomaka, about two hundred miles north-east. When he returned to the Sycamore, he brought news that neither man was wanted by any military authorities. Peace had been declared in regards to the War.
The Pringle Brothers left the river valley and moved to the South Branch settlements. John later made a home in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Samuel returned with his wife Mrs. Charity Pringle (née Cutright). Others who came with them include John Cutright, Jr.- (Charity's brother), Thomas Hughes, John and Elizabeth Jackson, and their sons George and Edward Jackson. Bush’s Fort was built here, as a permanent settlement, established by 1770.
The City of Buckhannon was established on Monday January 15, 1816. It was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1852. Buckhannon was part of the Commonwealth of Virginia until the secession of West Virginia into its own state on June 20, 1863 during the American Civil War. Buckhannon was a prospective site for the capital city, because of its near-central geographic location, before the secession. At this time Kanawha was one of many possible names for the state. In 1866, a bill was approved selecting Buckhannon as an option for the state's capital city. However, areas more suitable for commerce and transportation were chosen. Charleston is now the state’s Capitol City.
Buckhannon was incorporated by Act of the West Virginia Legislature on Thursday March 9, 1933. In 1854, the first courthouse was built. It also served as an opera house and town hall. Electricity was installed in 1891 replacing oil lamps. The building suffered fire damage in its first six months, and was razed in 1898. Building began on a Classical Revival style courthouse, designed by Charleston architect Harrison Albright, in 1899, completed in 1901, and is photographed above. An annex of the same style was added in 1995. The cornerstone of the main building contains a time capsule filled with 19th century artifacts.
The Buckhannon Historical Society, photographed above, is located on Main Street, in downtown Buckhannon.
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