Buckhannon, West Virginia
| Buckhannon, West Virginia | |
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| City | |
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East Main Street in Buckhannon in 2006
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Location of Buckhannon, West Virginia |
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| Coordinates: 38°59′21″N 80°13′27″W / 38.98917°N 80.22417°WCoordinates: 38°59′21″N 80°13′27″W / 38.98917°N 80.22417°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Upshur |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | David McCauley |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.83 sq mi (7.33 km2) |
| • Land | 2.83 sq mi (7.33 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,430 ft (436 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 5,639 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 5,645 |
| • Density | 1,992.6/sq mi (769.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 26201 |
| Area code(s) | 304, 681 |
| FIPS code | 54-11188 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1536594 |
Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States, and is located along the Buckhannon River. The population was 5,639 at the 2010 census. Buckhannon is home to West Virginia Wesleyan College and the West Virginia Strawberry Festival, held annually on the third week of May. The city is located 115 miles northeast from the capital city of Charleston and 140 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Sago Mine collapse occurred near Buckhannon on January 2, 2006, resulting in the deaths of 12 of 13 trapped miners. At the time, it was one of the worst mining accidents in the United States for several years and attracted national news coverage.
The history of Upshur County begins with the settlement of the Buckhannon River Valley. Brothers Samuel and John Pringle were English soldiers serving in the French and Indian War (Seven Years' War) who, in 1761, deserted their post at Fort Pitt (present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). They traveled southward and upstream along the Monongahela and Tygart Valley rivers, continuing up what is now called the Buckhannon River. They were said to have arrived in present-day Upshur County in 1764 and took up living in a huge hollow of an American sycamore. They lived there for three years, living off game and fish. Finally one went out for more ammunition and found the war was over. After his return, they moved to the South Branch settlements. John later went to Kentucky, but Samuel returned to the river valley with his new wife Charity Pringle (née Cutright), her brother John Jr., friends Thomas Hughes, and John and Elizabeth Jackson with their sons George and Edward. (Edward was the grandfather of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.)
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