Moorefield, West Virginia

Moorefield, West Virginia
Town
Hardy County Courthouse in Moorefield
Location of Moorefield, West Virginia
Coordinates: 39°4′N 78°58′W / 39.067°N 78.967°W / 39.067; -78.967Coordinates: 39°4′N 78°58′W / 39.067°N 78.967°W / 39.067; -78.967
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Hardy
Area
• Total	2.40 sq mi (6.22 km2)
• Land	2.35 sq mi (6.09 km2)
• Water	0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2)
Elevation	810 ft (247 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,544
• Estimate (2012)	2,505
• Density	1,082.6/sq mi (418.0/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	26836
Area code(s)	304
FIPS code	54-55588
GNIS feature ID	1543520

Moorefield is a town in Hardy County, West Virginia, USA. Moorefield is the county seat of Hardy County. It was originally chartered in 1777 and named for Conrad Moore, who owned the land upon which the town was laid out. The population was 2,544 at the 2010 census. Moorefield is located at the confluence of the South Branch Potomac River and the South Fork South Branch Potomac River. Today it is run by Mayor Tim Luttrell.

Moorefield is situated in the South Branch Valley along the South Branch of the Potomac River. Native Americans populated this area for centuries, farming along the river and hunting in the surrounding mountains. English settlers began arriving in the early 18th century, attracted by the fertile land. This early settlement was centered on the community of Old Fields, which is located about five miles to the north of present-day Moorefield. Conflict between the settlers and Native American populations broke out during the French and Indian War. Two fortifications guarded the South Branch Valley in the vicinity of Moorefield. Fort Buttermilk was erected in 1756 and garrisoned by Captain Thomas Waggoner's Virginia Regiment Company. A second fortress, Fort Pleasant, situated at Henry Van Meter's Farm at Old Fields, guarded the northern side of the valley and was also garrisoned by Captain Thomas Waggoner's Virginia Regiment Company. In the spring of 1756, soldiers from Forts Buttermilk and Pleasant clashed with Shawnee warriors under Bemino (known to the English as Killbuck) at the Battle of the Trough.

The land on which Moorefield was laid out was owned by Conrad Moore. In 1777, the Virginia General Assembly chartered the town of Moorefield in what was then Hampshire County, Virginia (today Hardy County, West Virginia). When Hardy County was separated from Hampshire County by act of the Virginia General Assembly in 1785, Moorefield was chosen as the county seat. Many of the historic houses in Moorefield display vernacular adaptations of Federal and Greek Revival architecture and date to the last quarter of the 18th century and first quart of the 19th century. During the American Civil War, Moorefield was the site of a cavalry engagement between Union Brigadier General William W. Averell and Confederate Brigadier General John McCausland on August 7, 1864.