Morgan County, West Virginia
| Morgan County, West Virginia | |
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Morgan County Courthouse Complex, July 2011
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 Location in the U.S. state of West Virginia |
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 West Virginia's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | February 9, 1820 |
| Named for | Daniel Morgan |
| Seat | Berkeley Springs |
| Largest town | Berkeley Springs |
| Area | |
| • Total | 230 sq mi (596 km2) |
| • Land | 229 sq mi (593 km2) |
| • Water | 0.5 sq mi (1 km2), 0.2% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 17,524 |
| • Density | 76/sq mi (29/km²) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website | www |
Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,541. Its county seat is Berkeley Springs. The county was formed in 1820 from parts of Hampshire and Berkeley Counties and named in honor of General Daniel Morgan, prominent soldier of the American Revolutionary War.
Morgan County is the home of an important mine producing special sand for the glass industry.
Morgan County was created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly in March 1820 from parts of Berkeley and Hampshire counties. It was named in honor of General Daniel Morgan (1736–1802). He was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and moved to Winchester, Virginia as a youth. He served as a wagoner in Braddock's Army during the campaign against the Native Americans in 1755. During the campaign, a British Lieutenant became angry with him and hit him with the flat of his sword. Morgan punched the Lieutenant, knocking him unconscious. Morgan was court-martialed for striking a British officer and was sentenced to 500 lashes. Morgan later joked that the drummer who counted out the lashes miscounted and he received only 499 lashes. For the rest of his life he claimed the British still owed him one.
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