Headsville, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Headsville
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Headsville United Methodist Church
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 Headsville
Location in West Virginia
Headsville
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Mineral |
| Elevation | 682 ft (208 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1554672 |
Headsville is a small, quiet community in Mineral County, West Virginia, in the United States. It's not a city or town with its own government, but rather an "unincorporated community." This means it's a group of homes and buildings that are part of the larger county.
Headsville is located near Pattersons Creek, between two important roads: U.S. Route 50 and West Virginia Route 46. Long ago, a fort called Fort Cocke was built here during the French and Indian War.
Contents
A Look Back: Headsville's History
The story of Headsville began in the mid-1700s. Settlers started to explore and claim land along Patterson Creek. The village is found at the northern end of a large area called Patterson Creek Manor. This land was measured for Lord Fairfax in 1747.
Fort Cocke and Early Days
In 1775, George Washington ordered Captain William Cocke to build Fort Cocke. This small fort was located along Patterson Creek, just south of Headsville. It was a simple fort made of wooden walls. However, it was later abandoned during the French and Indian War. In its early days, the community was also known as "Sheetz's Mill."
The Headsville United Methodist Church
The Headsville United Methodist Church started holding services in the mid-1800s. They met on the Parker Farm. In 1856, some local leaders helped build a wooden church. It was placed on a small hill overlooking Patterson Creek. This church is still used today. It's a great example of an old church building from before the American Civil War.
The Traveling Post Office
Headsville is famous for its old post office, which has quite a history!
First Post Office: Sheetz's Mill
The first post office in the area opened in 1813. It was called "Sheetz's Mill." Charles Marshall was its first postmaster. This office closed in 1815, then reopened in 1828. It closed again for a longer time in 1866.
The Headsville Post Office
A new Headsville Post Office officially opened on March 5, 1868. It stayed open until December 31, 1951. When it closed, this post office had been in the same building longer than any other in the United States!
Moving to Washington, D.C.
Because it was so special, the Smithsonian Institution bought the building. It was carefully moved to Washington, D.C.. There, it reopened in 1971 inside the National Museum of American History. For 35 years, it worked as a model of a 19th-century post office and general store.
A New Home in Pennsylvania
In 2006, the museum closed for updates, and the historic post office shut its doors. Plans were made to move it again! This time, it went to the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. This center is the main office for the American Philatelic Society, which is a group for stamp collectors.
A special building was prepared to house the Headsville post office. It was named after Gordon C. Morison and his wife Mary, who helped promote stamp collecting. The building was officially opened on October 20, 2007. The post office building was carefully taken apart by the Smithsonian. Its pieces were shipped and put back together in Bellefonte in late 2007 and early 2008. The historic Headsville Post Office reopened as a working post office on March 3, 2008.
