Putnam County, West Virginia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Putnam County
U.S. county
Putnam County Courthouse in Winfield
Location within the U.S. state of West Virginia
West Virginia's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
Founded	March 11, 1848
Named for	Israel Putnam
Seat	Winfield
Largest city	Hurricane
Area
• Total	350 sq mi (900 km2)
• Land	346 sq mi (900 km2)
• Water	4.7 sq mi (12 km2)  1.3%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	57,440
• Estimate  (2021)	57,260
• Density	164.1/sq mi (63.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Putnam County is a county in the state of West Virginia, USA. In 2020, about 57,440 people lived there. The county seat, or main town for government, is Winfield. The biggest city is Hurricane. The largest community is Teays Valley. Putnam County is part of the larger Huntington–Ashland area. It sits across the Kanawha River from Charleston, West Virginia.

History

The state government of Virginia created Putnam County on March 11, 1848. It was made from parts of Cabell, Kanawha, and Mason counties. The county was named after Israel Putnam. He was a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War. George Washington explored this area in 1770.

Winfield, the county seat, started in 1818. It officially became a town on February 21, 1868. It was named to honor General Winfield Scott. He was a general during the Mexican American War and the start of the Civil War.

Before and during the Civil War, slavery was a big issue in Putnam County. In 1861, voters chose James W. Hoge to represent them. He first voted against leaving the Union. But later, he signed the order to leave. No one from Putnam County went to the meetings that created West Virginia in 1863.

Two small battles happened in Putnam County during the Civil War. On July 17, 1861, soldiers from the Confederate side won against Union soldiers at the Battle of Scary Creek. The Confederates then moved to Charleston. The second fight was on October 24, 1864. Confederate troops took a Union steamboat on the Kanawha River. They then attacked the courthouse. But the "Battle of Winfield" ended with a Union victory. About 400 soldiers from Putnam County fought for the Union. About 400 others fought for the Confederacy.

Putnam County was one of 50 Virginia counties that joined the Union. They became the state of West Virginia on June 20, 1863. Later, counties were split into civil townships. This was to help local government. But it was hard to do in rural areas. So, in 1872, townships became "magisterial districts." Putnam County first had six townships. These were Buffalo, Curry, Grant, Hutton, Scott, and Union. In 1872, they became districts. The next year, Grant became Teays Valley, and Hutton became Pocatalico. These districts stayed mostly the same until the 1980s. Then, Buffalo and Union districts joined to form Buffalo-Union. Teays Valley was shortened to "Teays."

A railroad was rebuilt through Putnam County in 1875.

Geography

The Kanawha River flows through the middle of Putnam County. The county has wooded hills and many small streams. The land slopes towards the north. The highest point is about 1,129 feet (344 meters) high. The county covers 350 square miles (906 square kilometers). Of this, 346 square miles (896 square kilometers) is land. About 4.7 square miles (12 square kilometers) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

In 2010, there were 55,486 people living in Putnam County. There were 21,981 households, which are groups of people living together. There were also 16,176 families. The county had about 160 people per square mile (62 people per square kilometer).

Most people in the county were white (96.8%). About 0.9% were Black or African American. About 0.7% were Asian. About 0.2% were American Indian. About 0.3% were from other races. And 1.1% were from two or more races. About 0.9% of the people were of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Many people had roots from different places. About 13.2% said they were American. About 12.9% were German. About 11.3% were English. And 10.6% were Irish.

About 33.6% of households had children under 18 living with them. Most households (59.6%) were married couples. About 9.5% had a female head of household with no husband. About 26.4% were not families. And 22.3% of all households were single people. The average household had 2.51 people. The average family had 2.93 people. The average age of people in the county was 40.9 years old.

The average income for a household in the county was $52,618. For a family, it was $63,642. Men earned about $51,837 on average. Women earned about $31,198 on average. The income per person in the county was $25,857. About 8.5% of families and 10.4% of all people lived below the poverty line. This included 15.6% of those under 18. It also included 6.5% of those 65 or older.

Notable people

• Michael Barber - A former American football player. He played wide receiver. He was added to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005. He played four seasons in the NFL.
• Frank Clayton Bowyer - A businessman who was mayor of Tampa, Florida, from 1898 to 1900.
• Virginia Mae Brown - A civil servant, government official, and lawyer. She was West Virginia's first female assistant attorney general. She was also the first female insurance commissioner. She was the first woman appointed to the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) and later its first female chair.
• Samuel Simon Gordon - An American baseball player in the Negro league from 1908 to 1913. He played first base.
• Eugene H. Comstock - A NASCAR race car driver from Chesapeake, Ohio.
• Kathryn "Kathie" Hess Crouse - An American politician. She serves in the West Virginia House of Delegates. She was appointed in 2021.
• Minnie Buckingham Harper - An American politician and housewife. In 1928, she became the first Black woman to serve in a state legislature in the United States.
• Samantha Jane Atkeson Morgan - A painter.
• Brady Ralph Paxton - A politician and a Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates. He has served since 1999.
• Eric J. Tarr - A Republican member of the West Virginia Senate. He has represented the 4th district since 2019.

Communities

Cities

• Hurricane
• Nitro (part)

Towns

Magisterial districts

• Buffalo-Union
• Curry
• Pocatalico
• Scott
• Teays

Census-designated places

• Culloden (part)
• Hometown
• Teays Valley

Unincorporated communities

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Putnam (Virginia Occidental) para niños