Taylor County, West Virginia Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Taylor County

U.S. county

Clelland House, built in 1800.

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of West Virginia

West Virginia's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

West Virginia

Founded

January 19, 1844

Named for

John Taylor of Caroline

Seat

Grafton

Largest city

Grafton

Area

• Total

176 sq mi (460 km²)

• Land

173 sq mi (450 km²)

• Water

2.9 sq mi (8 km²) 1.7%%

Population

(2020)

• Total

16,705

• Estimate

(2021)

16,492

• Density

94.91/sq mi (36.65/km²)

Time zone

UTC−5 (Eastern)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−4 (EDT)

Congressional district

1st

Taylor County is a county located in the state of West Virginia in the United States. In 2020, about 16,705 people lived there. The main town and county seat (where the government offices are) is Grafton. Taylor County was created in 1844. It was named after Senator John Taylor of Caroline. This county is part of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History of Taylor County
Geography of Taylor County
- Main Roads in Taylor County
- Neighboring Counties
People and Population
- What the 2020 Census Showed
Communities in Taylor County
Images for kids
See also

History of Taylor County

Long ago, ancient people called the Adena culture lived in this area. They were here during the Pre-Columbian Woodland period, which was a time before Europeans arrived in America.

Some of the first Europeans to visit this land might have been soldiers. They reportedly left their army post at Fort Pitt in 1761. This was during the French and Indian War. They explored northwestern Virginia for several years. A European trader from the Hudson's Bay Company also visited these lands around 1764.

Pruntytown is the oldest known European settlement in what is now Taylor County. It was founded around 1798. At first, it was called Cross Roads. On January 1, 1801, its name changed to Williamsport. This honored Abraham Williams, who lived there for a long time. The name changed again on January 23, 1845, to Pruntytown. This new name honored pioneer settler John Prunty, Sr. and his son David. Pruntytown was the county seat from 1844 until 1878. Then, people voted to move the county seat to Grafton, West Virginia.

The Virginia General Assembly officially created Taylor County on January 19, 1844. It was formed from parts of Barbour, Harrison, and Marion counties in Virginia. Most historians believe the county was named after John Taylor (1753-1824). He was a senator from Caroline County, Virginia. Some people think it was named after Zachary Taylor, who later became president.

On June 20, 1863, during the Civil War, Taylor was one of fifty Virginia counties. These counties joined together to form the new state of West Virginia. Later that year, counties were divided into smaller areas called civil townships. This was meant to help local governments. But it was hard to do in rural areas. So, in 1872, townships became magisterial districts.

Taylor County first had nine townships: Booths Creek, Clay, Court House, Fetterman, Flemington, Grafton, Haymond, Union, and Webster. Grafton Township covered the town of Grafton. Over time, some townships were combined. In the 1970s, the six historic districts became three new ones: Central, Eastern, and Western. In the 1990s, Central District was renamed Tygart.

The West Virginia Equal Suffrage Association was started in November 1895. This happened at the Taylor County Courthouse. The group worked to get women the right to vote.

Anna Jarvis, who started Mother's Day, was born in Taylor County. The International Mother's Day Shrine is located there today.

Geography of Taylor County

The United States Census Bureau says Taylor County covers about 176 square miles. Most of this area, about 173 square miles, is land. The rest, about 2.9 square miles (1.7%), is water. Taylor County is the fifth-smallest county in West Virginia by land area.

Main Roads in Taylor County

U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 119
U.S. Route 250
West Virginia Route 76
West Virginia Route 310

Neighboring Counties

Taylor County shares borders with these other counties:

Monongalia County (north)
Preston County (east)
Barbour County (south)
Harrison County (west)
Marion County (northwest)

People and Population

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	5,367	—
1860	7,463	39.1%
1870	9,367	25.5%
1880	11,455	22.3%
1890	12,147	6.0%
1900	14,978	23.3%
1910	16,554	10.5%
1920	18,742	13.2%
1930	19,114	2.0%
1940	19,919	4.2%
1950	18,422	−7.5%
1960	15,010	−18.5%
1970	13,878	−7.5%
1980	16,584	19.5%
1990	15,144	−8.7%
2000	16,089	6.2%
2010	16,895	5.0%
2020	16,705	−1.1%
2021 (est.)	16,492	−2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

What the 2020 Census Showed

The 2020 United States census counted 16,705 people living in Taylor County. There were 6,557 households. Most people (94%) were White. About 0.7% were African American, and 0.2% were Asian. A small number (1.1%) were Hispanic or Latino.

The average household had 3.08 people. The average age in the county was 44.1 years old. About 20.2% of the people were under 18. The average income for a household was $52,823. About 16.2% of the population lived below the poverty line.