Yohogania County, Virginia facts for kids
Yohogania County was a special county created by the new state of Virginia in 1776. It was located in an area that Virginia and Pennsylvania both claimed belonged to them. This county stopped existing after the two states finally agreed on their border in the 1780s. Because of this, it's sometimes called a "lost county." However, over a million people live in the area it once covered today! This area includes two full counties and parts of four others across two states.
The problem started because of how land was given out and how borders were drawn during the Colonial period. Maps of North America weren't very accurate back then. Land grants and even government areas often overlapped, causing a lot of confusion.
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Why Did States Fight Over Land?
Virginia claimed a large wedge of land that stretched from its coast all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Pennsylvania, on the other hand, claimed land that was five degrees of longitude west of the Delaware River. By the 1770s, it became clear that these two claims overlapped. This was especially true in an area Pennsylvania had named Westmoreland County in 1773. Settlers were moving into this area from both Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Both states claimed the entire southwestern part of what is now Pennsylvania. This area was west of the Laurel Ridge in the Allegheny Mountains. It was also south of the Kiskiminetas, Allegheny, and Ohio rivers.
The Ohio River Meeting Point
A very important spot was where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet to form the Ohio River. This is where Fort Pitt was located, which is now the city of Pittsburgh. The arguments over who controlled this area led to both states giving land to settlers. There were even fights between Virginians and Pennsylvanians in 1774 and 1775. In 1774, a group of Virginia soldiers attacked and captured the main town of Westmoreland County, Hannastown. They even arrested three local judges who wouldn't agree that Virginia had control.
Earlier, similar arguments between Maryland and Pennsylvania were solved by 1767. Two experts, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, came from England to survey the land. The line they drew is now famous as the Mason–Dixon line. However, their work only went as far west as Maryland. It didn't help solve the border problems between Virginia and Pennsylvania.
How Yohogania County Was Formed
In 1776, soon after the American Revolutionary War began, Virginia's government, called the Virginia General Assembly, created three new counties. They were made from an area called the District of West Augusta. This area covered much of what is now northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania. The new counties were Monongalia County, Ohio County, and Yohogania County. All three claimed land in both present-day Pennsylvania and Virginia (now West Virginia).
These new counties were named after rivers in the region. Ohio County was named after the Ohio River. Monongalia County was named after the Monongahela River. Yohogania County was named after the Youghiogheny River. The names Monongalia and Yohogania were Latin versions of the river names. The main town for Yohogania County was near the Monongahela River. It was located in what is now Jefferson Hills, across from Elizabeth.
Ending the Border Fight
On December 27, 1779, the Second Continental Congress (a group of leaders from the new American states) suggested something important. They told Virginia and Pennsylvania to stop arguing with each other. Instead, they should focus on fighting the British. So, they should agree on their border.
This agreement was made in theory by leaders from both states in Baltimore in 1779. Both state governments approved it in 1780. They decided to extend the Mason and Dixon's line five degrees west from the Delaware River. From that point, they would draw a straight line north to the Ohio River. This would be the new border between the two states.
Since the conflict seemed over, Pennsylvania created two new counties from Westmoreland: Washington in 1781 and Fayette in 1783. These new counties included land that Yohogania, Ohio, or Monongalia counties had claimed. But even with the agreement, there was still some confusion about who had control.
Drawing the Final Border Line
On November 4, 1782, Colonel Joseph Neville from Virginia and Alexander McClean from Pennsylvania marked a temporary border line. A final, permanent survey was done by Neville and Andrew Ellicott, who was from Maryland and represented Virginia. They marked the corner point late in 1784. By August 23, 1785, the border line was finished all the way north to the Ohio River, near what is now East Liverpool, Ohio. In 1786, the line was continued to Lake Erie. This line became the border between Pennsylvania and the Northwest Territory, which later became the state of Ohio in 1803. Virginia had given up its claim to the Northwest Territory to Congress in 1784.
The survey showed that parts of Ohio and Monongalia counties, and almost all of Yohogania County, were actually inside Pennsylvania. The parts of Yohogania County that became Pennsylvania included all of today's Westmoreland County. It also included parts of today's Allegheny, Beaver, Washington, and Fayette counties.
The small part of Yohogania that remained in West Virginia's Northern Panhandle was too small to be its own county. So, it was added to Ohio County. (Similarly, parts of what Ohio County and Monongalia County claimed are now in Washington, Greene, and Fayette counties in Pennsylvania.) Later, in 1797, Virginia created Brooke County from the northern part of Ohio County. As more people moved into the area, Hancock County was created in 1848 from the northern part of Brooke County. The county line for Hancock County was drawn right through the middle of a village called Hollidays Cove, which is now Weirton.
