Pocahontas lies in a mountainous region rich in bituminous coal deposits, so much so that Pocahontas coal is known everywhere. The description of the county's bounds notes the lines of Greenbrier, Bath, Randolph and Pendleton counties and "Randolph court House." This is the first mention of a courthouse anywhere in this area.
After discussing eight counties now in West Virginia, we come to a Virginia county, Alleghany, formed in 1822 from Botetourt, Bath and Monroe counties. It is the name the Delaware Indians gave both the Ohio and the Alleghany rivers, but its origin is uncertain. Presumably, the mountains took their name from the river. Within the bounds of Alleghany County the Jackson and the Cow-pasture rivers unite to form the James River, the longest river in the state and the most important in its early history.
Its bounds were thus described: "beginning at the top of the middle of Potts' mountain, where the road leading from Fincastle to the Sweet Springs crosses the same; thence with said road to the top of Peter's mountain; thence a straight line to the Greenbrier county line on the top of the Alleghany mountain so as to pass between the Sweet and Red springs; thence with the top of the Alleghany or Greenbrier line to a certain point so that a straight line drawn thence to include in the new county Captain Henry Massie's plantation in the Falling Spring Valley may also include Archibald Morriss's plantation on Jackson's river in said new county; thence a straight line from the said Massie's across the Cow-pasture river immediately below William Griffin's on said river to the Rockbridge county line; thence with said line to a point in the Rockbridge and Botetourt line so that a line drawn from thence will pass at or near the junction of Jackson's and Cow-pasture rivers to the nearest part of the Rich Patch mountain; and this line to be so run as to leave the house and yard of Captain John Jordan in the county of Botetourt; thence with the highest points of the said Rich Patch mountain next to Craig's creek so as to include the inhabitants of the Rich Patch in said new county, to a point at which it unites with Potts' mountain, thence with the top of the said mountain to the beginning."
In 1824 the county of Logan was formed from portions of Giles, Cabell, Tazewell and Kanawha counties. It lay in the southwestern part of the present West Virginia not far from the Kentucky line. The name derives from the Mingo Indian chieftain whose famous speech preserved by Thomas Jefferson was long a popular selection for young would-be orators.
1830-1840 Large Increase in Population Necessitates
Fourteen New Counties
For seven years, there was no further expansion until in 1831 when the Virginia county of Floyd was formed. This was taken from that part of Montgomery County adjacent to the counties of Franklin, Patrick and Grayson. The name is in honor of John Floyd, Governor of Virginia 1830-1834. It is a beautiful county of high mountains, fertile valleys and good blue-grass pasture land.
Its bounds were thus prescribed: "Beginning at the widow Litterell's, thence a straight line to John Thrasher's; thence a straight line to John Cooper's old place; thence a straight line to where the Waggon road crosses the Laurel ridge; from thence along the highest part of said ridge to Little river; and down the same to Mack's mountain; and with the same to the Grayson line and with the same to the Patrick line and with the same to the Franklin line and with the same to the line of Montgomery and Franklin, opposite the widow Litterell's; from thence a straight line to the beginning."
In addition to Floyd, Fayette County was also formed in 1831. This county, the second attempt Virginia had made to honor the Marquis de la Fayette, fell later into West Virginia. Taken from parts of Logan, Greenbrier, Nicholas and Kanawha, Fayette lies in the southeastern part of the state, and is traversed by the New River.
The lengthy description of its bounds notes several streams besides the New River; namely: Lick creek, Meadow river, Mill creek, Gauley river, Twenty Mile creek, Kanawha river, Guyandotte and Cole (Coal) river. For the first time we find mention of a turnpike, "the Kanawha turnpike." In the decade 1820-1830, a great interest in highways developed, and turnpikes and toll roads became numerous. In Virginia a well-known toll road ran through the Valley of Virginia called "the Valley Pike." National highway Route Number 11 largely follows its path.
The third county created in 1831 also is now a West Virginia county, Jackson. Formed from Mason, Kanawha and Wood, Jackson lies in the western part of the state along the Ohio River south of Parkersburg. It was named for General Andrew Jackson, then in his first term as President of the United States. A song popular at that time carried these two lines complimenting his exploits: