Cabell County was established on January 2, 1809, from part of Kanawha County and named for William H. Cabell, governor of Virginia. Early settlement grew along the Ohio River, where Guyandotte was an important river town before the rise of Huntington. Huntington, founded in 1871 by Collis P. Huntington as a western terminus of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, became the county seat and a major industrial and transportation hub. The county’s economy historically centered on railroads, manufacturing, and river commerce, shaping its growth through the 19th and 20th centuries.