Upshur County, West Virginia, was officially created by the Virginia General Assembly on March 26, 1851, from portions of Barbour, Lewis, and Randolph counties. It was named in honor of Abel Parker Upshur, a notable jurist and statesman who served as both Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of State under President John Tyler. The county seat was established at Buckhannon, a community legally settled decades earlier in 1816 along the Buckhannon River. During the American Civil War, the county was a site of strategic interest, witnessing localized actions like the Battle of Middle Fork Bridge and cavalry raids by Confederate forces. Throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, Upshur County developed a robust resource-based economy centered heavily around coal mining, timbering, and farming. Today, it maintains its scenic, rural character while serving as an educational center as the home of West Virginia Wesleyan College