From The Beginning 
Harrison County was created from Monongalia County, Virginia,
in 1784 and was named for Benjamin Harrison, a signer of the
Declaration of Independence. It is located in the north central
section of the state, 120 miles south of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, and mid-way between Cincinnati, Ohio, and
Washington, D.C.
Clarksburg, the county seat, was originally chartered in
1785. It was named for Gen. George Rogers Clark, a renowned
explorer and Indian fighter. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was born
there on January 21, 1824. General Jackson fought for the
Confederacy, although Clarksburg was a Union stronghold.
Authorization for the first county courthouse was made in
1787 at a cost of $550. It was located on the corner of Main and
2nd streets. The frame building was constructed on eight stone
piers about ten feet high and citizens tied their horses to the
pillars while conducting business inside the courthouse.
The second courthouse was a two-story brick building located
at the corner of Main (then Market) and 3rd streets, the same
site as the present one. It cost $3,700 and was completed in
1811. A large tree trunk served as a whipping post at the rear
of this structure.
The third courthouse, built in 1856, was on the same site as
the second. It was a two-story brick with a cupola on top and
had a wrought-iron balcony over the front entrance.
A three-story red brick courthouse was erected in 1888 at a
bid of $46,000. A bell, as well as a clock, were saved from
prior courthouses and placed in the tower. When it was only
forty-four years old, the citizens opted to replace it with a
$750,000 building - the present courthouse. John W. Davis, a
native son and presidential nominee in 1924, gave the principal
address at the dedication of this courthouse in 1932
County Seat: Clarksburg
Area: 417.85 sq. miles
Population: 69,099 – 2010 census
Harrison County Commission Meetings are held every Thursday at
9:00 AM on the third floor Commission Courtroom
