Huntington, West Virginia
From West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia
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Huntington,WV (map (http://www.wvexp.com/images/thumb/e/e0/180px-Huntington_West_Virginia.gif)), the county seat of Cabell County, was originally called Halderby's Landing, for one of the pioneer families. Huntington was laid out as a town in 1869 by Collis P. Huntington, of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O), and named for him when incorporated in 1871.
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Development of Huntington, WV
The city of Huntington was planned by C. P. Huntington, who, after an irritating experience at Guyandotte, was firmly convinced that his mission was to locate a new town. Huntington was planned for orderly growth and development. It was also favored by its location at a natural gateway between different regions, its excellent shipping facilities, via the Ohio River, and its vicinity to a territory rich in timber and mineral wealth.
The C&O line connecting Huntington to Charleston was opened in 1871, and by 1872 the line was completed as far as Kanawha Falls, in Fayette County. In 1873 the entire route between Richmond, VA and Huntington was completed. In 1880 Huntington achieved a direct rail connection with Lexington, KY via a C&O line completed from Huntington to a connection with the Elizabethtown, Lexington, and Big Sandy Railroad. Under charge of H. E. Huntington, the line was finished to Cincinnati, the first train over the extension arriving at Cincinnati from Newport News, VA on Dec. 25, 1888.
From 1871 through 1900 Huntington grew at a rate of 400 annually, becoming an important rail and river shipping point for tobacco, dairy, produce, poultry and fruit. By the mid-1920's Huntington was the largest city in West Virginia, with 140 miles of paved streets, 90 jobbers, brokers and wholesale firms, and 8 companies engaged in warehousing located in the city. During the same era, the city of Huntingon was served by three railroads: the main line of the C&O, the Ohio River Division of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), and the Norfolk & Western Railway (http://www.wvrailroads.net/index.php/Norfolk_%26_Western_Railway) (N&W) at Kenova, at point about four miles from Huntington. The Midland Trail and U. S. Routes 52 and 62 passed through the city, and a million-dollar concrete-floored highway bridge spanning the Ohio River linking it with the highway of Ohio. A city and interurban steet car system and bus lines supplemented the train service into the surrounding territory, including the nearby towns of Ohio and Kentucky.
Variant Name(s) for Huntington, WV
Guyandot, Guyandotte, Holderbys Landing, and Maple Grove
