Pendleton County is named for Edmund Pendleton, who was a member of the first Continental Congress.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Tucker County, Grant County and Hardy County
E – Rockingham County, Virginia and Augusta County, Virginia
S – Highland County, Virginia
W – Pocahontas County and Randolph County
Created: December 4, 1788
County Seat:
Franklin 1788 – present
County Courthouse – Franklin
Location: 100 South Main Street / Walnut Street
Built: 1925 – 1926
Style: Greek Revival
Architect: Snyder Brothers of Keyser
Contractor: Snyder Brothers of Keyser
Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Franklin. The east front has a large portico with four tall white colored columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. The entrance on the first story is framed with small pediment above. On the center of the roof is a high square white colored cupola with red colored roof. Filigreed brackets are used for trim around the roof. On the north side is an entrance with six columns rising to a header at the roof line. The roof is hipped. In the interior, the courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 22nd Judicial Circuit, County Magistrate Court and County Family Court. The building was renovated in 1995.
Note: The Commission Minutes do not show that an architect was hired and it is presumed that the contractor used the existing plans to construct the fourth courthouse.
See: The 22nd Judicial District includes Hampshire County and Hardy County.
History: The county was created in 1788. The first courthouse was a log structure erected at a cost of $160. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1817. The third courthouse was a two story structure built by John Crigler in 1888. The courthouse was destroyed by fire on April 17, 1924. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1925 to 1927 at a cost of $70,000.
Note: The highest point in West Virginia is Spruce Knob at 4863 feet ( 1482 meters ) which is located in the county.
County Courthouse – Franklin
Commission Minutes
Photos taken 2012