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History · Middlebourne

Middlebourne dates to 1813, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 88 buildings.

1813founded
2on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Middlebourne began

When was Middlebourne founded?

1813

Middlebourne dates its founding to 1813 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1826.

2020 census: 717213 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1826.The full story ↓

What stands out about Middlebourne’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Middlebourne are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Middlebourne Historic District takes in 88 historic buildings.Deep rootsEstablished in 1813: 213 years of Middlebourne.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Middlebourne’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Middlebourne’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

2 listings protect 90 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
90
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Tyler County Courthouse and Jail
Tyler County Courthouse and JailMiddlebourne Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Classic Revival1
Early Republic1
Federal1
Late Victorian1
Queen Anne1
Romanesque1
Tyler County Courthouse and JailClassic Revival
Middlebourne Historic DistrictEarly Republic

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Timeline

Middlebourne, 1813 to 1897

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1813
    FoundingMiddlebourne is established
  3. 1826Post officeThe Middlebourne post office opens
  4. 1897Born hereHerbert Stephenson Boreman is born here
The story

How Middlebourne came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Middlebourne.

Read it all →

Middlebourne was established by an enactment of the Virginia General Assembly in 1813. Two explanations have been given for the name of the town: One is that it was located halfway between Pennsylvania and a series of salt wells along the Kanawha River upstream of Charleston; the other is that it is located midway between the source and the mouth of Middle Island Creek, which flows through the town.

The Tyler County Courthouse and Jail is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Middlebourne, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Tyler County Courthouse WV2006Tyler County Courthouse WVMiddlebourne West Virginia2006Middlebourne West VirginiaWVMap-doton-Middlebourne2004WVMap-doton-Middlebourne
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Middlebourne’s post office has been open since 1826.

Gone or out of use
Ellsworth Middle SchoolschoolTyler County High SchoolschoolTyler County Jailbuilding

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Middlebourne’s history

What year was Middlebourne founded?

In 1813, according to Wikidata. Middlebourne’s post office opened in 1826.

What is on the National Register in Middlebourne?

Two places: the Tyler County Courthouse and Jail (listed 1980) and the Middlebourne Historic District (1993).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.