County History

Districts of Kanawha

The State of West Virginia was formed by setting apart certain counties in the western part of Virginia to constitute said state. After the state was made, the said Counties remained the same, and then the Constitution of 1863 provided that each county should be divided into townships, not less than three, nor more than ten. This division was a new thing in name and it was borrowed from the northern states - each Township should elect its own officers - the Supervisors, elected by each Township, should constitute a Board, known as the Supervisors of the county, the governing body of the county.

An Act (1863) provided for the appointment of commissioners to divide each county into townships - for Kanawha, the Commissioners were; George Belcher, John T. Reynolds, John Atkinson, Hiram Holston, Andrew Cunningham, David Shirkey, and John L. Coke.

The townships for Kanawha were ten in number, and the names given were: Big Sandy, Elk, Poca, Union, Jefferson, Washington, Loudon, Cabin Creek, Malden and Charleston; they met and made, laid out and bounded, each township, which is made of record.

The Constitution of 1872, provided that each county should be laid off into Districts, not less than three, nor more than ten, and that the "present subdivision of the counties by townships shall constitute such districts," etc. This abolished townships and supervisors and substituted districts and the County Court, in the place, thereof.

Big Sandy District (click on district names for more information)
Elk District
Poca District
Union District
Jefferson District
Washington District
Loudon District
Cabin Creek District
Malden District
Charleston District

Taken from History of Charleston and Kanawha County West Virginia and Representative Citizens, W.S. Laidley, Richmond Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, 1911.