Pruntytown, West Virginia

Pruntytown is an unincorporated community at the junction of the Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Route 50) and U.S. Route 250 in Taylor County, West Virginia, USA. It is the site of the former West Virginia Industrial Home for Boys, now the Pruntytown Correctional Center.

Pruntytown
Unincorporated community
Pruntytown
Location within the state of West Virginia
Pruntytown
Pruntytown (the United States)
Coordinates: 39°20′2″N 80°4′36″W
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountyTaylor
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
GNIS feature ID1545306[1]

History

The first settlement at Pruntytown (the earliest known white settlement in what is now Taylor County) came in the late 1790s with pioneers John Prunty (1764-1848) and his brother David.[2] It was initially known as Cross Roads, from the intersection there of the old Clarksburg Pike and the old Beverly and Fairmont Road. On January 1, 1801 Cross Roads was renamed Williamsport in honor of Abraham Williams, a local resident. The name was changed again on January 23, 1845 to honor pioneer settler John Prunty. This town served as the county seat from the county's founding in 1844 until a county election in 1878 moved it about three miles away to Grafton.

Notable natives and residents

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Pruntytown, West Virginia
  2. Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, WV: The Place Name Press. p. 511.


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