Six or seven years ago, my cousin’s wedding led me deep into the hills of Randolph County, West Virginia. I’m grateful it did- without that trip, I might never have discovered the striking courthouse that anchors the city of Elkins! It’s one of the tallest in the state.
Randolph County was first settled in the mid-1700s by Robert Foyle and David Tygart1. Unfortunately, their settlement was short-lived: a band of itinerant Native Americans discovered Foyle’s cabin and killed seven members of his family2! A son managed to flee and alerted the Tygarts, who successfully escaped. No further settlement was attempted for another twenty years3.
In 1778, Thomas Skidmore obtained four hundred acres of land in the area4. Randolph County was established nine years later and took its name from Edmund Jennings Randolph, the seventh governor of Virginia. Courts were first held in a community known as Randolph Court House or Edmundton, before the county seat was relocated to the town of Beverly in 17905.
At first, Randolph County’s courts were held in the home of Benjamin Wilson. In 1789, James Westfall contributed lumber to build a proper log courthouse6. Randolph County’s second -a two-story brick structure with a fat cupola- was built between 1808 and 1815 on Court Street7. I didn’t know it when I visited the area, but the federal-style building is still standing today! I can’t believe I missed it.
Beverly stood as the seat of Randolph County for more than a century, but its reign didn’t go unchallenged. Trouble was brewing just seven miles north along the Tygart Valley River, where a rural settlement called Leadsville had taken root. The place had grown into a thriving trading hub, and it was overtaken by Elkins in 1890. With the backing of influential politicians and businessmen8, the newly-minted town set its sights on a bold objective: wresting the county seat away from Beverly9.
In 1890, a countywide vote to relocate the seat of government to Elkins was defeated. Determined to keep their status, the citizens of Beverly responded by constructing a massive new courthouse in 1894. Unfortunately, their efforts were short-lived- just three years later, the structure was destroyed by a mysterious fire10.
Randolph County’s documents were temporarily returned to the old 1808 courthouse in Beverly after the blaze, but the citizens of Elkins saw an opportunity: sensing their moment, they pushed for another vote to move the county seat. The results were close enough to involve the courts, but an Elkins militia launched a surprise assault on Beverly’s courthouse! Accounts of the skirmish vary, but the judiciary sided with Elkins in the end. By 1899, the county seat officially moved north, and the records were permanently relocated to Elkins11.
Elkins’ commercial district was firmly established by the time the seat was relocated there. As a result, Randolph County’s 1904 courthouse sits just southeast of downtown. One of West Virginia’s most prominent Richardson Romanesque structures, the building rises a full two stories with walls faced in stone. Facing southwest, the building’s main entrance is accessed under a low arch framed by large voussoirs, or wedge-shaped stones. To the left of the entrance, an engaged buttress rises to the second floor in support of a larger-than-life figure of justice.
The building’s architect, J. Charles Fulton of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, had a distinct preference for multi-sloped roofs. His signature style is evident not only in his design for the Randolph County Courthouse but also in his plans for those in Barbour and Doddridge Counties12.
In Elkins, the striking red tile roof stands out prominently against the brick walls. It’d be a bigger deal if there wasn’t a 150-foot clock tower13 that sprung from its front! As the tallest building in Randolph County by far, the courthouse is visible from many miles away.
I’ve only visited six of West Virginia’s fifty-five counties so far. Still, the courthouse in Elkins stands out as the tallest I’ve seen. A little research suggests that, apart from the courthouses in Wood County and possibly Cabell County’s, Randolph’s ranks as the tallest in the entire state! That’s an impressive distinction for Elkins -a town of just 6,900 people- and for Randolph County, which is only the twenty-first most populous county in West Virginia.
Now, I’m curious to see how the Randolph County Courthouse compares to more in the Mountain State. I’m quite sure I’ve gone to my last West Virginia wedding, so I’ll have to find another reason to return and explore some more.
TL;DR
Randolph County (pop. 27,148, 21/55)
Elkins (pop. 6,895)
Built: 1904
Cost: $200,000
Architect: J. Charles Fulton
Style: Romanesque Revival
Courthouse Square: Lancaster Square
Height: 150 feet
Current Use: County courts and offices
Photographed: 4/23/2018
Sources Cited
1 History of Randolph County, WV (n.d.). Randolph County Commission [Elkins]. Web. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
2 French & Indian War Along Cedar Creek and in the Shenandoah Valley (n.d.). National Park Service [Washington]. Web. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
3 Maxwell, H. (1899). The History of Barbour County. The Acme Publishing Company [Morgantown]. Book.
4 Skidmore, W. (2010). Thomas Skidmore (Scudamore), 1605-1684, of Westerleigh, Glocuestershire, and Fairfield, Connecticut; his ancestors, and descendants to the ninth generation. Warren Skidmore [Akron]. Book.
5 Kenny, H. (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning. The Place Name Press [Piedmont]. Book.
6 Deacon, J. “Logan County”. American Courthouses. 2008. Web. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
7 The 1808 Randolph County Court House (2022, November 3). Beverly Heritage Center [Beverly]. Web. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
8 (See footnote 7).
9 Tablet, D. (2017, October 31). Randolph County’s Courthouse War. Appalachian History. Web. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
10 (See footnote 9).
11 (See footnote 9).
12 Randolph County Courthouse (n.d.) Society of Architectural Historians. Archipedia. Web. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
13 (See footnote 12).
