Princeton, West Virginia

From West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia

The County seat of Mercer County, Princeton, WV (map (http://www.wvamaps.com/index.php/?place=Princeton&state=wv&lat=37.3661&lon=-81.1028&elev=2460&pop=6347)) was originally established in 1838 by act of the Virginia General Assembly, and reincorporated as a town by the State of West Virginia in 1873. The town is named for Princeton, New Jersey, where during the Revolutionary War battle of 1777, General Hugh Mercer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Mercer), a Fredricksburg (VA) apothecary, was killed.


Weather
Princeton, WV (http://www.wvwebsites.com/cgi-bin/weather2/hw3.cgi?user=default&theme=default&forecast=zandh&state=wv&place=Princeton)
Lodging
Princeton, WV Hotels (http://www.wvexplorer.com/Princeton_WV_Hotels.asp) :

B&Bs (http://www.wvexplorer.com/bluestone_country/Lodging/inns.asp) : Cabins (http://www.wvexplorer.com/bluestone_country/Lodging/cabins.asp) : Camping (http://www.wvexplorer.com/bluestone_country/Lodging/camping.asp)


Table of contents
1 Princeton, WV

1.1 Airports
1.2 Attractions
1.3 Government
1.4 Libraries
1.5 Media
1.6 Organizations
1.7 Schools
1.8 Maps
1.9 Census Data
1.10 Geodata

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Princeton, WV

Located in the extreme southern section of West Virginia, Princeton is about 12 miles northwest of Bluefield, WV, and about 36 miles south of Beckley, WV. Less than a mile from the junction of Interstate 77 and the U.S. Rt. 460 expressway, Princeton is a popular lodging center for interstate travel.

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Airports

Mercer County Airport (map (http://www.wvamaps.com/maps/index.php?place=Mercer%20County%20Airport&state=WV&lon=-81.2078&lat=37.2956&pop=0&county=Mercer&elev=2857&scale=3)) in Bluefield, WV.

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Attractions

Camp Creek State Park, about 12 miles north of Princton, off I-77. Pinnacle Rock State Park, about 15 miles west of Princeton on Rt. 52.
Pipestem State Park, about 17 miles northeast of Princton.
Winterplace Ski Resort (http://www.skiingwv.com/winterplace), West Virginia's most accessable ski resort, located just off I-77 about 25 miles north of Princeton, WV.

Guide to Bluestone Country (http://www.wvexplorer.com/Bluestone_Country/), additional information on attractions, recreation and entertainment in the greater Princeton area.

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Government

City of Princeton (http://www.princetonwv.net/)

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Libraries

Craft Memorial Library (http://craftmemorial.lib.wv.us/)

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Media

Radio Stations
WAEY, the first AM radio station in Princeton, began broadcasting in 1947. In 1973, WAEY, the first FM radio station in Princeton, went on the air.

WAEY (AM 1490) : WSTG (http://www.star95.com/) (FM 95.9) : WKOY (FM 100.9)

Newspapers
Princeton Times (http://www.bdtonline.com/ptonline/)

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Organizations

Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce (http://www.pmccc.com/facts.html)

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Schools

Colleges and Universities
Concord University, formerly Concord College, located about eight miles from Princeton, in Athens, WV.

Public Schools
Mercer County Schools (http://boe.merc.k12.wv.us/)


   
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Maps

180px-Princeton-West-Virginia-Map.gif (http://www.wvamaps.com/maps/index.php?place=Princeton&state=WV&pop=6347&county=Mercer&lat=37.3661&lon=-81.1028&elev=2460)
Map of Princeton, WV (http://www.wvamaps.com/maps/index.php?place=Princeton&state=WV&pop=6347&county=Mercer&lat=37.3661&lon=-81.1028&elev=2460) showing streets, airports, parks, buildings, churches, cemeteries, trails and points of interest; with link to driving directions.


Topo map (http://www.wvexp.com/Topo_Maps_WV/index.php?title=Princeton&lat=37.3661&lon=-81.1028) of Princeton, WV, showing terrain features, etc.

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Census Data

Population: 6,347
(2000 Census (http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US5462140&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US54%7C16000US5462140&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=Princeton&_state=04000US54&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on))


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Geodata

Elevation: 2460 feet
Longitude: -81.1028
Latitude: 37.3661

  

Development of Princeton, WV

In 1775, Mitchell Clay established settlement near the present-day location of Princeton, WV. The Virginia General Assembly passed an act establishing the town of Princeton in 1838.

In 1856, the Virginia General Assembly passed an act which incorporated the Raleigh and Tazewell Line Turnpike Company to supervise a portion of the Raleigh and North Carolina Turnpike located between the Giles, Fayette and Kanawha Turnpike in Raleigh County and the boundary line of Wythe County and Tazewell County as an independent turnpike road.

On May 1, 1862, during the Civil War, Confederate troops, under Colonel W. H. Jenifer, set fire to much of the town of Princeton in an attempt to destroy stored supplies, prior to withdrawing from Union troops led by Brig. Gen. Jacob D. Cox. The fire destroyed the Mercer County Courthouse building and some of the town. Three days of fighting, May 15-17, 1862, between a Confederate troops under Brig. Gen. Humphery Marshall (CSA) and Cox's Union forces, centered around the vicinity of Princeton Courthouse and Wolf Creek, resulted in the Union forces retreating 20 miles to Camp Flat Top during the night of the 17th, after sustaining 129 casualties.

The completion of the Virginian Railway in 1909 by Henry H. Rogers connecting the coalfields of Southern West Virginia with the Virginia shipping ports was a major factor in the growth of Princeton, WV during the early decades of the Twentieth Century.

Retrieved from "http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Princeton%2C_West_Virginia"
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