CHAPTER 6

 Farms, Towns, and Industries

 Owning Land

      Who owned the land? Often, many people claimed the same plots of land in western Virginia. This was a problem for people who wanted to own the land they lived on. The same land could have been claimed by the first settlers, then given to soldiers as part of their pay for serving in the French and Indian War. Many soldiers sold their land to speculators. Speculators hoped to get rich by buying a lot of land for little money. They hoped to sell the land later and make a profit.

Most speculators lived outside the mountains of western Virginia. They hired surveyors to mark off their land. Many of these surveyors did not do a good job. Sometimes the stones or trees they used as markers were removed. During most of the 1800s, lawyers were kept busy trying to figure out who owned what land. Because of this confusion, many people moved farther west. There, they could be more sure that the land they bought would be their own.

 Building Towns

      Nevertheless, throughout the 1800s the population of western Virginia grew. Settlements became towns. New counties were formed. Roads were built. Ferry boats began business at important river crossings. Farms were started. Some were large but, because of the rugged land, most were small. Farmers grew the crops and raised the animals they needed to supply food for, their families. Any extra was taken to market. It was sold to buy the things the farmer was not able to grow or make for himself.  

 The Whiskey Rebellion

            Many farmers in western Virginia found that it was easier to ship their extra corn to market if they made it into corn whiskey. The whiskey also sold for a much higher price than bushels of corn. When the government put a tax on whiskey, farmers became angry. In 1794, some farmers in Monongalia County forced a tax collector to leave. They joined Pennsylvania farmers in this struggle against the government which became known as the Whiskey Rebellion. Government troops were sent in to enforce the law and the rebellion ended.  However, many farmers continued to believe they had the right to make and sell whiskey without being taxed.

 Travel by Road and River

      Good roads were necessary for trade to grow. The National Road, also called the Cumberland Road, was completed from Cumberland to Wheeling in 1818. In the 1830s the Northwestern Turnpike was built to connect Winchester and Parkersburg. Other roads crossed the southern area of western Virginia. The roads were filled with people traveling on foot, horseback, and in stagecoaches. The roads were also filled with cattle, hogs, and sheep being driven to market. Inns, taverns, and hotels were built along the roads. Towns along the roads grew in size.

      Rivers were important for transportation of people and goods but, during many times of the year, the water levels were too low for boat traffic. Locks and dams had to be built on some of the rivers to raise the water level for the new steamboats.

 Many New Industries

      Salt-making was one of the first industries to develop in western Virginia. Saltwater, or brine, was boiled to make salt in the Kanawha Valley.  

     
The salt works in Malden, Kanawha County

Iron was manufactured along the Ohio and Monongahela Rivers and in the Shenandoah Valley. The iron was made into such things as nails, plows, and barrel hoops to meet the needs of the settlers. There was one last struggle with England, called the War of 1812. No      battles were fought in western Virginia, but Peter Tarr's iron furnace, near what is now the city of Weirton, made cannonballs that were used in that war. Other weapons were made in Harpers Ferry.

       Mills that used water power to grind wheat into flour were built in the northern and eastern areas of  western Virginia. Pottery and glass factories made dishes, bottles, and glass for windows. Other factories made wool and cotton into cloth. Sawmills cut boards for houses, boats, furniture, and barrels.

 Sending Goods to Eastern Markets

      If the industries of western Virginia were going to develop as fast as they were in other states, more and better methods of transportation were necessary. There       was still no fast way for western Virginians to send goods to markets in the East.

      Other states were building canals and railroads. In the 1820s, the Virginia government cut off funds for a canal that would have crossed the mountains into western Virginia. Eastern Virginians had fairly good roads and rivers. They did not want to pay for a canal or other western improvements that would raise their taxes. Many people in western Virginia felt that eastern Virginia was not interested in helping them develop their industries and resources.

End of Chapter 6

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