Hanging Rock is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Hampshire County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

. Hanging Rock is named for the "Hanging Rock"

outcrop An outcrop or rocky outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. Features Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficia ...

that hangs over the

Northwestern Turnpike The Northwestern Turnpike is a historic road in West Virginia (Virginia at the time the road was created), important for being historically one of the major roads crossing the Appalachians, financed by the Virginia Board of Public Works in the 183 ...

( U.S. Route 50). It should not be confused with the plural "

Hanging Rocks Hanging Rocks are perpendicular cliffs rising nearly above the South Branch Potomac River in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Hanging Rocks are located four miles (6 km) north of Romney at Wappocomo on West Virgini ...

" over the

South Branch Potomac River The South Branch Potomac River has its headwaters in northwestern Highland County, Virginia near Hightown along the eastern edge of the Allegheny Front. After a river distance of ,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolu ...

north of Romney at Wapocomo. Originally, the community of Hanging Rock sprang up in the Henderson Hollow gap of North River Mountain. While only a few buildings of the old hamlet remain, today's Hanging Rock is situated at the intersection of North River Road (County Route 50/21) and Delray Road (

West Virginia Route 29 West Virginia Route 29 is a north–south state highway located in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The southern terminus of the route is at West Virginia Route 55 and West Virginia Route 259 (Corridor H) in Baker, Hardy County. The n ...

) where the North River flows under U.S. Route 50 towards the Cacapon. On April 16, 1756, Daniel Morgan was wounded during a Native American attack near Hanging Rock while on the road to Winchester. The attack also resulted in the death of his two companions. Morgan managed to remain in his saddle and escaped with neck and mouth wounds towards Fort Edwards on the Cacapon River near Capon Bridge. The rock formation's vicinity was also the scene of skirmishes between

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

and

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

troops in 1861. This

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

engagement is often referred to as "The Battle of Hanging Rocks" or the "Battle of Hanging Rocks Pass."

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Hampshire County, West Virginia Unincorporated communities in West Virginia Northwestern Turnpike Canyons and gorges of West Virginia Rock formations of West Virginia Hampshire County, West Virginia, in the American Civil War Landforms of Hampshire County, West Virginia American Civil War sites in West Virginia