Peytona 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 Boone County,

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 Bur ...

, United States. Peytona is located on the

Big Coal River The Coal River is a tributary of the Kanawha River in southern West Virginia. It is formed near the community of Alum Creek by the confluence of the Big and Little Coal Rivers, and flows generally northward through western Kanawha County, ...

and

West Virginia Route 3 West Virginia Route 3 is a state highway in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It runs from West Virginia Route 10 in West Hamlin in a general easterly direction via Beckley to West Virginia Route 311 at Sweet Springs, most of the way across t ...

, northeast of

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

. Peytona has a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

with ZIP code 25154.

History

As early as 1000 CE, Native Americans inhabited present-day Peytona. In 1742, John Peter Salley discovered coal while on an expedition in the vicinity. Peytona was named for William Madison Peyton, who promoted

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

and navigation on Coal River. A lawyer and landowner from a distinguished Virginia family, Peyton served as chief executive of the Coal River Navigation Company, which locked and dammed the river during the 1840s. As a result,

steamboats A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

could navigate the Coal River and transport coal to larger markets. Peyton was also instrumental in the formation of Boone County, organized in 1847 from Kanawha,

Cabell Cabell is both a surname and a given name. The Cabell family has "been prominent in Virginia since the American Revolution." Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Charles P. Cabell (1903–1971), United States Air Force, CIA * Earle Cab ...

, and

Logan Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gover ...

counties. In 1906, Madison was named the county seat, honoring the same man.

Recreation

Peytona is home of Drawdy Falls Park.

Notable person

John E. Kenna John Edward Kenna (April 10, 1848January 11, 1893) was an American politician who was a Senator from West Virginia from 1883 until his death. Biography Kenna was born in Kanawha County, Virginia (now West Virginia, near the city of St. Albans) ...

, twice elected

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

for West Virginia

References

Unincorporated communities in Boone County, West Virginia Unincorporated communities in West Virginia {{BooneCountyWV-geo-stub