Frenchburg is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

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 so ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

. Frenchburg is located along 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 ...

(

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

) where the

Little Cacapon River The Little Cacapon River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River in the center of Hampshire County, West Virgin ...

is formed by the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

of the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

forks of the Little Cacapon east of

Shanks Shanks may refer to: People with the surname * Alison Shanks (born 1982), New Zealand professional racing cyclist * Bill Shanks, American sports broadcaster and writer * Bruce Shanks (1908–1980), American editorial cartoonist * Charles G. ...

. Frenchburg is also the location of the southern terminus of Little Cacapon River Road (County Route 50/9) on U.S. Route 50. Frenchburg is primarily known for the events that took place there during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

History

The community most likely was named after the local French family.

American Civil War

In its earliest days, Frenchburg consisted of a general store and a wagon repair shop. During the

, Frenchburg was a village consisting of a cluster of houses and a mill, operated by the Cummins family, along the Northwestern Turnpike. The town was burned by Union troops in late 1861. It was believed by the Union troops that Frenchburg's residents were aiding

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

bushwhacker Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there were large areas of contested land and few governmental resources to control these tra ...

s. Sergeant John C. Leps, along with seven men, departed the Confederate camp near Blue's Gap and fired upon a detachment of Union soldiers in the vicinity of Frenchburg. The ambush wounded and killed several men. Afterwards, Union General Frederick Lander and other officers sent out word to the residents of Frencburg and the surrounding area that if bushwhacking were to occur again against Union troops in the district, its residents would face punishment. While Frenchburg's residents were most likely not responsible for aiding bushwhackers in the area, General Lander gave orders that the town be burned. Confederate troops and partisans used a "back road", which presently consists of parts of Little Cacapon River Road (CR 50/9), Three Churches Hollow Road (CR 5/4), and Don McCauley Road (CR 28/1), that ran from Frenchburg to Buffalo Hollow near

Hanging Rocks Hanging Rocks are perpendicular cliffs rising nearly above the Potomac River#South Branch Potomac River, South Branch Potomac River in Hampshire County, West Virginia, Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Hanging Rocks are locat ...

. After the war, Frenchburg's Camp Walker served as a site for reunions of Confederate veterans and their families until the 1930s.

References

{{Authority control Unincorporated communities in Hampshire County, West Virginia Unincorporated communities in West Virginia Northwestern Turnpike Hampshire County, West Virginia, in the American Civil War American Civil War sites in West Virginia