Hillsboro is a town in Pocahontas County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 232 at the 2020 census.

History

Hillsboro was named for pioneer John (Richard) Hill, from North Carolina, who built a log cabin near what is now

Lobelia ''Lobelia'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Campanulaceae comprising 415 species, with a subcosmopolitan distribution primarily in tropical to warm temperate regions of the world, a few species extending into cooler temperate r ...

. Most of the early settlers were Scots-Irish and worked in agriculture and stock raising. In the 1800s the town of Hillsboro centered on the educational institution Little Levels Academy. Established in 1842, the school closed 18 years later at the onset of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. In 1865, the county purchased the building and ran it as a public school through the 1880s, and it became a school of higher order for boys called Hillsboro Academy. The basement of the Methodist Church served as a school of high order for girls called Hillsboro College, or Little Levels Seminary. Eventually the brick Academy was torn down and replaced by a wood-frame school for both boys and girls. Later the school was rebuilt in brick as Hillsboro High School. Millpoint, in northern Hillsboro, was once the site of a small industrial village, "including within its limits proper a store, a blacksmith shop, two flour mills, and three homes." One of the mills has been restored and can be seen along Route 219. In 1892, the author Pearl S. Buck was born in a large white two-story house at the northern end of town. Shortly thereafter, her family,

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

missionaries, returned to China, but her West Virginia roots nevertheless had a significant impact on Buck through her mother Carrie. The Dutch-style "city house," now on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, has been restored into a museum, the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace. It displays an array of antiques from the 1892 period, including many family originals. Also on the National Register of Historic Places are the Richard Beard House and Locust Creek Covered Bridge. In late June, the town hosts the annual Little Levels Heritage Fair to celebrate the history of the region. Hillsboro is also featured in the movie '' Patch Adams,'' where Dr. Patch Adams purchased land to build a medical clinic based on his philosophy of doctor-patient interaction. A medical clinic is planned but has not yet been constructed, as fund-raising is still underway. Currently, the Gesundheit Institute host people at the facility to engage in learning and volunteering.

Points of interest

Main Attractions: * Little Levels Heritage Fair, late June * The Pearl S. Buck Birthplace, Historic House and Museum (1875) * The Yew Mountain Center experiential education center and nature preserve * Patch Adams and the Gesundheit! Institute * Local Craft Shops * US Food Bank Parks & Scenic Drives: * Watoga State Park * Droop Mountain Battlefield * Cranberry Glades Botanical Area * Beartown State Park * Highland Scenic Highway *

Monongahela National Forest The Monongahela National Forest is a U.S. National Forest, national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, US. It protects over of federally managed land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Po ...

* Brooks Memorial Arboretum Image:Hillsboro_3.JPG, Fields near Hillsboro Image:Little_Levels_Fair_3.jpg, Crafts from the Little Levels Heritage Fair Image:Little_Levels_Fair_2.jpg, Quilt from the Fair Image:Pearl_Buck.jpg, Pearl S. Buck Image:Droop_Park_Overlook.jpg, Overlook at Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park Image:BeartownStateParkWV.jpg, Beartown State Park Image:Hillsboro_2.jpg, Old Town of Hillsboro Image:219 hillsboro.jpg, Route 219 in Hillsboro

Notable people

* Pearl S. Buck, author and

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

winner. (1892–1973) *

Dwight Diller Dwight Diller (August 17, 1946 – 14 February 2023) was an American banjo and fiddle player and teacher. He was considered one of the most prominent exponents of the clawhammer banjo tradition. Diller lived in Hillsboro, West Virginia, and then ...

, banjo and fiddle player and teacher *

William Luther Pierce William Luther Pierce III (September 11, 1933 – July 23, 2002) was an American Neo-Nazism, neo-Nazi Activism, political activist. For more than 30 years, he was one of the highest-profile individuals of the white nationalist movement. A physic ...

, founder of the National Alliance. (1933–2002)

Geography

Hillsboro is located at (38.138068, -80.212581). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 260 people, 120 households, and 75 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 149 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.2% Native American, and 0.4% from two or more races. There were 120 households, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 12.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.5% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.68. The median age in the town was 39.3 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64; and 18.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 243 people, 115 households, and 70 families living in the town. The

was 680.0 inhabitants per square mile (260.6/km²). There were 136 housing units at an average density of 380.6 per square mile (145.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.35%

, and 1.65% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population. There were 115 households, out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were

living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.66. In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.8% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $29,583, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $30,278 versus $15,625 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $20,929. About 27.4% of families and 32.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 40.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 28.9% of those 65 or over.

References

External links

Hillsboro Town website
{{authority control Towns in Pocahontas County, West Virginia Towns in West Virginia