Barbour County was formed from Harrison, Lewis, and Randolph in 1843 and was named for Philip Pendleton Barbour, a distinguished Virginia jurist. It was the scene of opening hostilities on land between the armies of the North and the South in 1861. Harrison County was formed in 1784 from Monongalia, included all or parts of 17 other counties, was named for Benjamin Harrison, signer of the Declaration of Independence and governor of Virginia from 1781 to 1784, and was the birthplace of Thomas J. "Stonewall” Jackson.