Pruntytown, West Virginia
| Pruntytown | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
  Pruntytown Location within the state of West Virginia  Pruntytown Pruntytown (the US) | |
| Coordinates: 39°20′2″N 80°4′36″W / 39.33389°N 80.07667°WCoordinates: 39°20′2″N 80°4′36″W / 39.33389°N 80.07667°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Taylor |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1545306[1] |
Pruntytown is an unincorporated community at the junction of the Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Route 50) and U.S. Route 250 in Taylor County, West Virginia, USA. It is the site of the former West Virginia Industrial Home for Boys, now the Pruntytown Correctional Center.
History
The first settlement at Pruntytown (the earliest known white settlement in what is now Taylor County) came in the late 1790s with pioneers David and John Prunty.[2] Initially known as Cross Roads, on January 1, 1801 it was renamed Williamsport in honor of Abraham Williams, a local resident. The name was changed again on January 23, 1845 to honor pioneer settler John Prunty. This town served as the county seat from the county's founding in 1844 until a county election in 1878 moved it about three miles away to Grafton.
Notable natives and residents
- John Barton Payne (1855–1935), Pruntytown-born lawyer and U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1920–21)
External links
References
- ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Pruntytown, West Virginia
- ↑ Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, WV: The Place Name Press. p. 511.
