18th century Germany Valley is named for the German families that were its earliest settlers. The first to arrive was the Hinkle (originally Henckel) family, which migrated from
North Carolina in 1761. John Justus Hinkle Sr (1705/6 – 1778) and his wife Maria Magdelena Eschman (1710–1798), with their twelve children and their own families, came for the inexpensive farmland and relative freedom from attacks by
Native Americans. They were also attracted by the fertile limestone soils and gently rolling bottomland. They were soon joined by the Teters and by Pennsylvania Dutch families, some having migrated southwest following the ridges and through the "
Valley of Virginia" from
Pennsylvania's
Lebanon and
Lancaster counties. A few German families also moved west from
Spotsylvania County, Virginia. These settlers brought the familiar custom of placing
hex signs on their barns (perhaps the only section of West Virginia where these signs were once found.) Native Americans were by no means absent from the region, however, as the famous
Seneca Trail (or Great Indian Warpath) passed near the Valley and the nearby British positions at
Fort Seybert and
Fort Upper Tract had been destroyed (1758) in Indian uprisings led by
Killbuck, a
Delaware chieftain. Four years later, a
blockhouse (Hinkle's Fort) was built by the men of the Hinkle family to protect these border settlements from additional Indian raids. At the time of the
Revolution, the fort became headquarters and training ground for the
North Fork Military Company which was organized by the sons and sons-in-law of John Justus Hinkle Sr. The fort is long since gone, but a large arrowhead-shaped stone monument enclosed by an iron fence marks its former site. (This is along the valley road leading east from Riverton). These traditional farming families long retained their language and "old country" customs and so the Valley became known as "German Settlement" or "Germany Valley". At about the same time, many
Scotch-Irish families also migrated from the north and bought land in Pendleton County, including Germany Valley. Although the community prospered, it long remained isolated and its agricultural economy continued to be based predominantly on
forage crops,
cattle,
horses,
milk cows, and
sheep. The farms remained largely self-sufficient because the poor roads and absence of turnpikes made it difficult to reach larger markets in adjacent areas. In June 1781, after a difficult passage over
North Fork Mountain, the Valley was evangelized by Bishop
Francis Asbury. Asbury was one of the two original Methodist missionaries in the United States. In his
Journal Asbury records preaching to about ninety "Dutch folk" who, in his words, "appeared to feel the word". The Bishop records a June 21 visit to what for over 150 years was known as "Asbury Cave" — now
Stratosphere Balloon Cave. He also describes the large spring (Judy Spring) found in the Valley.
19th century At the time of the
American Civil War, the communities of the upper North Fork, including Germany Valley, and Franklin, were strongly Confederate in their sympathies, although nearby Seneca Rocks and the lower South Branch Valley were generally northern in persuasion. Pendleton County was a border area like many unprotected by either Federal troops or the Confederates. Such divided counties, then the rule in central West Virginia, were torn by internal strife and uncertainty and border county "wars" among various partisan groups were continuous. County governments often ceased to operate altogether. Many of the Valley's men joined local partisan units such as the
Pendleton Scouts,
Pendleton Rifles, and
Dixie Boys and fought for the Confederacy. In northern Pendleton County, the
Swamp Dragons, or "Swamps", were equally strong defenders of the Union. Clashes between these units were frequent and bitter, with members of the same families often contending against one another. Raids by Union army units and Union partisans such as the Swamps occurred several times in the Valley during the war years. Originally, the coves and moist slopes of the Valley were covered with fine timber stands, notably including
black walnut. Much of the virgin forest was cut to supply local needs, and often good, commercial-grade logs were simply burned in land-clearing operations. Later, in the 19th century, professional lumbermen became interested and the remaining forests were harvested, sawn, and taken by horse and wagon to the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at
Keyser, some away. In the northwestern part of the county, much of the timber was hauled by logging railroad to the
Parsons Pulp and Lumber Company mill at
Horton in
Randolph County. Due to the prevailing isolation and poor transportation system, large
saw mills were not found in the area during the last part of the 19th century. Small
sash and
circular saw mills, however, were present. == Geology ==