Old Fields, West Virginia Explained

Old Fields, West Virginia
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Pushpin Map:West Virginia#USA
Pushpin Label:Old Fields
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:West Virginia
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Hardy
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population As Of:2000
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Elevation Ft:804
Coordinates:39.1347°N -78.9497°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Postal Code:26845
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1555262

Old Fields is an unincorporated community on the South Branch Potomac River in northern Hardy County, West Virginia, United States.

According to the Geographic Names Information System, Old Fields has also been known throughout its history as Indian Old Field, Indian Old Fields, and Oldfields. Also, as "Fort Pleasant," a French and Indian War fort built on the Van Meter land at Old Fields.

History

The community was named for the fact the original town site was an Indian old field.[1]

Other buildings of interest in the vicinity include Old Fields Church (1812; the second-oldest church in West Virginia), Fort Pleasant, the Isaac Van.Meter House built in the 1810's, the Garrett Van Meter House (1835), Willow Wall (1812), Buena Vista (1836), built for William T. Van Meter (killed in Gen. Wade Hampton’sBeefsteak Raid” behind Union lines near Petersburg, Virginia, in 1864), Traveler’s Rest (1856; constructed for Garrett Van Meter’s three unmarried sisters: Ann, Rebecca, and Susan), and the Peter Casey house, where George Washington spent the night as a boy on his surveying trip for Lord Fairfax in 1748.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Kenny, Hamill. West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. 1945. The Place Name Press. Piedmont, WV. 457.