Pocahontas County was added to West Virginia without the input of its citizens

 In 1863, a government loyal to the United States was established in Wheeling, Virginia, called the Restored Government of Virginia. It introduced a bill to the United States Congress to create a new state from 48 counties of western Virginia, to be called West Virginia. While most of these counties were loyal to the Union, some were not, but were included in the new state for territorial reasons. West Virginia was officially recognized on June 20, 1863.

Pocahontas County was added to West Virginia without the input of its citizens. The new state government in Wheeling reorganized the county militia as a Unionist force. After the Civil War, most voters in Pocahontas County were disfranchised due to their support of the Confederacy. Full voting rights were not restored until 1871.

The new state government divided the counties into civil townships, with the intention of encouraging local government. However, this proved impractical in the heavily rural state, and in 1872 the townships were converted into magisterial districts. Pocahontas County was initially divided into four townships, each named after a patriotic figure: Grant, Lincoln, Meade, and Union. These townships became magisterial districts in 1872, and all four were renamed the following year: Grant became Huntersville, Lincoln became Edray, Meade became Greenbank, and Union became Academy. In the 1890s, Academy District was renamed again, becoming Little Levels.

Railroads came late to Pocahontas County, as building tracks over the mountains was a difficult and expensive undertaking. Construction began in 1899 and progressed rapidly. The 1900 census of the county indicates that many European immigrants came to the region to work on the railroads.

Commercial timbering began soon after the railroads were completed, including a large mill owned by the West Virginia Pulp & Paper Company (now MeadWestvaco) at Cass. By the end of 1920, dozens of small railroading towns had sprung up along the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway line.