Millpoint WV

 

Millpoint WV is a small community in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, with a rich history. Here are some of the historical facts about Millpoint WV:

• Millpoint WV was named after the several mills that operated near the original town site¹
• The first settler in the area was Stephen Sewell, who camped there in 1750²
• During the American Revolution, a fort named Fort Day was built in Millpoint WV to protect the settlers from Indian raids. In 1778, two brothers, James and John Bridger, were killed by Indians north of Millpoint WV²
• In 1863, during the Civil War, a battle took place in Millpoint WV between Union troops under General William Averell and Confederate troops under Colonel William Jackson. The Confederates retreated to Droop Mountain, where they were defeated in another battle³
• In 1857, James E.A. Gibbs, a native of Millpoint WV, invented the chain stitch sewing machine, which was later improved by Charles Willcox. The Willcox & Gibbs Sewing Machines became popular and widely used in the textile industry²⁴
• In 1938, a federal prison camp was established in Millpoint WV to house inmates who worked on building State Route 39, now part of the Highland Scenic Highway. The prison camp closed in 1963.
• In 1978, William Luther Pierce, a white supremacist and nationalist, moved to Millpoint WV and founded the National Alliance, a neo-Nazi organization. He also wrote The Turner Diaries, a novel that inspired several acts of domestic terrorism. He died in 2002¹