Marlin's Bottom

Marlin's Bottom, later renamed Marlinton, was the site of the first settlements in what is now Pocahontas County, West Virginia. 

The area was named for Jacob Marlin, who, along with Stephen Sewall, were the first people of English or Scotch-Irish descent to spend a winter there.

 In 1749, Knapp Gregory built a cabin in Marlin's Bottom, near present-day Driscol. Marlin and Sewall arrived the following winter, 1750-51, and made camp in the delta formed by Marlin Run and a slough near Knapp's Creek.  

Colonel Andrew Lewis later found the two men living separately, after they had a falling out. The burial place of a child who died in an accident was located on the banks of Marlin Run. The child was dashed to death, but the source does not elaborate on the circumstances.

By 1810, there was a settlement at Marlin's Bottom called Marlinton. That year, corn ripened enough there to be ground into meal, which was notable because, until fairly recently, killing frosts made farming difficult in Pocahontas County. 

For many years, settlers planted corn with the intention of harvesting it before it ripened, to feed livestock in case the acorn mast failed.

In the 1890s, the Pocahontas Development Company was formed in Marlinton. By that time, the name of the post office had been changed from Marlin's Bottom to Marlinton, thanks to the efforts of Mrs. Janie B. Skyles, a Maryland resident.