Summers County, West Virginia
Summers County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,959. Its county seat is Hinton. The county was created by an act of the West Virginia Legislature on February 27, 1871, from parts of Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer and Monroe counties and named in honor of George W. Summers (1804–68).
The Summers County Courthouse in Hinton
Federal Prison Camp, Alderson
Hinton is a city in and the county seat of Summers County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,266 at the 2020 census. Hinton was established in 1873 and chartered in 1897. Hinton was named after John "Jack" Hinton, the original owner of the town site. Much of Hinton's downtown was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In 1994, part of Paramount's film Lassie was shot in Hinton. In the 1990s, Hinton's downtown experienced economic decline after a hospital moved away and Interstate 64 bypassed the town. In 2007, Hinton native and business owner Ken Allman founded MountainPlex Properties, which since then has worked to preserve and revitalize the Hinton Historic District.
Temple Street in downtown Hinton in 2007
The Summers County Courthouse in Hinton
Hinton City Hall in 2022
The earliest settlers on land that is today Hinton were Isaac and Jean Ballengee. Descendants of these original settlers have played important roles in the town's history, attested by the naming of Ballengee St in downtown Hinton.