Fairmont West Virginia
“Spend A Day…Spend A Lifetime”
Town of Fairmont WV
The city of Fairmont is located in Marion County along the banks of the West Fork River and the Tygart Valley River, West Virginia. Fairmont is known as the home of the first Father’s Day service, the home of the original pepperoni roll, and the hometown of Olympic gymnast, Mary Lou Retton. The city is also home to college education, Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community and Technical College.
Fairmont offers something for everyone such as rock climbing, go cart racing, BMX, water parks, rails to trails, movies, bicycle rides along the river, Sagebrush Round-Up, take a boat trip along the West Fork, miniature golf, batting cages, and golfing.
History of Fairmont WV
In the 1700s, the earliest development of this area consisted of farming settlements. In 1789, Boaz Fleming, a Revolutionary War veteran, migrated to this area and purchased a 254-acre farm from Jonathan Bozarth. In 1808, While in Clarksburg, Fleming attended a social gathering that included his cousin, Dolley Madison, wife of President James Madison. Fleming complained to Mrs. Madison about having to travel over a hundred miles each year from his home to pay his taxes. Madison suggested that he create his own county to save him all that travel.
In 1817, Fleming’s sons,William and David, began to clear land on part of their father’s farm to make way for the new town; this part of the farm would later become downtown Fairmont. In 1819, a road was built from Clarksburg to Morgantown. Fleming’s new town was about halfway between the two cities. The town was incorporated as Middletown on January 19, 1820.
The current borders of Marion County were established in 1842, and Middletown was named the county’s seat. At that time, William Haymond, Jr. suggested that the town’s name be changed to Fairmont because the town had a beautiful overlook of the Monongahela River, giving it a “fair mount.” The Borough of Fairmont was incorporated in 1843 by the Virginia General Assembly.
- Pricketts Fort State Park
- Heston Farm
- Palatine Park
- Valley Worlds of Fun
- Marion County Historical Society
- Sagebrush Roundup Music Park
- Telephone Museum
- The Fleming Mansion
- Historic Woodlawn Cemetery
- Marion County Vietnam Memorial
- East Marion Park