1869–1870 · Kingwood
After the March 1869 courthouse fire, McCafferty, Smalley & Menear constructed a new two-story brick courthouse in Kingwood for $11,000. Completed in 1870, it served the county until it was torn down in 1933 for construction of the present courthouse.
Research status: Verified
- Citation / research lead
Judge Lawrance S. Miller Jr., History of the Preston County Courthouse; National Register nomination, Kingwood Historic District, Section 8, p. 33
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Read full entry and research notes →1918 · Masontown
After fire destroyed Masontown’s 1914 high school building on January 3, residents immediately began raising money for a replacement. Later accounts date completion of the new three-story school building to 1918. It subsequently served as Masontown High School, Valley High School, West Preston Senior High School and, after Preston High School opened, West Preston Middle School.
Research status: Verified to source
- Citation / research lead
Preston County News, “Memories spark as Valley District alumni revisit old West Preston,” July 21, 2017; Preston County News, “Maintenance supervisor: Better to sell West Preston by winter,” July 25, 2017
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Read full entry and research notes →1922–1923 · Bruceton Mills
Construction of a new Bruceton High School began in 1922 at a cost of $25,000, financed through a locally authorized school levy. The building was in use during the 1922–1923 school year, and its auditorium hosted its first graduating class in spring 1923. Later additions expanded the school, which remains at the same Bruceton Mills location.
Research status: Verified to source
- Citation / research lead
Preston County News, “Bruceton School celebrates its centennial,” January 6, 2023, reporting research by Preston County Schools published in The Beat of Excellence
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Read full entry and research notes →August 25, 1934 · Kingwood
Preston County dedicated its present Art Deco courthouse in Kingwood after an all-day program on August 25, 1934. The sandstone building cost $113,500.90, and former Kingwood attorney John Barton Payne delivered the dedication address.
Research status: Verified
- Citation / research lead
Judge Lawrance S. Miller Jr., History of the Preston County Courthouse; National Register nomination, Kingwood Historic District, Section 7, p. 9 and Section 8, p. 31
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Read full entry and research notes →1977 · Preston County
Preston County reorganized several community high schools under three regional identities in 1977. Kingwood High School became Central Preston High School; Terra Alta and Aurora high schools consolidated as East Preston Senior High School; and the former Valley High School in Masontown began operating as West Preston High School. These regional schools preceded the later countywide consolidation into Preston High School.
Research status: Verified to source
Read full entry and research notes →November 4–5, 1985 · Rowlesburg / Albright / Cheat River
After prolonged heavy rain, the Cheat River reached a record crest of 36.9 feet at Rowlesburg. Floodwaters devastated Rowlesburg, Albright, and neighboring Cheat Valley communities, destroying homes, businesses, bridges, roads, and railroad infrastructure; 110 of Albright’s 132 homes were destroyed. Upstream in Tucker County, Parsons also suffered devastating flooding. Scientific study of the Cheat River and Black Fork documented exceptional flooding, erosion, and debris deposits, placing Preston’s losses within the wider disaster across the shared watershed.
Research status: Verified
- Citation / research lead
Preston County News, “Thirty-five years since flood devastated Preston County”
No direct online link recorded for this citation. - Additional source
Preston County News, November 5, 2020 — local flood retrospective
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