The Hacker's Creek Valley from Berlin

Beginning in the 1760s when the earliest settlers crossed the divides of the Allegheny Mountains and made their tomahawk claims along the waters of the upper Monongahela River in what became the Hacker's Creek settlements of western Virginia, the names and exploits of the frontiersmen of the region were indelibly inscribed in the pages of American history. These settlements were the western frontier of the fledgling nation far longer than any place in its western expansion; and, there were more conflicts between its people and the red man during the last half of the eighteenth century than anywhere else on the long frontier.

Hacker's Creek was named for John Hacker, a Stafford County,Virginia, native who came with the first party of men to settle at present-day Buckhannon, Upshur County, West Virginia. Finding that land he desired at Buckhannon had already been claimed by Samuel Pringle, an earlier sojourner in the region, he crossed the Buckhannon Mountain and selected four hundred acres on a tributary of the Muddy River, as the West Fork of the Monongahela River was then called. John Hacker thus became the first permanent European settler in what is today's Lewis County, West Virginia.

John Hacker, the Pringles, and other early settlers in the Central West Virginia region were memorialized when the Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendants was organized in 1982. The society's original purpose was to preserve the history and genealogy of the Hacker's Creek watershed in Lewis and Upshur counties; a few years later, the society elected to expand their area of interest and influence to include the entire Central West Virginia region.

The members soon realized that the focus of their efforts extended far beyond these very limited boundaries; and, they expanded their area of interest to include all of Central West Virginia in particular and the entire state of West Virginia in general. The reasons for this expanded scope can best be understood by looking at the early history of the region and the formation of the various counties in the state.

Ninety-two persons from six states attended the first meeting of the HCPD at Broad Run Baptist Church in Lewis County in October 1982. Today the society has nearly a thousand members in nearly every state, Canada, Germany, and Russia. To learn the full story of HCPD's growth, click here.

We operate a library in Horner, West Virginia. Our collection is comprised of more than 5000 publications, microfilm, photos, and manuscripts. We invite you to stop by our Library Site and check it out before paying us a visit. You will find our hours of operation listed there.

Each year we hold an Annual Gathering of the Clans where more than 200 people from across America - and sometimes from the other side of the world - come to fellowship and explore their roots in Central West Virginia. This year's Annual Gathering will be August 8-12, 2007. This year's theme is: Grandma Said. . . "She rode off on a White Horse." Follow this link for details.

Membership entitles you to receive quarterly Hacker's Creek Journal and other publications of the society. Online options, an add-on to regular membership, entitles participants to access files online held exclusive for HCPD members and to participate in HCPD-L, an online discussion group. Membership is open to anyone interested in the work of the society. Dues information and a membership form are just a click away.

Additionally, we have a limited number of campsites with water and electric hook-ups available for members only. Indoor showers are accessible during operating hours. Call 304.269.7091 for further information and reservations.

HCPD is a non-profit organization and is governed by an executive committee and board of directors elected by the general membership at our annual meeting which is held each year in conjunction with our Annual Gathering. The Board of Directors meets monthly, usually on the first weekend. The membership is welcome to attend these meetings. Interested parties should contact the Executive Director for a meeting schedule.

Members of the Executive Committee are:

• Mary Creamer, President
• Eva Newlon, Vice President
• Audrey Brenneman, Secretary
• Cary Williams, Treasurer

Members of the Board of Directors are:

• Joy Stalnaker, Editor
• Irma J. Curtis, Librarian
• May White, Corresponding Secretary
• Maurice Allman
• Bertha Allman
• Randall Nicholson
• Marion Reed
• Donna Williams
• Rollie Neal
• 
  

Day-to-day operations are the responsibility of the Executive Director, Betty Ann Nicholson, and the Office Secretary, Jill Burr.

The Weston Democrat and the Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram keep you up with the local news and obituaries every day.

This document maintained by hcpd@hackerscreek.com.
Material Copyright © 1998-2007 Joy L. Stalnaker