Calhoun County in west central West Virginia was formed in 1856, and is located on the Allegheny Plateau.
There is no doubt who the seat of county government, Grantsville, is named after. When Simon P. Stump platted the city in 1866 he personally named it for U.S. Grant, Civil War general and later president of the United States. Grantsville became the county seat in 1869, but only after a bitter struggle with Arnoldsburg, where the county offices were located at that time. The city serves as the trade and industry center for oil, gas, and lumber operations along the Little Kanawha River. It is surrounded by livestock and dairy farms and is also ringed by high flat-topped knolls. Fruit and tobacco farms, coal, and timber operations also contribute to the economy of Calhoun County.
Formed in 1856, Calhoun County was named in honor of John C. Calhoun, eminent South Carolina statesman. This centrally located county comprises some 280 square miles. Calhoun championed slavery and southern causes in the senate and later served as United States Secretary of State.