It is located in the central portion of Warren Township in Belmont County and is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area.

[6] Barnes was born in Montgomery County, Maryland and was married to Nancy Harrison, "an intelligent Quaker lady".

[citation needed] Barnes owned a farm in Montgomery County, and later laid out a town there, also known as Barnesville, Maryland, where he operated a country store for a while.

In 1803 he moved to St. Clairsville, Ohio where he operated a tavern and general store.

In 1806 Barnes settled in Warren Township in Belmont County where he cleared forest, built a house, established a tannery and general store and planted orchards.

In November 1808, the town of Barnesville was laid out, and four years later Mr. Barnes and his family became permanent residents of the new village.

[9] The Village of Barnesville’s legislative body consists of a six-member council.

[17] The village is the host of the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival every September, attracting tourists from the area.

[18] The original office building of the Watt Car and Wheel Company now contains exhibits about coal history and area business, industry, and agriculture.

The village's schools saw a renovation in 2002 to improve and expand classroom learning and appearances.