That year, the newly independent state's counties were divided into civil townships, with the intention of encouraging local government.

This proved impractical in the heavily rural state, and in 1872 the townships were converted into magisterial districts.

This history is discussed in part 2 of the Henry Louis Gates television series African American Lives.

[7] Through this county flows the South Branch Potomac River with its surrounding magnificent valley.

Several miles wide, "the Valley," as it is commonly called, contains lands whose fertility lends itself to successful farming.

Agriculture and stock raising have always been the main source of employment in this area, with corn, wheat, apples, peaches, melons, cattle and poultry having important interests.

Throughout the area wildlife is plentiful, and hunting has always been a major diversion and source of meat supply.

At times the usually calm waters surge from low banks and spread over the Valley, enveloping and ravishing the rich surrounding lands.

This geological exception is now in the form of a narrow, trough-like gap, about seven miles (11 km) long, and appropriately called "The Trough".

At the present day, the gorge is several hundred feet deep, and the South Branch flows in a narrow channel at the bottom, with almost perpendicular walls of rock on either side.

At this period there were no bridges at Moorefield, and the South Branch had to be forded some three miles (4.8 km) up the Valley, or the ferryboat, which was usually busy, had to be used.

The main towns that communicated with Moorefield were Petersburg, Romney, and New Creek (presently Keyser) the latter having a stage line between the two points.

[18] However, since 1968, Hardy County has voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election with the exceptions of Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Bill Clinton in 1996.

Since 2000, it has seen the same significant increase in Republican support as the rest of socially conservative West Virginia.