Clarksburg City Map Poster

About Clarksburg

The city is home to West Virginia Wesleyan College, a private four-year liberal arts college; the National Radio Astronomy Observatory headquarters and observatory; and the corporate offices of Allegheny Technologies, Armand Hammer United World College of the American West (the only U.S. campus for this international study abroad program), Black & Decker, DuPont Industrial Biosciences division (formerly Genencor), General Nutrition Center/International Protein Group (a subsidiary of The Hershey Company) and Ralston Purina PetCare Company. The first permanent settlement in what would become Clarksburg was founded by William Clark at present-day Fetterman Avenue along George Washington Highway on land that his father had purchased from Colonel John Stuart in 1770.[5] He named it "Clarksburgh" after his uncle Jonathan Clark.[6][7] It became part of Virginia in 1785 when Jefferson County was formed out Harrison County,[8] but it remained sparsely populated until 1809 when explorer Meriwether Lewis passed through during an expedition across North America.