Middlebourne, WV

Middlebourne is the Tyler County seat, set on the north bank of Middle Island Creek about twelve miles southeast of Sistersville. The town was established by the Virginia General Assembly in 1813, became the county seat in 1816, and incorporated in 1871. Its location on State Route 18 places the courthouse town inside the rolling hills between the Ohio River and the central county valleys. The 2020 census counted 715 residents. The creek’s long, winding course remains Middlebourne’s strongest geographic marker.

The town’s historic district includes the courthouse, the old Tyler County High School, commercial buildings, and residences along Main, East, and Dodd streets. The former high school now houses the county historical society, keeping local records in one of the town’s most recognizable brick buildings. Middlebourne also carries the legacy of a nineteenth-century oil boom, a 1905 brickyard, and modern chemical and manufacturing work along the Ohio River. It is a county seat where creek, courthouse, school, and industrial history meet on one West Virginia bench.