In 1753, the Robert Files and David Tygart (Taggart) families were the first to settle in the vicinity of Beverly. The Files built on the southern edge of present-day Beverly, on the banks of Files Creek. The Tygarts located about three miles up the Tygart Valley River on the western side of the wide bottomlands.

      In 1755, American Indians returning to Ohio from raids in the vicinity of the South Branch killed the Files and five of their six children. The oldest boy heard the sounds of the massacre and ran to the Tygart homestead to give the alarm. Thus, the Tygarts were able to escape to the safety of the South Branch.

      Not long after this, hunters from Greenbrier County visited the Tygart Valley and brought back glowing accounts of the area. Their reports induced many settlers to migrate there, and by 1772, most of the best land was occupied by permanent settlers. Many of these families were of Scotch-Irish descent and staunch Presbyterians.

      Randolph County was formed in 1786 and included much of present-day Tucker County and parts of Barbour and Upshur counties. The original name of Beverly was "Edmondton," after Virginia governor Edmond Randolph. The county was also named in his honor. In 1790, the Virginia Legislature changed the name to Beverly to honor Beverly Randolph, the governor's mother. The town was laid out on 20 acres of land owned by James Westfall. One-half-acre lots were sold at five pounds each. Buyers had to build a house within five years that was at least 16 feet square with a stone or brick chimney.

      When the Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike was built in the 1830s and 1840s, Beverly citizens looked forward to better access to their town and the increased business that better transportation offered. The "pike" was routed through Beverly and, by 1841, was graded and ready for use. One problem, however, was that bridges had not yet been built, and the road could only be used in dry weather.

      This problem intrigued prominent Beverly citizen Lemuel Chenoweth, a cabinetmaker and architect. Chenoweth had learned mathematics from Virginia road engineer Colonel Claudius Crozet, who had taught at West Point and was in charge of building the pike.

      Chenoweth learned that contracts for building several bridges on the pike were to be awarded by the Virginia Board of Public Works in Richmond. Wrestling with the many problems of bridge building in wilderness areas, he made a model bridge which demonstrated new methods and techniques. He put the pieces of this model into his leather saddlebags and rode on horseback to Richmond to interview with the board on the appointed day. Chenoweth immediately attracted the board members' attention by constructing his model using two ladder-back chairs to support it. He held the board spellbound as he explained his novel new bridge, with "nary a nail in 'er." Finally, he stood on his model bridge and defied the board to find anyone who could build a sturdier one. Chenoweth subsequently received contracts for several bridges in western Virginia. Two of the covered bridges still stand: the bridge at Philippi (which was rebuilt after a 1989 fire exactly to Chenoweth's original plans) and the bridge at Barracksville. The imposing Presbyterian church in Huttonsville is also a tribute to his talents.

      Some years after the building of the pike brought growth and prosperity to Beverly, the town was embroiled in the Civil War. Beverly was located in a strategic position and was occupied repeatedly by both Federal and Confederate troops. There were at least five Confederate raids in which Beverly was a specific goal.

      After the nearby Battle of Rich Mountain in early July 1861, many Confederate troops retreated to Beverly and then towards Leadsville and Parsons. Soon after Federal forces occupied Beverly, General George B. McClellan arrived. He was impressed by the serenity of the little town. In a letter to his wife, McClellan, who had traveled extensively, wrote: "The valley in which we are is one of the most beautiful I ever saw, and I am more inclined than ever to make my headquarters at Beverly. Beverly is a quiet, old-fashioned town, in a lovely valley, a beautiful stream running by it, a perfect pastoral scene such as old painters dreamed of but never realized. Our ride today was magnificent, some of the most splendid mountain views I ever beheld."

      Confederate General John D. Imboden often raided the area, arriving after dark and spending the night atop a small knob just south of town. At daybreak his men would charge through the small town, relying on the element of surprise. Today this hill is known as "Imboden Knob."

      In the spring of 1863, Colonel George R. Latham's Union force of 878 men was garrisoned at Beverly. In April, Generals Imboden and William E. "Grumble" Jones planned a raid into West Virginia to blow up railroad bridges on the Baltimore & Ohio and round up horses and cattle for the Confederate Army. Jones marched through Hardy County, then to Oakland, Terra Alta, Albright, Kingwood, Morgantown, and Fairmont. He planned to join Imboden, who was to cross Cheat Mountain on the Staunton and Parkersburg Pike. With combined forces they would then move west to destroy oil-pumping operations along the Ohio River. General Imboden, with 3,365 troops, after a rainy four-day march, entered Tygart Valley above Huttonsville on April 23. Plans were to surprise and capture the Federal garrison at Beverly. However, on reaching Huttonsville, he found that Federal pickets had been withdrawn and suspected that the garrison at Beverly had received word of his approach.

      The next day Imboden's army approached Beverly. The advance guard attempted to stop and detain Sheriff Jesse F. Phares, but he refused to surrender and was shot through the lungs. Imboden later learned that the wounded sheriff was taken to Beverly for treatment and provided the first warning of Imboden's approach. Skirmishing took place throughout the day, ending only when Federal forces retreated to Philippi.

      Other significant Confederate raids upon Beverly were undertaken by General William L. Jackson in July 1863 and Major Benjamin Hill in October 1864. But perhaps the most interesting (and brutal) of Confederate raids occurred on the cold, snowy night of January 11, 1865. General Thomas Rosser, with 300 Confederates, surprised the 1,000-man Federal garrison at Beverly, taking 580 prisoners. After this raid the Confederates marched their prisoners, many of them barefoot, through the deep snow up the pike towards Staunton. Most prisoners were not warmly dressed and suffered great hardship on this march. Many died from exposure and hunger before reaching Confederate prisons.

      One interesting incident occurred when the procession stopped for the night above Huttonsville at the farm of Hamilton Stalnaker. The troops and prisoners were chilled and, there being many rail fences at hand, soon had blazing campfires.

      Stalnaker said to General Rosser, "I am a strong Confederate supporter, yet your men burn my fences. My brother, Warwick, across the way, is a strong Federal supporter and you have not touched his rails."

      Rosser looked at him and answered, "Never mind, Mr. Stalnaker, we will get to Warwick's rails after a while."

      After the Civil War, progress resumed in Beverly and the surrounding area. The Western Maryland Railroad reached the area of Leadsville and, in 1889, Henry Gassaway Davis established the town of Elkins. This new community grew rapidly and soon had a population of several thousand.

      Before long, Beverly citizens realized that Elkins could become the county seat. In 1894, Beverly officials built a new courthouse, hoping to deter the movement of county seat to Elkins. However, after many legal proceedings and threatened raids, the move finally took place in 1902.

      Today, visitors can enjoy walking tours of historic Beverly. Stops include the Beverly Museum and Lemuel Chenoweth Museum, the David Goff House, the Beverly Family History Library in the old bank, and the Rich Mountain Visitors Center in the McClellan Headquarters building.

      Were General McClellan to ride through Beverly today, he would find it much changed, but still a quiet town in a lovely valley.