French Creek | |
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  French Creek Location within the state of West Virginia Show map of West Virginia French Creek French Creek (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:38°53′8″N80°17′50″W / 38.88556°N 80.29722°W /38.88556; -80.29722 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Upshur |
| Elevation | 1,460 ft (450 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 26218[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1554511[2] |
French Creek is anunincorporated community inUpshur County,West Virginia, United States.[2]
French Creek is 9½ miles south of the county seat,Buckhannon, onWest Virginia Route 20. It is home to theWest Virginia State Wildlife Center — formerly the "French Creek Game Farm" — azoological park featuring native and introducedfauna. Popular exhibits at the center includeAmerican bison,North American river otters,black bears andmountain lions.
French Creek was settled in the early 19th century by a number ofNew EnglandPresbyterians. Family names from these settlers include Gould, Young, Phillips, Burr, Sexton, Brooks, Alden and Loomis. The community's first post office, only the second established in the county, opened in 1822. The community takes its name from nearbyFrench Creek, a tributary of theBuckhannon River watershed.[3] The village was also referred to asMeadeville, as it is located in the magisterial Meade District. French Creek was also known "Snatchburg" for some time in the 1800s, said to be a reference to the perceived rapaciousness of local merchants.[4]
The French Creek Presbyterian Church was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1974. The land was donated to the church by the Young family.[5]
Ralph "Boone" Young lived on Bush Run Road in French Creek, where he once kept bobcats and other wild animals. His animals became a visiting point of sort over time. He was a trapper and one of the founders of the Game Farm, (now called the West Virginia State Wildlife Center).
Municipalities and communities ofUpshur County, West Virginia,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |