Keyser, West Virginia

Keyser, West Virginia
—  City  —
Location of Keyser, West Virginia
Coordinates: 39°26′20″N 78°58′58″W
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Mineral
Settled	1852
Area
• Total	1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2)
• Land	1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	807 ft (246 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	5,303
• Density	2,791.7/sq mi (1,077.9/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	26726
Area code(s)	304
FIPS code	54-43492
GNIS feature ID	1541180

Keyser is a city in and the county seat of Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,303 at the 2000 census.

History

A whistle stop train tour in Keyser, West Virginia, in 1948. From left to right: President Harry S. Truman at the microphone, Congressional candidate Harley Orrin Staggers, and vice presidential candidate Alben W. Barkley.

Keyser was originally called Paddy Town after Patrick McCarty, son of one of the original settlers. With the coming of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1852, the destiny of the area changed from a quiet rural community to a thriving industrial center. The name was changed to New Creek Station and then to New Creek. In 1861 the Civil War came rumbling through the valley. Fort Fuller was built on the present site of Potomac State College, and Fort Piano entrenchments were established on New Creek Mountain. Because of the importance of the railroad, the town changed hands 14 times.

When West Virginia became a state in 1863,there was some contention between Piedmont and New Creek over the location of the county seat. As an inducement to have the county seat located in New Creek, the Davis brothers donated land for the courthouse in 1867 and is still in use.

In 1874, the town was incorporated as Keyser after William Keyser, vice president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

The Thomas R. Carskadon House and Mineral County Courthouse are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Education

Keyser is the home of the Potomac State College of West Virginia University, a junior college that serves primarily as a feeder college to WVU's main campus in Morgantown.

Keyser's public schools are part of the Mineral County school system. The schools in Keyser include Fountain Primary School, which covers Pre-Kindergarten through Fourth Grade; Keyser Primary Middle School, which covers Kindergarten through Eighth Grade; Keyser High School, which covers Ninth through Twelfth Grades; Mineral County Alternative School; and the Mineral County Tech Center, a vocational school. The mascot of Keyser High is the "Golden Tornado."

Geography

Keyser is located at 39°26′20″N 78°58′58″W (39.438851, -78.982663), just east of the point where the Allegheny Front crosses the Potomac River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), all land.

Geology

The type locality of the Silurian/Devonian Keyser Formation, a limestone, is located in a quarry and roadcut east of the town.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,303 people, 2,241 households, and 1,333 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,791.7 people per square mile (1,077.6/km²). There were 2,542 housing units at an average density of 1,338.2 per square mile (516.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.55% Euro American, 7.07% Black, 0.23% Brown, 0.40% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.

There were 2,241 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 13.5% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,718, and the median income for a family was $32,708. Males had a median income of $29,034 versus $20,818 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,813. About 16.3% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.2% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

In popular culture

Keyser is mentioned in the BBC television mini series The State Within (Season 1, Episode 1,). British Ambassador Mark Brydon just landed from a round trip to the U.K. where he was told he will be nominated to a new position in the British Government. En route to the embassy, a plane that just departed explodes above the highway, killing all the passengers and a few people on the highway. Rapidly, the Secret Services pinpoint that it is a terrorist bombing and that the terrorist was of British nationality. British SAS are shown on a raid, the screen clearly labels the location "Keyser, West Virginia." One of their members is killed in a shoot out and dumped in a nearby stream located in the fictitious "Fairmont County, West Virginia."

Notable residents and natives

• Henry Louis Gates, Jr. - Historian, author, academic; born in Keyser in 1950
• Jonah Edward Kelley - World War II soldier awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously
• Walter E. Rollins, (also known as Jack Rollins) - Songwriter who wrote "Frosty the Snowman" and "Smokey Bear"
• John Kruk - Major League Baseball player, ESPN baseball analyst
• Harley Orrin Staggers - United States Congressman
• Leo Mazzone- Major League Baseball pitching coach; born in Keyser
• Kix - Band