Lewisburg

History

Lewisburg is named after Andrew Lewis. In 1751 Lewis, as a young surveyor, established a camp near the spring behind the present courthouse. This spring has been known as the Lewis Spring since that time. During Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763, Native Americans completely destroyed two of the early European settlements in Greenbrier County, killing the men and carrying off the women and children. This raid virtually eliminated all of the earliest settlers in the county. The Native Americans were primarily Shawnees, and (according to undocumented tradition) were led by the famous leader Hokoleskwa, or Cornstalk. By 1770 a fortified encampment called Fort Savannah was established at the Lewis Spring. In 1774, Governor Dunmore of Virginia instructed then-Colonel Andrew Lewis to gather "willing and able men" to go to the great Kanawha River and stand against the Native American forces that were attacking the Greenbrier Valley. In what became known as Lord Dunmore's War, over 1,490 men were assembled, some at Fort Pitt at present-day Pittsburgh, and others at Fort Union, on the site of present-day Lewisburg. These recruits included Lewis's brother Charles, and others which history books refer to as one of the most remarkable assemblages of frontier leaders in American history. Thirteen were men of political and military distinction. Lewis's army marched down the New and Kanawha Rivers to the Ohio River, where they intended to cross over and invade the Ohio Country, which was the home of the Shawnees. The Native Americans, led by Cornstalk, attempted to cut them off at the mouth of the Kanawha, where they fought an inconclusive battle that came to be known as the Battle of Point Pleasant. When the town of Lewisburg was formally laid out in 1780, Matthew Arbuckle, Sr. was the…

Geography

Lewisburg is located approximately one mile north of the Greenbrier River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Much of it is within the karst belt and a sinkhole is gated over at an intersection. It is part of the Davis Spring subwatershed. Lewisburg is part of the Southern West Virginia region. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cold winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Lewisburg has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  930
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  908
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  856
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  797
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  720
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  706
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  703
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  689

Largest nearby schools

• GREENBRIER EAST HIGH SCHOOL
  High · LEWISBURG · 1,014 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• EASTERN GREENBRIER MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · RONCEVERTE · 732 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• LEWISBURG ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · LEWISBURG · 461 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• RONCEVERTE ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · RONCEVERTE · 401 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• WHITE SULPHUR ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS · 337 students · 13.5:1 ratio
• FRANKFORD ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · FRANKFORD · 214 students · 11.9:1 ratio
• The Achievement Center
  Other · Lewisburg · 29 students
• GREENBRIER SCHOOL OF PRACTICAL NURSING
  Other · LEWISBURG

Most recent

• M 2.55 — 2023-06-17
  2 km N of Pembroke, Virginia
• M 2.56 — 2021-09-27
  4 km N of Lafayette, Virginia
• M 2.76 — 2021-07-15
  10 km S of Narrows, Virginia
• M 2.54 — 2019-12-11
  21 km W of New Castle, Virginia
• M 2.61 — 2019-03-04
  13 km E of Meadow Bridge, West Virginia
• M 3.2 — 2017-09-13
  11 km NE of Peterstown, West Virginia