West Virginia Forestry Division

About forestry service, 24815, Berwind, WV, US, West Virginia

Princeton is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 5,872 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bluefield micropolitan area. == History == === Early history === Princeton was named after the Battle of Princeton in Princeton, New Jersey, where General Hugh Mercer, the namesake of Mercer County, had died. When the county was formed in 1837, William Smith donated 1.5 acres of land for the county courthouse in what would become Princeton. Princeton was incorporated on February 20, 1909. Although Princeton did not see any major battles on its soil, there was the Battle of Pigeon Roost, or the Battle of Princeton Courthouse on May 17, 1862, a victory for the Confederates defending the Dublin railroad. Princeton had been burned a couple of weeks earlier on May 1 under the command of Captain Walter Jenifer, CSA to prevent the Union army from acquiring their supplies. The town was not burned in retaliation or anger toward the residents of Princeton. According to local history, many of the residents of Princeton torched their own homes and moved on from the area.