History of St. Albans

The Honorable Philip Rootes Thompson, Sr. a lawyer, a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1793 to 1797, and a member of the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1801 to March 3, 1807 moved his family from Culpeper, Virginia to settle here in 1816.

Lewis Tackett and his brother, Christopher, and their families established Fort Tackett across Coal River, but the Shawnee's burned the fort on August 27, 1790.

Thomas Teays had a grant across Coal River. He was captured by the Shawnee and when released three years later and returned to Campbell County, Virginia. In 1800, his son Stephen took control of this land.

Morris Hudson and his family settled in the Highland area around 1810.

We are attempting to locate the descendants of these four families, as well as the descendants of any other family that ever lived in the town or immediate surroundings.

St. Albans has been known by several names: 1817: Coalsmouth, 1832: Phillipi, 1865: Jefferson, 1868:Village of Kanawha City, 1871: St. Albans

The goal of this program is to help families in their search for relatives and the history of this area.

Follow this link to see photographs of early St. Albans buildings and homes: Photographs