In 1801, Virginia made a second attempt to honor Thomas Jefferson by naming the new county taken from Berkeley in his honor. The Jefferson County formed in 1780 was, in 1801, a part of Kentucky and this new county was destined to fall in West Virginia; hence no county within the present confines of the state honors this great Virginian.
Harper's Ferry, situated in Jefferson County at the confluence of the Shenandoah with the Potomac River, is as well known for the beauty of its location as for being the site of John Brown's Raid, the prelude to civil warfare. Incidentally it may be noted that the Shenandoah afforded an outlet to market for the produce of the Valley of Virginia since boats could pass down its waters into the Potomac and thus to Chesapeake Bay.
In 1804, the new county of Mason was formed from Kanawha. It was bounded as follows: "beginning at the mouth of Little Guyandotte River running from thence to the northwest corner of a survey of 1437-1/2 acres made for Thomas Lewis in Teaze's valley near the house of Joshua Morris, from thence to the mouth of Little Hurricane creek, thence crossing the Kanawha river and taking a dividing ridge between Eighteen Mile and Pocatallico creeks to the end thereof, thence pursuing a northeast direction till it intersects the Wood County line to the Ohio, thence down the Ohio to the beginning."
Within this county lies Point Pleasant, scene of the famous battle.
This was the second time that Virginia had attempted to pay honor to George Mason of "Gunston Hall", author of the Bill of Rights. The earlier Mason County formed in 1789 became a part of Kentucky three years later, and the later Mason was destined to lie in West Virginia. George Mason, Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de la Fayette are not represented in the list of Virginia counties.
The county of Giles formed in 1806 was created from portions of Montgomery, Monroe and Tazewell counties, and is now a border county between Virginia and West Virginia. Its boundaries are thus described: "Beginning at the end of Gauley mountain on New River, where the counties of Greenbrier and Kanawha intersect, thence up the river with the Greenbrier and Montgomery lines to the intersection of Monroe line; thence with the Monroe and Montgomery line to the upper end of Pine's plantation; thence a straight line to the mouth of Rich creek, leaving the plantation of Hugh Caperton on the right; thence with the Monroe line to the intersection of Botetourt County line and with the Botetourt and Montgomery lines to the top of Gap mountain; thence along the top of the said mountain to New River crossing the same to the end of Walker's creek mountain; thence along the top of the said mountain to the intersection of Wythe county line; thence northwestwardly with said line to the intersection of Tazewell line, and with the Tazewell and Montgomery line to the top of Wolf creek mountain; thence along Wolf creek mountain to a path leading from the Round Bottom to Harman's mill about three miles below the mouth of Clear Fork of Wolf creek; thence a straight line to the mouth of Militin's fork; thence a direct line to the head of Crane creek on the top of the Flat-top mountain; thence a direct line to the three forks of Guyandotte river; thence down said river until it intersects Kanawha county line; thence with said line to the beginning."