city, seat (1851) of Upshur county, north-central West Virginia, U.S., on the Buckhannon River. Settled in 1770, it was named for a local Delaware Indian chief, Buck-on-ge-ha-non, or Buckongahelas. The town site was platted in 1815 by Colonel Edward Jackson, grandfather of Confederate general Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson (Jackson, Thomas Jonathan). During the American Civil War the town was pillaged by Confederates and later occupied by Union troops.

Buckhannon is an agricultural (strawberries and livestock) trade centre; industries include coal mining, gas and oil production, glassmaking, glass decorating, and the manufacture of flooring and plastic pipe. It is the home of West Virginia Wesleyan College (1890), a private institution affiliated with the United Methodist church. Audra State Park and West Virginia State Wildlife Center are nearby. Inc. city, 1852. Pop. (1990) 5,909; (2000) 5,725.