The town of Paw Paw is located in Morgan County, WV along the banks of the Historic Potomac River. It is the western terminus of state route #9.  Paw Paw is just across the river from the state of Maryland and the Great Allegheny Passage recreation trail, which begins west of Pittsburgh and terminates in Washington, DC. The famous Paw Paw tunnel on the C& O Canal National Historic Park is included in this trail. 

Paw Paw has a graded school and high school, public library, Volunteer Fire Company and Rescue Squad, Senior Center, Mountaineer Community Health Center, Post Office, three restaurants, Central Hardware store, gas station with food available, Dollar General Store, eight churches, a bed and breakfast and a town park.  Organizations include, an American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, Lion’s club, CEOS club, 4-H club and Girl Scouts.

The town has its own water and sewer system witch includes a treatment plant that purifies water from the river and recycles it back into the Potomac River.

The Town was incorporated in 1891 and named for the Paw Paw Ridge Tunnel of the B&O Railroad. The tunnel was so named for the abundance of Paw Paws growing on the ridge through which the tunnel passed. The town was built around the railroad depot. The main line of the CSX railroad still goes though the town, but no longer stops here. 

Before the railroad and C&O Canal came to the area, most of the homes were located on Camp Hill. The church was also located on there. During the Civil War, 16,000 Union troops were located here to guard the B&O Railroad.  Many were camped on the hill above the river and railroad thus the name Camp Hill. The Union troops destroyed the Methodist Church located at the present Camp Hill Cemetery and after the war; the government gave the Methodist money to rebuild the church. It was relocated down near the depot at the present site on the corner of Lee and Jackson. Streets.  Note that although the town was held by Union soldiers, the two main streets were named for Confederated Generals.

After the Civil War when the county was struggling with reconstruction, Joseph B. Hoyt & Company of New York, was attracted to the area because of the amount of oak tanning bark being shipped from the railroad station here and established the tannery in 1868. It was more convenient to have the tanneries located near the bark and ship in the hides from Chicago. Earlier, most of the tanneries were on the east coast and New England.

Paw Paw was an excellent site for a tannery since it had adequate supply of water from the Potomac River for tanning purposes, an open field for an abundance of labor, good shipping facilities by way of the B&O Railroad and the C& O Canal, a climate that offered splendid drying conditions for most of the year and a good source of oak bark.

Although the Tannery was operated by four different companies during its 83 years of operation it provided steady work for Paw Paw citizens.  The odor of the tanning process was tolerated because it meant work. Paw Paw prospered during the depression and war time. After the start of WW II, many of the men went into military service and women went to work at the “Cut Sole” plant.  They operated a double shift at one time. About 450 people were employed.

The “Cut Sole” plant had moved from New Jersey to Paw Paw to get away from hiring Union workers. When the Paw Paw workers voted for a union, the company said the demands of the union never ended and the plant closed December 1951.

Another source of employment in the area was the apple orchards. Several packing houses were located near Paw Paw and apples were shipped all over the world. Now, there are very few apples grown in Paw Paw.

At present the Town has a population of 524 and is governed by a mayor and town council.  There is no industry in the town. Most people travel to Winchester or Cumberland to seek employment.

The town is a pleasant little community being a good place to rear children and retire.