Editing West Union, West Virginia (section)

===20th century===
Doddridge County's oil and gas industry was a boon to West Union. By 1906, the Ideal Glass Factory opened to take advantage of the abundant gas. It was followed by the Doddridge County Window Glass Company. The two plants employed about 300 people. In later years a garment factory opened, but closed in the 1970s. A long-remembered flood devastated West Union in June 1950, destroying homes and businesses and killing 22 people throughout the county. (One casualty was the 107-year-old covered bridge.)

Today farming, timbering, oil and gas, and the business of county government and public education support the area, and many people commute to jobs in Salem, Clarksburg, and Parkersburg, or to the North Central Regional Jail in Greenwood.<ref name="e-WV"/>

The [[Lathrop Russell Charter House]], [[Doddridge County Courthouse]], [[Silas P. Smith Opera House]], and [[W. Scott Stuart House]] are individually listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2009a}}</ref>  West Union is also home to two nationally recognized [[Historic district (United States)|historic districts]]: [[West Union Downtown Historic District]] and [[West Union Residential Historic District]].