that the Treaty of Ghent had been signed, ending the war. The first school in Clendenin District was taught in 1816 by a master named Withrow, in a log cabin at the mouth of Arbuckle Creek, later the site of the Arbuckle Schoolhouse. The first grist mill in the district was built by John Stephens in 1834. It had a single run of stones, and was powered by a team of four horses. It was followed by a steam-powered mill built by Charles Beale. Beale, along with his uncle, Peter H. Steenbergen, were influential in developing Mason County's fledgling stock-raising industry. Steenbergen brought the first "improved breed" of cattle to Mason County, and in 1839 he and Beale introduced the first Shorthorn cattle, a breed that was soon distributed throughout the county. After West Virginia gained its independence from Virginia in 1863, the legislature enacted a law requiring the counties to be divided into civil townships. Mason County was divided into ten townships, each of which was named after a pioneer settler of Mason County. Clendenin Township was named in honor of William Clendenin, one of the earliest settlers of the area. The spelling of the name was highly variable in the nineteenth century; "Clendenen Township" is mentioned in the Weekly Register in the year of its formation, with the surname spelled "Clendennen" directly beneath it; other early spellings included "Clendennin" and "Clendinen". As a surname, the present spelling appears in the Register from its inception in 1862, and this spelling was applied to the township by 1870, gradually becoming the predominant spelling for both the surname and the territory over the following years. Like the other townships, Clendenin was converted into a magisterial district in 1872. It is the only Clendenin District in the state. The first post office in the district was established at Crab Creek in 1874. It operated out of the house of John R. Dabney, who was appointed the first postmaster. 1879 saw the establishment of the town of Henderson. The Gallipolis Locks and Dam, now the Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam, were built in the southern part of the district, just above Apple Grove, in 1937. Notes References External links County website Category:Magisterial districts in Mason County, West Virginia Category:Magisterial districts in West Virginia