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History · Proctorville

Proctorville’s post office opened in 1881, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1901 on and the census since 1880.

1881first post office
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Proctorville began

When was Proctorville founded?

1881

The Proctorville post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Kimbles (1821) and Quaker Bottom (1837), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 385 in 18802020 census: 523145 years
Founding year: the first Proctorville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Proctorville’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Proctorville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19013 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1985. Watch Proctorville change.Boom and bustPeaked at 975 in 1980; 523 people lived here in 2020.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Proctorville, and 1 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Proctorville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Proctorville’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Proctorville on the map, 1901 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Proctorville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Proctorville on the 1901 USGS mapProctorville on the 1976 USGS mapProctorville on the 1985 USGS map1901Guyandot sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Proctorville.

People over time

Proctorville, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 975

Peaked at 975 in 1980; 523 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Proctorville’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Proctorville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Proctorville.

Read it all →

The land where Proctorville is now situated was originally settled in 1797 and called Quaker Bottom. Situated on the Ohio River, Quaker Bottom grew throughout the 1800s as a trading center. In 1834, Jacob Proctor established a general store next to the wharf, and river boat captains knew the village as "Proctor's Landing". When the village was incorporated in 1878, the name was changed to Proctorville in Jacob's honor.

The Rome Beauty apple was developed by Joel Gillette and his son Alanson in Rome Township, near Proctorville, in 1816.

The village was decimated by a fire on April 7, 1900, and most of the destroyed businesses were never rebuilt. Major flooding in 1913 and 1937 further damaged the village.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Proctorville, 1821 to 1980

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1821Post officeThe Kimbles post office opens
  3. 1837Post officeThe Kimbles post office closes
  4. 1837Post officeThe Quaker Bottom post office opens
  5. 1881Post officeThe Quaker Bottom post office closes
  6. 1881Post officeThe Proctorville post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1901On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 975
By decade

Proctorville, decade by decade

Today6 recent
East Huntington Bridge Across Ohio River, Proctorville, Ohio and Huntington, West Virginia2014East Huntington Bridge Across Ohio River, Proctorvill…East Huntington Bridge Across Ohio River, Proctorville, Ohio and Huntington, West Virginia2014East Huntington Bridge Across Ohio River, Proctorvill…205 Elizabeth Street2013205 Elizabeth StreetProctorville OH water tower2007Proctorville OH water towerProctorville OH library2007Proctorville OH libraryOHMap-doton-Proctorville2004OHMap-doton-Proctorville
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Proctorville’s post office has been open since 1881. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Kimbles
1821–1837
Quaker Bottom
1837–1881
Proctorville
1881–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Sunny Acres

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Union Township2 historic placesBRome Township1 historic placeC

Questions about Proctorville’s history

What year was Proctorville founded?

The Proctorville post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.