Its Register listings are the Contentment, the Halfway House and the Page-Vawter House. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1910 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1875.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ansted’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ansted is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ansted’s overall grade.
West Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical West Virginia town has 29.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ansted’s 26.3 sits near the middle of its state (61% of West Virginia towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.9 points). Two sources give 1873.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Ansted’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area of what is now southern West Virginia was long a hunting ground for nomadic tribes of Native-Americans before the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century. Around 1790, the area now known as Ansted was settled by a group of Baptists who did not hold legal title to the land. These people were known as "squatters", and built the Hopewell Baptist Church nearby. In 1792, a 400-acre (1.6 km2) tract of land in the area was patented to Charles Skaggs.
Passages that mention Ansted, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of fayette county west virginia1926 · page 676Read the page →
Read the text
Ohio railroad at Fayette station, which is its shipping point. It is about seven miles east of Fayetteville, the county seat. It is situated on the Chestnutburg road which extends from the town of Ansted, about six miles to the north, passing through Lansing, and extending on through the farming section of Edmond to the mining town of Winona, about four or five miles to the south east. A new ciass A road has recently been completed from Lansing to Fayette station, which route is remarkable for the excellent views
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of fayette county west virginia1926 · page 489Read the page →
Read the text
FAayetTre County HIsTory 489 Professor Ansted came over in the fall of 1873, and purchased three separate parcels of land: the Tyree tract of about 900 acres; the Westlake tract of a little more than 300 acres, adjoining the Tyree tract upon the main portion of which the town of Ansted is now located ; and the Mark Anthony tract of 1060 acres, fronting on Gauley river and lower Rich creek, about eight miles to the northward. The Westlake tract was paid for in cash; the Tyree tract
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Ansted, 1873 to 1995
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1873, according to Wikidata. Ansted’s post office opened in 1875, and the census of 1900 counted 1,090 people here.
How does Ansted rank for history?
Ansted is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Ansted?
Three places: the Contentment (listed 1974), the Halfway House (1978) and the Page-Vawter House (1985).
How old are the homes in Ansted?
23% of Ansted’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.9 points), against a typical 13% for a West Virginia town; the median home was built in 1962.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (10), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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