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History · Gallipolis Ferry

Gallipolis Ferry’s post office opened in 1907

Most of Gallipolis Ferry was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: maps from 1908 on.

1907first post office
0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Gallipolis Ferry began

When was Gallipolis Ferry founded?

1907

The Gallipolis Ferry post office opened in 1907, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Beale (1902), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 735119 years
Founding year: the first Gallipolis Ferry post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Gallipolis Ferry’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 Gallipolis Ferry are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19085 editions of the USGS map, 1908 to 1975. Watch Gallipolis Ferry change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gallipolis Ferry’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gallipolis Ferry’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

Gallipolis Ferry on the map, 1908 to 1975

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

Gallipolis Ferry on the 1908 USGS mapGallipolis Ferry on the 1926 USGS mapGallipolis Ferry on the 1958 USGS mapGallipolis Ferry on the 1968 USGS mapGallipolis Ferry on the 1975 USGS map1908Point Pleasant 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 Gallipolis Ferry.

The story so far

Gallipolis Ferry, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Gallipolis Ferry yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Gallipolis Ferry is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mason County, West Virginia, United States. It is situated on the Ohio River along West Virginia Route 2. As of the 2020 census, its population was 735 (down from 817 at the 2010 census). It is the site of the Robert C. Byrd Locks & Dam on the Ohio. The community was named for the fact a ferry once provided service between the town site and nearby Gallipolis, Ohio. The community is part of the Point Pleasant, WV–OH Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Its first post office opened in 1907. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 817 to 735 (-10%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Gallipolis Ferry, 1902 to 1916

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1902Post officeThe Beale post office opens
  3. 1907Post officeThe Gallipolis Ferry post office opens
  4. 1908On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1916Post officeThe Beale post office closes
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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Famous people

Famous people close to Gallipolis Ferry

Nobody well known was born in Gallipolis Ferry itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

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J
Jenny HolzerAmerican conceptual artist · b. 1950
Royal RobbinsAmerican rock climber · b. 1935
Brereton C. JonesAmerican politician in Kentucky · b. 1939
Skip BattinAmerican musician · b. 1934
Henry A. CoffeenAmerican politician · b. 1841
Geoffrey D. MillerRetired United States Army Major General · b. 1949
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Gallipolis Ferry’s post office has been open since 1907. Another post office, Beale, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Beale
1902–1916
Gallipolis Ferry
1907–today
19001960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Beale
1cemetery inside Gallipolis Ferry
Jordan

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

Questions about Gallipolis Ferry’s history

What year was Gallipolis Ferry founded?

The Gallipolis Ferry post office opened in 1907, 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 →
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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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.