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History · Ghent

Ghent’s post office opened in 1903

Most of Ghent was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1968. Below: maps from 1914 on.

1903first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Idawriter · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Ghent began

When was Ghent founded?

1903

The Ghent post office opened in 1903, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 582123 years
Founding year: the first Ghent post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Ghent’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 Ghent are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19144 editions of the USGS map, 1914 to 1968. Watch Ghent change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ghent’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ghent’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

Ghent on the map, 1914 to 1968

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

Ghent on the 1914 USGS mapGhent on the 1929 USGS mapGhent on the 1932 USGS mapGhent on the 1968 USGS map1914Flattop 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 Ghent.

The story

How Ghent came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ghent.

Read it all →

The community's name commemorates the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812.

Chapters2007 Propane Disaster

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Ghent, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Ghent, West Virginia2016Ghent, West VirginiaFlat Top Mountain Road2016Flat Top Mountain RoadFall in2016Fall inAppalachian Inn2016Appalachian InnAn October Dusting2016An October Dusting1, WV, USA - panoramio - Idawriter (6)20161, WV, USA - panoramio - Idawriter (6)1, WV, USA - panoramio (6)20161, WV, USA - panoramio (6)1, WV, USA - panoramio (5)20161, WV, USA - panoramio (5)1, WV, USA - panoramio (4)20161, WV, USA - panoramio (4)1, WV, USA - panoramio (3)20161, WV, USA - panoramio (3)1, WV, USA - panoramio (2)20161, WV, USA - panoramio (2)1, WV, USA - panoramio (1)20161, WV, USA - panoramio (1)
Famous people

Famous people close to Ghent

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

See all →
Chris SarandonAmerican actor · b. 1942
Tom CarperAmerican politician · b. 1947
Mike D'AntoniAmerican-Italian basketball player and coach · b. 1951
Sylvia BurwellFormer United States Secretary of Health and Hu… · b. 1965
John Davis ChandlerAmerican actor · b. 1935
Cora Sue CollinsAmerican child actress · b. 1927

Questions about Ghent’s history

What year was Ghent founded?

The Ghent post office opened in 1903, 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 Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikipedia, 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.