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History · Gilbert

Gilbert’s post office opened in 1874

Most of Gilbert was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1912 on, and the census since 1930.

1874first post office
0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Gilbert’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Gilbert began

When was Gilbert founded?

1874

The Gilbert post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 451 in 19302020 census: 333152 years
Founding year: the first Gilbert post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Gilbert’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 874 in 1960; 333 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19125 editions of the USGS map, 1912 to 1996. Watch Gilbert change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gilbert’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewGilbert Bridge, U.S. Route 52, spanning…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Gilbert, census by census

020040060080019401960198020002020Peak: 874

Peaked at 874 in 1960; 333 people lived here in 2020.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

On the map

Gilbert on the map, 1912 to 1996

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

Gilbert on the 1912 USGS mapGilbert on the 1925 USGS mapGilbert on the 1963 USGS mapGilbert on the 1977 USGS mapGilbert on the 1996 USGS map1912Gilbert 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 Gilbert.

The story so far

Gilbert, in brief

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

Gilbert is a town in Mingo County, West Virginia, United States, along the Guyandotte River. The population was 333 at the 2020 census. Gilbert was incorporated in 1918 and named for Gilbert Creek, which derives its name from the name of an early traveler in the area who was killed by Native Americans. Gilbert is known nationwide for the Hatfield-McCoy ATV Trails that are located in the area. There are a number of lodges and restaurants in Gilbert. On July 1, 2023, after a months-long design contest, the town announced its new flag, "The Star of Bright Promise."

Its first post office opened in 1874. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 450 to 333 (-26%).

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

Timeline

Gilbert, 1874 to 1982

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1874Post officeThe Gilbert post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1912On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1917Born hereArden Mounts is born here
  6. 1924Born hereBud Harless is born here
  7. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 874
  8. 1982Born hereGarin Justice is born here
By decade

Gilbert, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Gilbert Bridge, U.S. Route 52, spanning Guyandotte River near confluence of Gilbert CreekDate?Gilbert Bridge, U.S. Route 52, spanning Guyandotte Ri…
Today4 recent
2017-07-22 10 25 55 View north along West Virginia State Route 80 (Third Avenue) at U.S. Route 52 (Central Avenue) in20172017-07-22 10 25 55 View north along West Virginia St…2017-07-22 10 23 37 View north along U.S. Route 52 (Central Avenue) at Old County Road in20172017-07-22 10 23 37 View north along U.S. Route 52 (C…Gilbert, West Virginia2014Gilbert, West VirginiaWVMap-doton-Gilbert2004WVMap-doton-Gilbert
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Gilbert Bridge, U.S. Route 52, spanning Guyandotte River near confluence of Gilbert Creek
Retake this viewGilbert Bridge, U.S. Route 52, spanning Guyandotte River near confluence of Gilbert Creek

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Gilbert’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

3 famous people were born in Gilbert

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
A
Arden MountsAmerican NASCAR driver · b. 1917
B
Bud HarlessFormer NASCAR driver · b. 1924
G
Garin JusticeCollege football coach · b. 1982
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Gilbert CreekIts storyC−

Questions about Gilbert’s history

What year was Gilbert founded?

The Gilbert post office opened in 1874, 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 (4), the Library of Congress (1), 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) 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.