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–Not graded
History · Glasgow

Glasgow’s post office opened in 1914, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1910 on, and the census since 1930.

1914first post office
0on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Glasgow’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Glasgow began

When was Glasgow founded?

1914

The Glasgow post office opened in 1914, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 614 in 19302020 census: 703112 years
Founding year: the first Glasgow post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Glasgow’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 1,031 in 1980; 703 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19105 editions of the USGS map, 1910 to 1971. Watch Glasgow change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Glasgow’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGLASGOW SWIMMING POOL IS THE ONLY ONE B…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Glasgow, census by census

02004006008001,00019401960198020002020Peak: 1,031

Peaked at 1,031 in 1980; 703 people lived here in 2020.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

On the map

Glasgow on the map, 1910 to 1971

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

Glasgow on the 1910 USGS mapGlasgow on the 1928 USGS mapGlasgow on the 1931 USGS mapGlasgow on the 1965 USGS mapGlasgow on the 1971 USGS map1910Montgomery 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 Glasgow.

The story

How Glasgow came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Glasgow.

Read it all →

Glasgow was incorporated on June 20, 1920. Folk etymology derives its name from a combination of the word "glass" with the word "company" for a glass factory that was built there many years ago, but the presence of many Scottish immigrants to this part of Appalachia, particularly from the Strathclyde region, indicates that the town was most likely named after the Scottish city of Glasgow in Strathclyde. Other Virginia and West Virginia locations named for places in Strathclyde include Dumbarton, Argyle, Loudoun County, Hamilton in Loudoun County, Lanark and Renfrew.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Glasgow, 1910 to 1980

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1910On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1914Post officeThe Glasgow post office opens
  4. 1973In the archiveGLASGOW SWIMMING POOL IS THE ONLY ONE BETWEEN CHARLESTON AND MONTGOMERY
  5. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 1,031
By decade

Glasgow, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1970s1 item
GLASGOW SWIMMING POOL IS THE ONLY ONE BETWEEN CHARLESTON AND MONTGOMERY1973GLASGOW SWIMMING POOL IS THE ONLY ONE BETWEEN CHARLES…
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today3 recent
Glasgow, West Virginia2014Glasgow, West VirginiaEssBendRiverTownAutumnAerial-Nov20132013EssBendRiverTownAutumnAerial-Nov2013WVMap-doton-Glasgow2004WVMap-doton-Glasgow
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.

GLASGOW SWIMMING POOL IS THE ONLY ONE BETWEEN CHARLESTON AND MONTGOMERY
Retake this viewGLASGOW SWIMMING POOL IS THE ONLY ONE BETWEEN CHARLESTON AND MONTGOMERY, 1973

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Glasgow

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

See all →
Jerry WestAmerican basketball player and executive · b. 1938
Randy MossAmerican football player and sports analyst · b. 1977
Mike BarrettAmerican basketball player · b. 1943
Gino MarchettiPlayer of American football · b. 1927
L
Lou MyersAmerican actor · b. 1935
Timothy TrumanAmerican writer · b. 1956
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Cedar Grove2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Glasgow’s history

What year was Glasgow founded?

The Glasgow post office opened in 1914, 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), 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.