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History · Grantsville

Grantsville dates to 1865, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Grantsville was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1960. Its Register listing is the Calhoun County High School. Below: maps from 1907 on and the census since 1880.

1865founded
1on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Taken by-Roger Propst, Uploaded by-Dakota Laughlin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Grantsville began

When was Grantsville founded?

1865

Grantsville dates its founding to 1865 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 112 in 18802020 census: 494161 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1866.

What stands out about Grantsville’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 Grantsville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,052 in 1940; 494 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19073 editions of the USGS map, 1907 to 1966. Watch Grantsville change.Old housesHalf of Grantsville’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grantsville’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Grantsville, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,052

Peaked at 1,052 in 1940; 494 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

On the map

Grantsville on the map, 1907 to 1966

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

Grantsville on the 1907 USGS mapGrantsville on the 1925 USGS mapGrantsville on the 1966 USGS map1907Arnoldsburg 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 Grantsville.

The story so far

Grantsville, in brief

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

Grantsville is a town in Calhoun County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 482 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Calhoun County. The town was established along the Little Kanawha River in 1865 and named for Ulysses S. Grant. Grantsville is home to Wayne Underwood Park, which includes a .25-mile-long (0.40 km) walking trail, and to the annual West Virginia Wood Festival.

Grantsville was established in 1865. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 561 to 494 (-12%).

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

Timeline

Grantsville, 1865 to 1940

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1865
    FoundingGrantsville is established
  3. 1866Post officeThe Grantsville post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1907On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1909Born hereBob Mollohan is born here
  7. 1911Born hereBernard P. Bell is born here
  8. 1919Born hereHovah Hall Underwood is born here
  9. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 1,052
By decade

Grantsville, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Grantsville, WV Main St. 20232023Grantsville, WV Main St. 2023Map of Grantsville in the 80's2017Map of Grantsville in the 80'sMapGrantsville West Virginia2006Grantsville West VirginiaGrantsville WV2006Grantsville WVCalhoun County Courthouse WV2006Calhoun County Courthouse WVWVMap-doton-Grantsville2004WVMap-doton-Grantsville
On the National Register

1 historic place in Grantsville

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
2023
Calhoun County High School
Calhoun County High School
Buildings
All 1 listings
Calhoun County High SchoolBuilding · listed 2023

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Grantsville

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

See all →
Bob MollohanAmerican politician · b. 1909
Bernard P. BellUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1911
H
Hovah Hall UnderwoodFirst Lady of West Virginia · b. 1919
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Grantsville’s post office has been open since 1866.

Gone or out of use
Calhoun County High SchoolschoolCalhoun General HospitalhospitalGrantsville Graded Schoolschool

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

Questions about Grantsville’s history

What year was Grantsville founded?

In 1865, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Grantsville’s post office opened in 1866, and the census of 1880 counted 112 people here.

What is on the National Register in Grantsville?

One place: the Calhoun County High School (listed 2023).

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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (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.