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History · Hamlin

Hamlin dates to 1833, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Lincoln National Bank. Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 1920.

1833founded
1on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hamlin began

When was Hamlin founded?

1833

Hamlin dates its founding to 1833 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 516 in 19202020 census: 1,039193 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1851.The full story ↓

What stands out about Hamlin’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 Hamlin are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19024 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1989. Watch Hamlin change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1833: 193 years of Hamlin.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hamlin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hamlin’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
On the map

Hamlin on the map, 1902 to 1989

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

Hamlin on the 1902 USGS mapHamlin on the 1931 USGS mapHamlin on the 1958 USGS mapHamlin on the 1989 USGS map1902Milton 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 Hamlin.

Timeline

Hamlin, 1833 to 1917

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1833
    FoundingHamlin is established
  3. 1851Post officeThe Hamlin post office opens
  4. 1876Born hereWilliam S. Wysong is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1907BuiltLincoln National Bank is built
  8. 1917Born hereEv Elkins is born here
The story

How Hamlin came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hamlin.

Read it all →

The town was established in 1833 by an act of the Virginia General Assembly. Hamlin was named for Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline of the Methodist Church. A former postmaster claimed that Bishop Hamline added the "E" to his last name.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Hamlin, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Lincoln National Bank2017Lincoln National BankHamlin Trinity UMC2017Hamlin Trinity UMCHamlin Church of Christ2017Hamlin Church of ChristLincoln County Courthouse West Virginia2007Lincoln County Courthouse West VirginiaHamlin West Virginia2007Hamlin West VirginiaWVMap-doton-Hamlin2004WVMap-doton-Hamlin
On the National Register

1 historic place in Hamlin

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2015
Lincoln National Bank
Lincoln National Bank, built 1907
Buildings
Lincoln National BankBuilt 1907

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

People over time

Hamlin, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,219

Between 516 and 1,219 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Hamlin

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

See all →
William S. WysongAttorney General of West Virginia 1942-1943 · b. 1876
E
Ev ElkinsAmerican football player · b. 1917
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Hamlin’s post office has been open since 1851.

Hamlets and corners on the map
New Hamlin
Gone or out of use
Hamlin Elementary SchoolschoolHamlin High Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Hamlin
Hamlin

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

Questions about Hamlin’s history

What year was Hamlin founded?

In 1833, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hamlin’s post office opened in 1851, and the census of 1920 counted 516 people here.

What is on the National Register in Hamlin?

One place: the Lincoln National Bank (listed 2015).

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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.