Moorefield dates to 1777, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 89% of U.S. towns · #15 of 61 in West Virginia. What drives it
10 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 171 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1797.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Moorefield’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Moorefield is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #15 of 61 in West Virginia. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Moorefield’s overall grade.
West Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical West Virginia town has 29.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Moorefield’s 745 sits above most of its state (89% of West Virginia towns have fewer) while its 188 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1777.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.0 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Moorefield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Moorefield is situated in the South Branch Valley along the South Branch of the Potomac River. Native Americans populated this area for thousands of years. For centuries, they farmed along the river and hunted in the surrounding mountains. The historic Shawnee people, who spoke a Central Algonquian language in the same family as other tribes in their region, occupied this area when Anglo-European settlers began arriving in the early 18th century, attracted by the fertile land. This early settlement was centered on the community of Old Fields, referring to former Native American lands. This is located about five miles to the north of present-day Moorefield.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Moorefield. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1920Moorefield 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 Moorefield.
Every building
Moorefield, building by building, 1902–1915
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1902Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
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.
Retake this viewCSA JohnsonHQGuidon1995 6614, 1861
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Moorefield’s page.
Moorefield’s post office has been open since 1797.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Tannery
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Moorefield
Oak HillOlivet
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Moorefield’s history
What year was Moorefield founded?
In 1777, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Moorefield’s post office opened in 1797, and the census of 1880 counted 554 people here.
How does Moorefield rank for history?
Moorefield is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #15 of 61 in West Virginia. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Moorefield?
10 listings: 9 buildings, among them the Mill Island (listed 1973, the first), and 1 historic district, the Moorefield Historic District, with 171 contributing buildings. 188 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Moorefield?
17% of Moorefield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.0 points), against a typical 13% for a West Virginia town; the median home was built in 1968.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (10), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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