1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 51 buildings. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1918 on, and the census since 1910.
The Richwood post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1901. Four smaller post offices, Rich Woods (1856), Cherry Tree Bottom (1879) and Dain (1911), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 3,061 in 19102020 census: 1,660145 years
How historic is Richwood?
A−
More historic than 83% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Richwood post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1901.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Richwood’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Richwood is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Richwood’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 Richwood’s 212 sits above most of its state (77% of West Virginia towns have fewer) while its 51 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1901.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Richwood’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area surrounding the forks of the Cherry River has been populated since the late 1700s. During the 19th century, the area was a sparsely settled semi-wilderness of homesteads and subsistence farms. This changed in 1898 when a railroad was extended into the area, then known as Cherry Tree Bottoms. In 1901, the town was incorporated with its present name referencing the abundant hardwood forests in the area. Soon, the area possessed a large sawmill and the world's largest clothespin factory. A labor dispute at the clothespin factory led to a 1944 U.S. Supreme Court case, Wallace Corp. v. NLRB.
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.
The Richwood post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1901.
How does Richwood rank for history?
Richwood is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns. 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 Richwood?
One place: the Downtown Richwood Historic District (listed 2001).
How old are the homes in Richwood?
41% of Richwood’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.1 points), against a typical 13% for a West Virginia town; the median home was built in 1949.
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 (1), the Library of Congress (10), 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.
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