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–Not graded
History · Ridgeley

Ridgeley’s post office opened in 1898, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1898 on, and the census since 1920.

1898first post office
0on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Ridgeley’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Ridgeley began

When was Ridgeley founded?

1898

The Ridgeley post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,709 in 19202020 census: 591128 years
Founding year: the first Ridgeley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Ridgeley’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 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18987 editions of the USGS map, 1898 to 1993. Watch Ridgeley change.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,972 in 1930; 591 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Ridgeley’s homes were built before 1947.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ridgeley’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ridgeley’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 viewC&O Caboose 900332 in Knobmount Yard Ma…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Ridgeley on the map, 1898 to 1993

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

Ridgeley on the 1898 USGS mapRidgeley on the 1901 USGS mapRidgeley on the 1949 USGS mapRidgeley on the 1951 USGS mapRidgeley on the 1974 USGS mapRidgeley on the 1981 USGS mapRidgeley on the 1993 USGS map1898Frostburg 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 Ridgeley.

People over time

Ridgeley, census by census

05001,0001,5002,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,972

Peaked at 1,972 in 1930; 591 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

The story

How Ridgeley came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ridgeley.

Read it all →

The land on which the town is built was originally conveyed from Thomas Lord Fairfax to George Mason in 1749. In 1750, the first frontier fort, Fort Ohio, was built at Ridgeley. It was, at the time, the westernmost outpost of colonial civilization and was most commonly referred to as the "New Store" settlement at the time. The New Store was primarily a trading post created by the Ohio Company which included prominent members including George Mason and Lawrence Washington. Christopher Gist was in charge of construction of "New Store" which was just over what is now the Blue Bridge leading into Ridgeley from Cumberland. The settlement was used as a headquarters for traders and trappers from 1750 and 1763, and also served as a local fort outpost to shelter travelers or workers in the event of an Indian attack. Early Ohio Company residents who worked at the settlement (and who explored th…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ridgeley, 1898 to 2001

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1898Post officeThe Ridgeley post office opens
  3. 1898On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1922Born hereJohn Lookabaugh is born here
  6. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 1,972
  7. 1991In the archiveC&O Caboose 900332 in Knobmount Yard March 1991
  8. 21st century
  9. 2001Born hereAbby Beeman is born here
By decade

Ridgeley, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s3 items
C&O Caboose 900332 in Knobmount Yard March 19911991C&O Caboose 900332 in Knobmount Yard March 1991C&O Caboose 903317 at Ridgeley, WV in March 19911991C&O Caboose 903317 at Ridgeley, WV in March 1991C&O caboose 903218 in Knobmount Yard March 19911991C&O caboose 903218 in Knobmount Yard March 1991
Today7 recent
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 5582022Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 558WMSR 13092022WMSR 1309WM 1309 Polar Express 20222022WM 1309 Polar Express 2022Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 4502021Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 4502016-05-05 14 57 10 View east down the North Branch Potomac River from the Blue Bridge (Maryland State Route 942) betwe…20162016-05-05 14 57 10 View east down the North Branch P…2016-05-05 14 56 43 View west up the North Branch Potomac River from the Blue Bridge (Maryland State Route 942) between…20162016-05-05 14 56 43 View west up the North Branch Pot…Ridgeley West Virginia2007Ridgeley West Virginia
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Ridgeley

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

See all →
J
John LookabaughAmerican football player · b. 1922
A
Abby BeemanAmerican basketball player · b. 2001
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Ridgeley’s post office has been open since 1898.

Gone or out of use
Fort OhiomilitaryRidgeley Primary Schoolschool

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

CarpendaleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Ridgeley’s history

What year was Ridgeley founded?

The Ridgeley post office opened in 1898, 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 (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) 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.