Summersville dates to 1824, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 65% of U.S. towns · #32 of 61 in West Virginia. What drives it
Most of Summersville was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1913 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1893.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Summersville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Summersville is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #32 of 61 in West Virginia. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Summersville’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 Summersville’s 29.6 sits near the middle of its state (63% of West Virginia towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% 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 (±5.4 points). Two sources give 1824.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Summersville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Summersville was laid out in 1824. The city was named for Lewis Summers, a local judge who had introduced the bill to create Nicholas County.
Summersville was home to both Union and Confederate encampments during the Civil War. The town was mostly burned down by the Confederate spy Nancy Hart Douglas during the war. The town was rebuilt by 1884.
In 1914, Nicholas County High School was established, then located downtown in the "Old Main". More buildings were built on the campus to house the growing student body until a new building north of town was finished in 1978.
Construction on Summersville Dam began in 1960 and was finished and dedicated by President Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1966.
In 1824, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Summersville’s post office opened in 1893, and the census of 1880 counted 165 people here.
How does Summersville rank for history?
Summersville is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #32 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 Summersville?
7 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Nicholas County High School (listed 1989, the first). 10 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Summersville?
5% of Summersville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 13% for a West Virginia town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 the Library of Congress (17), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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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