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History · Sutton

Sutton dates to 1792, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 85 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 1880.

1792founded
3on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sutton’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sutton began

When was Sutton founded?

1792

Sutton dates its founding to 1792 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 279 in 18802020 census: 863234 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1827.The full story ↓

What stands out about Sutton’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 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Sutton Downtown Historic District takes in 85 historic buildings.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,205 in 1930; 863 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19084 editions of the USGS map, 1908 to 1976. Watch Sutton change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sutton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sutton’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 viewElk River near Sutton, W. Va: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

3 listings protect 88 historic buildings

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
88
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
Old Sutton High School
Old Sutton High SchoolSutton Downtown Historic DistrictWilliam Edgar Haymond House
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Victorian1
Colonial Revival1
Vernacular Federal1
Romanesque1
Renaissance Revival1
Gothic Revival1
Old Sutton High SchoolVictorian
Sutton Downtown Historic DistrictColonial Revival
William Edgar Haymond HouseQueen Anne

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

People over time

Sutton, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,205

Peaked at 1,205 in 1930; 863 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Sutton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sutton.

Read it all →

Sutton was settled in 1792 by Adam O'Brien, from Bath County, Virginia. In 1809, John D. Sutton settled at the confluence of Granny's Creek and the Elk River, at the edge of the present town. The town was established in 1826 as Suttonsville, and was also known as Suttonville and Newville. The town was laid out in 1835. When Braxton County was formed in 1836, the first court was held in the home of John D. Sutton.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Sutton in 1919

Passages that mention Sutton, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Tesla. a post office village on Two Lick run in Holly district, is six miles south of Sutton on the Turnpike leading from Sutton to Gauley Bridge. There are two or three residences, one store, post office and schoolhouse. Some of its citizens are Dr. 0. 0. Eakle, Henry Long, member of County Court,…
History of Braxton County and central West Virginia1919 · page 114Read the page →
Read the text

Tesla. a post office village on Two Lick run in Holly district, is six miles south of Sutton on the Turnpike leading from Sutton to Gauley Bridge. There are two or three residences, one store, post office and schoolhouse. Some of its citizens are Dr. 0. 0. Eakle, Henry Long, member of County Court, Wm. Davis, a prosperous farmer and cattle dealer, Rev. Perry Roberts and others.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Flatwoods, a thriving village six miles northeast of Sutton on the Western and Gauley Bridge turnpike, and on the B. & 0. railroad, contains two churches, four drygoods stores, one hardware, two blacksmith shops, two barber shops, and one shoe and harness shop. The railroad runs through the town, i…
History of Braxton County and central West Virginia1919 · page 107Read the page →
Read the text

Flatwoods, a thriving village six miles northeast of Sutton on the Western and Gauley Bridge turnpike, and on the B. & 0. railroad, contains two churches, four drygoods stores, one hardware, two blacksmith shops, two barber shops, and one shoe and harness shop. The railroad runs through the town, its depot and junction of the branches leading to Sutton and Richwood, are located at the southwest end of the town. The population is about two hundred. The town maintains a fine school, is incorporated, and has no indebtedness.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Sutton, 1792 to 1930

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1792
    FoundingSutton is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1827Post officeThe Suttonsville post office opens
  5. 1836Post officeThe Suttonsville post office closes
  6. 1890Post officeThe Sutton post office opens
  7. 1892In the archiveElk River near Sutton, W. Va
  8. 20th century
  9. 1902In the archiveRev. G. W. Dame
  10. 1907Born hereErnie Carpenter is born here
  11. 1908On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 1,205
By decade

Sutton, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1900s4 items
Elk River near Sutton, W. Va1892Elk River near Sutton, W. VaRiver Birches at Sutton, W. Virginia1896River Birches at Sutton, W. VirginiaRev. G. W. Dame1902Rev. G. W. DameSt. John's Episcopal Church, Sutton, W.V1902St. John's Episcopal Church, Sutton, W.V
1910s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today8 recent
Road sign for Flatwoods and Sutton, West Virginia, US, at night on 31 July 20232023Road sign for Flatwoods and Sutton, West Virginia, US…William Edgar Haymond House2018William Edgar Haymond HouseOld Sutton High School site2018Old Sutton High School siteBraxton Visitor Center2018Braxton Visitor CenterSutton West Virginia2007Sutton West VirginiaBraxton County Courthouse West Virginia2007Braxton County Courthouse West VirginiaWVMap-doton-Sutton2004WVMap-doton-SuttonSutton Dam, West Virginia2004Sutton Dam, West Virginia
On the map

Sutton on the map, 1908 to 1976

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

Sutton on the 1908 USGS mapSutton on the 1910 USGS mapSutton on the 1967 USGS mapSutton on the 1976 USGS map1908Sutton 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 Sutton.

Every building

Sutton, building by building, 1921

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 sheet.

Sutton fire insurance map, 1921, sheet 11921Sheet 1 of 4
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.

Elk River near Sutton, W. Va
Retake this viewElk River near Sutton, W. Va, 1892

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Sutton’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Sutton’s post office has been open since 1890. Another post office, Suttonsville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Suttonsville
1827–1836
Sutton
1890–today
18201920today
Gone or out of use
Huffman Milllocale
1cemetery inside Sutton
Sutton

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

Questions about Sutton’s history

What year was Sutton founded?

In 1792, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Sutton’s post office opened in 1827, and the census of 1880 counted 279 people here.

What is on the National Register in Sutton?

Three places: the Old Sutton High School (listed 1979), the Sutton Downtown Historic District (1987) and the William Edgar Haymond House (2004).

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 (11), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.