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History · War

War’s post office opened in 1906, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

1906first post office
0on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How War began, and where its name came from

When was War founded?

1906

The War post office opened in 1906, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Excelsior (1912), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

2020 census: 623120 years

How did War get its name?

War’s name is derived from War Creek, whose confluence with Dry Fork is located within the city.

More on the name

War is the only place in the United States with this name.

Founding year: the first War post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about War’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of War are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of War’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start War’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how War’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How War came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of War.

Read it all →

War developed originally as a coal town in the Tug Fork valley of southern McDowell County during the early twentieth century as the Pocahontas Coalfield was opened for large scale commercial mining. The arrival of the Norfolk and Western Railway into the region made the exploitation of the rich smokeless coal seams economically viable by providing direct access to markets across the eastern United States and to the port of Norfolk, Virginia.

ChaptersNotable buildings

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

War, 1906 to 1964

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1906Post officeThe War post office opens
  3. 1912Post officeThe Excelsior post office opens
  4. 1929Born hereCarl Rutherford is born here
  5. 1964Post officeThe Excelsior post office closes
By decade

War, decade by decade

Today3 recent
2017-07-22 12 09 09 "Welcome to the City of War" sign along southbound West Virginia State Route 16 (Main Street) at Ex…20172017-07-22 12 09 09 "Welcome to the City of War" sign…City of War WV sign2013City of War WV signWVMap-doton-War2004WVMap-doton-War
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

War’s post office has been open since 1906. Another post office, Excelsior, opened and closed inside today’s town.

War
1906–today
Excelsior
1912–1964
19001960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Excelsior
Gone or out of use
War Elementary Schoolschool

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

Questions about War’s history

What year was War founded?

The War post office opened in 1906, 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 →
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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 (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.