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History · West Hamlin

West Hamlin’s post office opened in 1901

Most of West Hamlin was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 1950.

1901first post office
0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How West Hamlin began

When was West Hamlin founded?

1901

The West Hamlin post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 793 in 19502020 census: 524125 years
Founding year: the first West Hamlin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about West Hamlin’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 West Hamlin are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19025 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1989. Watch West Hamlin change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start West Hamlin’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

West Hamlin on the map, 1902 to 1989

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

West Hamlin on the 1902 USGS mapWest Hamlin on the 1931 USGS mapWest Hamlin on the 1957 USGS mapWest Hamlin on the 1976 USGS mapWest Hamlin on the 1989 USGS map1902Milton 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 West Hamlin.

The story so far

West Hamlin, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of West Hamlin yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

West Hamlin is a town in Lincoln County, West Virginia, United States, along the Guyandotte River. The population was 519 at the 2020 census, and is now down to 509, according to the 2021 census. West Hamlin is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). West Hamlin is west of the county seat at Hamlin, hence the name.

Its first post office opened in 1901. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 774 to 524 (-32%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

West Hamlin, 1901 to 1969

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1901Post officeThe West Hamlin post office opens
  3. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1951Born hereSammy D. Dalton is born here
  5. 1961Born hereDavid Adkins is born here
  6. 1969Born hereSam McCann is born here
By decade

West Hamlin, decade by decade

Today1 recent
2017-07-22 19 02 03 View north along West Virginia State Route 10 (McClellan Highway) at West Virginia State Route 3 (S…20172017-07-22 19 02 03 View north along West Virginia St…
People over time

West Hamlin, census by census

02004006008001960198020002020Peak: 793

Between 423 and 793 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in West Hamlin

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

See all →
S
Sam McCannAmerican politician · b. 1969
D
David AdkinsAmerican politician · b. 1961
Sammy D. DaltonAmerican educator and politician · b. 1951

Questions about West Hamlin’s history

What year was West Hamlin founded?

The West Hamlin post office opened in 1901, 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 (1), 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.