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History · Womelsdorf (Coalton)

Womelsdorf (Coalton) was first counted by the census in 1910, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1910.

1910first census
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Womelsdorf (Coalton) began

When was Womelsdorf (Coalton) founded?

1910

Womelsdorf (Coalton) first appears in the census in 1910. Another post office, Womelsdorf (1894), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 665 in 19102020 census: 189116 years
Founding year: the first census.

What stands out about Womelsdorf (Coalton)’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 Womelsdorf (Coalton) are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 833 in 1920; 189 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19093 editions of the USGS map, 1909 to 1976. Watch Womelsdorf (Coalton) change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Womelsdorf (Coalton)’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Womelsdorf (Coalton)’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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People over time

Womelsdorf (Coalton), census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020Peak: 833

Peaked at 833 in 1920; 189 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Womelsdorf (Coalton)’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Womelsdorf (Coalton) on the map, 1909 to 1976

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

Womelsdorf (Coalton) on the 1909 USGS mapWomelsdorf (Coalton) on the 1969 USGS mapWomelsdorf (Coalton) on the 1976 USGS map1909Elkins 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 Womelsdorf (Coalton).

The story so far

Womelsdorf (Coalton), in brief

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

Womelsdorf (Coalton) is a town in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 190 at the 2020 census. Womelsdorf was the name of a mining official; the variant name of Coalton was given on account of local mining operations.

Its first post office opened in 1910. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 250 to 189 (-24%).

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

Timeline

Womelsdorf (Coalton), 1894 to 1920

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1894Post officeThe Womelsdorf post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1903Post officeThe Womelsdorf post office closes
  5. 1903Post officeThe Coalton post office opens
  6. 1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 833
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Womelsdorf (Coalton)

Nobody well known was born in Womelsdorf (Coalton) itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
W
Will HareAmerican actor · b. 1919
Jayne Anne PhillipsAmerican writer · b. 1952
Lyle WilliamsAmerican politician · b. 1942
Charles R. HollandUnited States General · b. 1946
John G. JacksonUnited States federal judge · b. 1777
Alston G. DaytonUnited States federal judge · b. 1857
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Another post office, Womelsdorf, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Womelsdorf
1894–1903
Coalton
1903–today
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Coalton

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

Questions about Womelsdorf (Coalton)’s history

What year was Womelsdorf (Coalton) founded?

The Womelsdorf (Coalton) post office opened in 1910, 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 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.