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The Commemorative Quarter for West Virginia





Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Athens (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Athens. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Athens is located in Mercer County.

To see how the shape of West Virginia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Mercer County: Bland (VA), Giles (VA), Tazewell (VA), McDowell, Raleigh, Summers & Wyoming.

Below are the counties that are near Athens. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Athens:

  • Mercer County     (The home county of Athens)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athens, with the one closest to Athens listed first.
    • Oak Grove
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oak Grove. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Oak Grove is located in Mercer County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Oak Grove
      • From Athens to Oak Grove
    • Elgood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Oakvale
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Princeton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • East River ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East River have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East River
      • East River is located in Mercer County
    • Blake ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blake
      • Blake is located in Mercer County
    • Willowton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Willowton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowton
      • Willowton is located in Mercer County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Willowton
      • From Athens to Willowton
    • Johnston Town
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnston Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnston Town
      • Johnston Town is located in Mercer County
    • El Centro ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Centro have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Centro
      • El Centro is located in Mercer County
    • Lashmeet
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Edison
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Littlesburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Matoaka
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Matoaka have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matoaka
      • Matoaka is located in Mercer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
  • Fayette County
  • Greenbrier County
  • Logan County
  • McDowell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athens, with the one closest to Athens listed first.
    • Elkhorn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Kyle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kyle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyle
      • Kyle is located in McDowell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kyle
      • From Athens to Kyle
    • Northfork
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northfork have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northfork
      • Northfork is located in McDowell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Northfork <2>
    • Keystone
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keystone have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
      • Keystone is located in McDowell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keystone <2>
    • Anawalt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anawalt have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anawalt
      • Anawalt is located in McDowell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
    • Kimball
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kimball. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball
      • Kimball is located in McDowell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kimball <2>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kimball
      • From Athens to Kimball
    • Big Four
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Thorpe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Gary
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gary have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Gary is located in McDowell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
  • Monroe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athens, with the one closest to Athens listed first.
    • Peterstown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Ballard
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Assurance
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Assurance. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assurance
      • Assurance is located in Monroe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Assurance
      • From Athens to Assurance
    • Wikel
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wikel. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wikel
      • Wikel is located in Monroe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wikel
      • From Athens to Wikel
    • Creamery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Creamery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creamery
      • Creamery is located in Monroe County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Creamery
      • From Athens to Creamery
    • Wolfcreek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Union
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athens, with the one closest to Athens listed first.
    • Shady Spring
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Princewick
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Coal City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coal City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
      • Coal City is located in Raleigh County
    • Eastgulf
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Rhodell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rhodell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodell
      • Rhodell is located in Raleigh County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
    • Helen
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Sullivan
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sullivan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
      • Sullivan is located in Raleigh County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sullivan
      • From Athens to Sullivan
    • Daniels
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Daniels have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daniels
      • Daniels is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Daniels <2>
    • Tilden
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Beaver
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Pemberton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pemberton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pemberton
      • Pemberton is located in Raleigh County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pemberton
      • From Athens to Pemberton
    • Sophia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sophia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sophia
      • Sophia is located in Raleigh County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,219 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sophia <2>
    • Stotesbury
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stotesbury. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stotesbury
      • Stotesbury is located in Raleigh County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Stotesbury
      • From Athens to Stotesbury
  • Summers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athens, with the one closest to Athens listed first.
    • Pipestem
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Mercers Saltworks ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mercers Saltworks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercers Saltworks
      • Mercers Saltworks is located in Summers County
    • True
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for True. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for True
      • True is located in Summers County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to True
      • From Athens to True
    • Nimitz
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Forest Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Packs Ferry
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Packs Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packs Ferry
      • Packs Ferry is located in Summers County
    • Jumping Branch
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Buck
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Buck. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck
      • Buck is located in Summers County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Buck
      • From Athens to Buck
    • Bellepoint
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Brooklin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brooklin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklin
      • Brooklin is located in Summers County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brooklin
      • From Athens to Brooklin
    • Hinton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Bargers Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Hilldale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hilldale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilldale
      • Hilldale is located in Summers County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hilldale
      • From Athens to Hilldale
  • Wyoming County
  • Bland County (VA)
  • Craig County (VA)
    • Captain
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Captain. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Captain
      • Captain is located in Craig County (VA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Captain
      • From Athens to Captain
  • Giles County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athens, with the one closest to Athens listed first.
    • Glen Lyn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glen Lyn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Lyn
      • Glen Lyn is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Glen Lyn
      • From Athens to Glen Lyn
    • Lurich
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lurich. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lurich
      • Lurich is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lurich
      • From Athens to Lurich
    • Rich Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Shumate
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shumate. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shumate
      • Shumate is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Shumate
      • From Athens to Shumate
    • Narrows
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Narrows have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narrows
      • Narrows is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,949 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Narrows <2>
    • Bluff City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bluff City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
      • Bluff City is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bluff City
      • From Athens to Bluff City
    • Pearisburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Thessalia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Thessalia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thessalia
      • Thessalia is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Thessalia
      • From Athens to Thessalia
    • Poplar Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Pembroke
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Goodwins Ferry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodwins Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwins Ferry
      • Goodwins Ferry is located in Giles County (VA)
    • Mountain Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Kire
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kire have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kire
      • Kire is located in Giles County (VA)
  • Pulaski County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Athens, with the one closest to Athens listed first.
    • Sassin ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sassin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sassin
      • Sassin is located in Pulaski County (VA)
    • Hilton Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hilton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Village
      • Hilton Village is located in Pulaski County (VA)
    • Parrott
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Dublin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dublin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
      • Dublin is located in Pulaski County (VA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,578 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dublin <2>
    • Pulaski
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Cowan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cowan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan
      • Cowan is located in Pulaski County (VA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cowan
      • From Athens to Cowan
    • Wurno
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wurno. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wurno
      • Wurno is located in Pulaski County (VA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wurno
      • From Athens to Wurno
    • Fairlawn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Newbern
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Tazewell County (VA)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Athens, see our County-by-County Page for Athens.

Cemeteries Near Athens ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Athens.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Athens covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Athens, with the one closest to Athens listed first.

  • Blake Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McCue Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McCue Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McCue Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hearn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hearn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hearn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Barberie Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barberie Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barberie Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stinson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stinson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stinson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hall Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hall Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hall Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Miller Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miller Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Crawford Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crawford Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crawford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brown Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ross Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ross Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakwood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Resthaven Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Resthaven Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Resthaven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (377 more) ...
    • Roach Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Roach Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Roach Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Scott Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Scott Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Scott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Oney Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oney Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oney Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>

While we didn't find Athens in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Athens.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Athens, with the one closest to Athens listed first.

  • Elgood
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Spanishburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spanishburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanishburg
    • Spanishburg is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spanishburg <2>
  • Princeton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Oakvale
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Ingleside
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ingleside have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside
    • Ingleside is located in Mercer County
  • East River ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East River have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East River
    • East River is located in Mercer County
  • Dunns
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunns have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunns
    • Dunns is located in Mercer County
  • Willowton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Willowton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowton
    • Willowton is located in Mercer County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Willowton
    • From Athens to Willowton
  • Mercers Saltworks ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mercers Saltworks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercers Saltworks
    • Mercers Saltworks is located in Summers County
  • Pipestem
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Glen Lyn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glen Lyn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Lyn
    • Glen Lyn is located in Giles County (VA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Glen Lyn
    • From Athens to Glen Lyn
  • Neponset
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Neponset have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neponset
    • Neponset is located in Summers County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Warford ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warford
      • Warford is located in Summers County
    • Lashmeet
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • New Hope
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
      • New Hope is located in Mercer County

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Athens. See our List of 1890's Communities around Athens.

Newspapers Published in Athens ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Athens.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Athens, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Athens.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Athens:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Athens. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Athens, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Athens) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Athens. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.4247, Longitude: -81.0160    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025