A Preston County community
Albright grew at an important Cheat River crossing and later became a town shaped by transportation, industry, floods, and the recovery of the Cheat River. Its timeline includes the earlier ferry, Civil War bridge damage, incorporation, the former Morgantown & Kingwood Railroad corridor, and the 1985 flood.
This overview draws on the connected timeline entries and the checked National Archives postal index. Follow the links below for sources and research qualifications.Community timeline
1856–1857
Morton describes a 1856 effort to move the county seat to Albright or Burchinal Town; James C. McGrew then organized construction of a new Kingwood courthouse, with building underway the following spring.
Open event and sourcesApril 28, 1863 (sequence-based date)
In Morton's day-by-day sequence, Confederate troops cut cables on the Albright suspension bridge, entered Kingwood, and continued through Reedsville toward Morgantown.
Open event and sourcesAugust 3, 1863
The West Virginia Legislature authorized the heirs of the late David Albright to establish a ferry across the Cheat River near Albright, Preston County.
Open event and sources1914
Local community history dates Albright's incorporation to 1914 and says the town was named for prominent landowner David Albright. The municipal date marks the modern town, while settlement in the surrounding Cheat River area…
Open event and sourcesNovember 4–5, 1985
After prolonged heavy rain, the Cheat River reached a record crest of 36.9 feet at Rowlesburg. Floodwaters devastated Rowlesburg, Albright, and neighboring Cheat Valley communities, destroying homes, businesses, bridges,…
Open event and sourcesSpring 1994
Polluted water from a large, illegally sealed underground coal mine near Albright blew out a hillside and poured into Muddy Creek, then the Cheat River, turning the river orange for miles. Concerned citizens and other…
Open event and sources2003
After the last coal mines served by the eastern portion closed, CSX filed in 2003 to abandon the final 14.3-mile remnant of the former M&K between M&K Junction near Rowlesburg and Albright. The track was subsequently removed,…
Open event and sourcesPeople counted within the town boundary at each census. These are town totals; surrounding magisterial districts are separate areas.
| Census year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1910 | Not reported |
| 1920 | 262 |
| 1930 | 343 |
| 1940 | 334 |
| 1950 | 396 |
| 1960 | 304 |
| 1970 | 319 |
About the 1910 blank. The census table prints a dash for Albright in 1910. No town population is reported there; the missing figure is not treated as zero.
U.S. Census, 1930, Population, Volume I, West Virginia, Table 4, printed page 1170 (PDF page 118). View the census table ↗
1940 counts: 1940 Census, Population, Volume I, West Virginia, Table 4, printed page 1150 (PDF page 133), also checked against the 1940 column in the 1950 report. View the 1940 census table
1950 counts: 1950 Census, Number of Inhabitants, West Virginia, Table 7, printed pages 48-12–48-13 (PDF pages 12–13), checked against Table 6, page 48-11. View the 1950 town totals
1960 counts: 1960 Census, Number of Inhabitants, West Virginia, Table 8, printed pages 50-14–50-15 (PDF pages 14–15), checked against the 1960 column in the 1970 report. View the 1960 town totals
1970 counts: 1970 Census, Number of Inhabitants, West Virginia, Table 6, printed pages 50-11–50-12 (PDF pages 11–12), checked against Table 10, page 50-18. View the 1970 town totals
Town boundaries can change between censuses, so changes in these counts do not necessarily represent growth within a fixed area.
Explore Preston County’s population history →James Brown Collection
Views of the community preserved in the James Brown Collection. These photographs are undated; identifications follow the collection’s descriptions.
Eight indexed postal records include location forms, maps, correspondence, and questionnaires from 1868 to 1942. They use both Albright and Albrightsville, document nearby Muddy Creek and the Cheat River, and preserve questions about local mills and roads.
Explore all 8 postal recordsRecord dates are not necessarily office opening or closing dates. Applications and proposed moves retain their original qualifications.
National Archives · M1126, roll 651 · NARA pages 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325. View the original collection.
Federal postal records list Albright’s postmasters from the mid-1850s through the 1950s. Explore the recorded names, appointment details, and original register images in the Albright postmaster section.
Explore Albright postmasters