A Preston County community
Bruceton Mills connects an older travel route through the Sandy Creek crossing with mills, industry, banking, schools, railroads, and local civic life. Its timeline ranges from George Washington’s 1784 diary through the town’s incorporation and later institutional history.
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
September 25, 1784
Traveling through what is now Preston County, George Washington crossed Laurel Hill and reached “the ford of Sandy Creek at one James Spurgeons,” which he placed about 15 miles from Ice’s Ferry. The editors of his diary…
Open event and sources1818
By 1818, the National Road connected Cumberland, Maryland, with Wheeling, Virginia, through southwestern Pennsylvania. Although it passed north of Preston County, its traffic created nearby markets for the county’s farmers and…
Open event and sourcesJuly 4, 1851
Wiley says Charles Kantner installed the first stationary engine used in Preston County at the Bruceton Mills Woolen Factory on July 4, 1851.
Open event and sourcesMarch 28, 1853
The Virginia General Assembly passed an act incorporating the town of Bruceton, Preston County, governed by the following commissioners: A. J. Bell, N. R. Harding, and Charles Kanter.
Open event and sourcesFebruary 28, 1871
The Iron Valley and Pennsylvania Line Railroad was incorporated in West Virginia by the following: Andrew Stuart, Sebastian Rush, Levi Fike of Pennsylvania; D. R. Martin, W. W. Wharton of New York; John Heradar, George Manst,…
Open event and sourcesJanuary 2, 1886
The Pittsburgh and Preston County Railroad Company was incorporated in West Virginia by the following: Charles Kantner, William S. Armstrong, George H. Armstrong, Sanford K. Scott, Joseph W. Michael, Samuel T. Darby, Andrew…
Open event and sourcesJune 4, 1888
The Preston Telegraph Company was incorporated in West Virginia by the following: J. M. Chidester, William S. Armstrong, E. J. Bowermaster, T. W. King, J. S. Needrow, U. S. Bryte, John H. Keather, Joseph Feather, S. F. Conner,…
Open event and sources1903
Bruceton Bank was chartered in Bruceton Mills in 1903. It later became the surviving institution in the 2005 combination with The Terra Alta Bank that adopted the name Clear Mountain Bank.
Open event and sourcesJuly 20, 1921
Citizens anticipating an attempted bank robbery confronted four men approaching Bruceton Mills after a reported robbery at John A. Benson’s home in Brandonville. According to the newspaper account, John Moore fired at Dr.…
Open event and sources1922–1923
Construction of a new Bruceton High School began in 1922 at a cost of $25,000, financed through a locally authorized school levy. The building was in use during the 1922–1923 school year, and its auditorium hosted its first…
Open event and sourcesOctober 11, 2005
On October 11, 2005, Bruceton Bank acquired its affiliate, The Terra Alta Bank, and the combined institution became Clear Mountain Bank. The bank remained headquartered in Bruceton Mills while continuing the older banks'…
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 | 116 |
| 1920 | 106 |
| 1930 | 116 |
| 1940 | 165 |
| 1950 | 165 |
| 1960 | 209 |
| 1970 | 209 |
Listed as “Bruceton.” The 1930 table calls this town Bruceton. The 1950 census identifies Bruceton Mills as the town previously returned as Bruceton, confirming the connection between the two names.
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
Name cross-reference: 1950 Census, Number of Inhabitants, West Virginia, Table 6, printed page 48-11 (PDF page 11), footnote 28. View the Bruceton Mills name note
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 →Fifteen indexed images make this one of the larger postal record groups in the collection. The documents include applications, maps, location questionnaires, and site-change papers that describe the community in relation to Big Sandy Creek, the Cheat River, nearby state lines, roads, and railroads.
Explore all 15 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 378, 379, 380, 381, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388, 389, 390, 391, 392. View the original collection.