Shinnston, West Virginia

Shinnston, West Virginia
City
Aerial view of downtown Shinnston in 2026
Location of Shinnston in Harrison County, West Virginia
Coordinates: 39°23′39″N 80°18′1″W
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Harrison
Government
• Type	City Manager-Council
• City Manager	Tori Drainer
• Mayor	Pat Kovalck
Area
• Total	1.665 sq mi (4.31 km2)
• Land	1.665 sq mi (4.31 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	928 ft (283 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,328
• Estimate  (2025)	2,241
• Density	1,398/sq mi (539.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	26431
Area code(s)	304 and 681
FIPS code	54-73636
GNIS feature ID	1555613
Website	shinnstonwv.org

Shinnston is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, along the West Fork River. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,328. The community was settled during the Revolutionary War period by members of the Shinn family. Levi Shinn's log house, built in 1778 along what is now U.S. Route 19, is the oldest house in Harrison County. In 1944, Shinnston was struck by the deadliest tornado in West Virginia history.

History

Shinnston was settled during the Revolutionary War period by members of the Quaker Shinn family. Levi Shinn built a log house in 1778 that is the oldest house in Harrison County. The settlement developed along the West Fork River, where early mills supported the surrounding agricultural economy. Levi and Asa Shinn began laying out the town in 1815.

Shinnston was incorporated in 1852, when the town had about 200 residents, and Solomon S. Fleming was elected its first mayor. During the American Civil War, the area was strongly Unionist and many local men served in the Union Army. In April 1863, Confederate troops under General William E. Jones entered Shinnston during the Jones–Imboden Raid, confiscated livestock, and continued toward Bridgeport. The town's charter lapsed during the war, and Shinnston was reincorporated in 1877.

Shinnston grew slowly through much of the 19th century before expanding with the development of the region's coal, oil, and natural gas industries. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached Shinnston in 1890. Development subsequently extended beyond the original 1815 street plan as the community became increasingly industrial. An electric trolley line between Shinnston and Clarksburg began operating in 1906 and continued until 1947.

On June 23, 1944, the 1944 Shinnston tornado, the deadliest tornado in West Virginia history, struck Shinnston. Sixty-six people were killed in the town and surrounding area, and the tornado killed 103 people overall. The Pleasant Hill neighborhood was among the areas hardest hit.

The Levi Shinn House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and the Shinnston Historic District was listed in 1998.

In 1970, the company now known as GoMart opened West Virginia's first self-service gasoline station in Shinnston, naming it Go-Tron.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Shinnston has a total area of 1.665 square miles (4.312 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	289		—
1890	403		39.4%
1900	535		32.8%
1910	1,224		128.8%
1920	1,679		37.2%
1930	2,802		66.9%
1940	2,817		0.5%
1950	2,793		−0.9%
1960	2,724		−2.5%
1970	2,576		−5.4%
1980	3,059		18.8%
1990	2,543		−16.9%
2000	2,295		−9.8%
2010	2,201		−4.1%
2020	2,328		5.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Shinnston had a population of 2,328. The median age was 44.4 years. Residents under the age of 18 made up 20.7% of the population, while 22.0% were age 65 or older.

There were 1,048 households and 1,151 housing units in the city. Of the housing units, 8.9% were vacant.

Racial composition in 2020

Race	Number	Percent
White	2,176	93.5%
Black or African American	40	1.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native	1	0.0%
Asian	6	0.3%
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander	2	0.1%
Some other race	6	0.3%
Two or more races	97	4.2%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	31	1.3%

Arts and culture

West Fork River Bridge in Shinnston, 1887

The Lowe Public Library opened in 1973 in the former Lowe family home on Bridge Street. The Bice-Ferguson Memorial Museum is also located in Shinnston.

Granville D. Hall fictionalized a Shinnston tavern in his 1899 novel Daughter of the Elm, and novelist Meredith Sue Willis has drawn upon memories of Shinnston in her writing.

Shinnston was among the filming locations for the 2024 films Gaslit by My Husband: The Morgan Metzer Story and The Bad Guardian.

Landmarks

Levi Shinn House

• Levi Shinn House – log house built in 1778 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973
• Shinnston Historic District – historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998

Parks and recreation

Ferguson Memorial Park includes the Shinnston city pool, pavilions, a bocce court, and playgrounds.

The West Fork River Rail-Trail begins in Shinnston and extends 14.5 miles to Fairmont along a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad corridor. The trail is used for walking and bicycling and has both paved and crushed-stone sections.

Government

Shinnston operates under a city manager-council form of government. Voters approved a revision to the city charter in 1998 replacing the previous mayor-council system, and the new form of government took effect on July 1, 1998. The city council includes representatives from four wards and three at-large seats.

Public safety

Law enforcement in Shinnston is provided by the Shinnston Police Department. Fire protection is provided by the Shinnston Volunteer Fire Department, known locally as Ten House. Emergency communications are coordinated through Harrison/Taylor 911.

The Shinnston Volunteer Fire Department was chartered on June 9, 1930. A 2020 West Virginia Senate resolution credited the department with helping establish centralized dispatch and mutual-aid arrangements among fire departments in Harrison County. In 2022, the department received a Class 3 rating from the ISO Public Protection Classification program, its first Class 3 rating in approximately 20 years.

Education

Public schools in Shinnston are operated by Harrison County Schools. The city is home to Big Elm Elementary School, serving grades pre-kindergarten through five; Lincoln Middle School, serving grades six through eight; and Lincoln High School, serving grades nine through twelve.

Media

Shinnston is served by The Shinnston News and Harrison County Journal, a weekly newspaper based in the city.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Pike Street (U.S. Route 19) in downtown Shinnston in 2006

• U.S. Route 19
• West Virginia Route 20
• West Virginia Route 131

Public transportation is provided by the Central West Virginia Transit Authority, which operates a bus route serving Shinnston.

Utilities

The City of Shinnston operates a water treatment plant and a wastewater treatment plant and administers water and sewer service.

Health care

WVU Medicine operates Shinnston Healthcare as a family medicine location. MVA Health also operates a health center in Shinnston.

Notable people

Arts and literature

• Granville D. Hall – author and former West Virginia secretary of state; former Shinnston resident
• Meredith Sue Willis – novelist and writing teacher; raised in Shinnston and graduated from Shinnston High School

Athletics

• Frank Abruzzino – professional football player; born in Shinnston
• Dick Brown – Major League Baseball catcher; born in Shinnston
• Larry Brown – Major League Baseball infielder; born in Shinnston
• John McKay – college and professional football coach; grew up in Shinnston and graduated from Shinnston High School
• Josh Richards – four-time World of Outlaws Late Models Series champion; from Shinnston
• Joe Stydahar – Pro Football Hall of Fame player and NFL coach; graduated from Shinnston High School

Government and public life

• Clay Riley – member of the West Virginia House of Delegates; born and raised in Shinnston
• Bathsheba W. Smith – Latter-day Saint leader and general president of the Relief Society from 1901 to 1910; born in Shinnston when it was part of Virginia