Editing Glenville, West Virginia (section)

==History==
In the late 1700s and early 1800s, pioneers began settling in the area they called ‘‘the Ford’’ because it was a place where travelers could cross the river. Later, the community was named Glenville because of its location in a glen. The first [[grist mill]] in present-day Gilmer County was constructed there in 1812. The first courthouse was completed in 1850, the second in 1872, and the current courthouse in 1923. Glenville was incorporated in 1856.<ref name="e-WV">{{cite web|url=http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2124|title=The West Virginia Encyclopedia: Glenville|date=n.d.|access-date=July 23, 2011|author=David H. Corcoran|publisher=West Virginia Humanities Council|archive-date=January 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114012418/http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2124|url-status=live}}</ref>

Before the 1930s, the [[Little Kanawha River]]’s commercial traffic dominated the town’s economy. Road construction contributed to the demise of riverboating by the late 1930s. The natural gas and oil industry rose to prominence after oil was struck in 1875 at nearby Letter Gap. Glenville is now the headquarters of several oil and gas firms. The 1985 flood devastated the downtown, leading many businesses to move to the higher Hays City neighborhood at the main highway intersection.<ref name="e-WV"/>

The [[Little Kanawha Valley Bank]] was incorporated in 1901. Its small frame building, covered in pressed metal, is now on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. By 1906, the First National Bank of Glenville and the Glenville Banking and Trust Company had also been created. Glenville is now served by United Bank and a branch of Calhoun Banks of Grantsville.<ref name="e-WV"/>

Early Methodist circuit riders and Baptist missionaries brought their respective forms of worship to Glenville early in the 19th century. The Presbyterian Church was organized in 1847; the First Baptist Church, 1850; and Trinity United Methodist Church, 1896. Several other churches also serve the area today. Glenville has a golf club and recreation center, among several other facilities built at the [[Gilmer County Poor Farm Infirmary|old county poor farm]].<ref name="e-WV"/>

In 1885, the ''Glenville Crescent'' first published Ellen King’s poem, ‘‘[[The West Virginia Hills]],’’ which later became the official state song. While this newspaper didn't survive, the ''Glenville Pathfinder'' (1892) and the ''Glenville Democrat'' (1904) have.<ref name="e-WV"/>

The [[1985 Election day floods|flood of 1985]] devastated all of Glenville. A late season tropical storm named Juan moved North leaving abundant moisture over the Southeast. On Sunday, November 3, another storm formed in Southeastern Georgia. This new storm tapped into the moisture left by Juan. By November 4, a large area of rain began to form from the Western North Carolina to Southern West Virginia. The storm's center slowly moved north, over central West Virginia. Rainfall rates of 3 to 6 inches in 12 hours were observed over the headwaters of the Potomac, Greenbrier, and Little Kanawha rivers.

On Monday night, November 5, severe flooding took place and by midnight the rain became lighter, but by then flooding had begun. All of downtown Glenville was affected. Stores were closed, and buildings were flooded. Shopkeepers attempted to save their stock by piling sandbags up to stop the water, but to little avail. 47 people died to the 1985 flooding.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2197|title=e-WV - Flood of 1985|access-date=October 24, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029203735/http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2197|url-status=live}}</ref>   Most of the deaths were in rural [[Pendleton County, West Virginia|Pendleton County]] and [[Grant County, West Virginia|Grant County]], according to the [[National Weather Service]].<ref name=dwhite>West Virginia Gazette: "Remembering the '85 floods" (D. White) November 4, 2010</ref>

On January 22–23, 2016 Glenville was impacted by the [[January 2016 United States blizzard]]. The storm dropped a total of 19 inches of snow in the area.