Editing Grafton, West Virginia

{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Grafton, West Virginia
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = 
| image_skyline      = Overlooking what what were once bustling rail lines of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in Grafton, West Virginia, which was an early B&O hub LCCN2015631657.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = Grafton [[CSX]] yard, with the city's downtown in the background
| image_flag         = Flag of Grafton, West Virginia.svg
| image_seal         = Seal of Grafton, West Virginia.png
| image_map          = File:Taylor County West Virginia Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Grafton Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250x200px
| map_caption        = Location of Grafton in Taylor County, West Virginia.
| pushpin_map        = West Virginia#USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in West Virginia##Location in the United States
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| pushpin_label      = Grafton
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = State
| subdivision_name1  = [[West Virginia]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in West Virginia|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Taylor County, West Virginia|Taylor]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = [[City Manager]]
| leader_name        = Kevin Stead<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.graftonwv.org/city-manager/|title=City Manager - City of Grafton, WV|website=graftonwv.org|access-date=December 30, 2019|archive-date=December 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230020623/https://www.graftonwv.org/city-manager/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_54.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 9.85
| area_land_km2      = 9.51
| area_water_km2     = 0.34
| area_total_sq_mi   = 3.80
| area_land_sq_mi    = 3.67
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.13
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 4589
| pop_est_as_of      = 2023
| population_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021">{{cite web   |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in West Virginia: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023  |url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2023/cities/totals/SUB-IP-EST2023-POP-54.xlsx |website=Census.gov |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=3 March 2025}}</ref>
| population_total   = 4729
| population_density_km2 = 523.77
| population_density_sq_mi = 1356.75
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_m        = 312
| elevation_ft       = 1024
| coordinates        = {{coord|39|20|30|N|80|1|11|W|region:US-WV|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 26354
| area_code          = [[Area code 304|304]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 54-32716<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1554590<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|1554590}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|www.graftonwv.org/}}
| footnotes          = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
| image_blank_emblem = Logo of Grafton, West Virginia.png
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
}}

'''Grafton''' is a city in [[Taylor County, West Virginia]], United States, and its [[county seat]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref> The population was 4,729 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/> Located along the [[Tygart Valley River]], it originally developed as a junction point for the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]], serving numerous branches of a network that was vital to the regional coal industry.

Grafton is the home of both of West Virginia's [[United States National Cemetery System|national cemeteries]], and was where the [[West Virginia Equal Suffrage Association]] formed in 1895.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anthony |first1=Susan B. |last2=Avery |first2=Rachel Foster |last3=Catt |first3=Carrie Chapman |title=Woman Suffrage, A State Convention Called for Grafton, on the 25th and 26th Inst. |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86092518/1895-11-20/ed-1/seq-5/ |access-date=2 May 2020 |work=Wheeling [W.Va.] Register |publisher=Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Lib. of Congress |date=20 November 1895}}</ref> [[Mother's Day (United States)|Mother's Day]] was founded in Grafton on May 10, 1908, and the city is home to the [[International Mother's Day Shrine]].<ref name=mum>[http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=993&ResourceType=Building nps.gov: "National Register of Historic Places – Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070314013814/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=993&ResourceType=Building |date=March 14, 2007 }}</ref> Grafton was also among the first cities in the United States to observe [[Memorial Day]].<ref name=mum/>

==History==

===Etymology===
The origin of the name "Grafton"  — originally Grafton Junction<ref>Brinkman (1939–42), ''Op. cit.'', Vol. 1, pg 208.</ref> — is disputed. The city may have been named for John Grafton, a civil engineer of the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]].<ref name=gwv/> Alternatively, railroad crews may have referred to the town as "Graftin" because it was the point at which a number of branch railroad lines met (grafted to) the railroad's mainline.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n139 140]}}</ref>

===Earliest settlers===
Grafton developed from early white settlements at the confluence of Three Fork Creek with the [[Tygart Valley River]], part of the headwaters region of the [[Monongahela River]] watershed. In 1776, [[Virginia]]'s remote [[District of West Augusta]] was divided into three counties, including Monongalia County, which included what are now Taylor County and Grafton.

Among the earliest settlers were James Current (''ca.'' 1730–1822) and his family. He was a [[Ulster Scots people|Scots-Irish]] immigrant who fought in the Revolutionary War in 1778, had landed in Maryland and moved into the interior. He was living in Monongalia County with his family by 1782 when he was recorded on a census there.<ref>''Heads of families at the first census of the United States taken in the year 1790: records of the state enumerations, 1782 to 1785''; Washington: G.P.O., 1908, pg 35.</ref> According to family tradition, Current traded a "gray horse" for 1,300 acres of land located where present-day Grafton developed.<ref>Current, Anne E. (1906), ''Genealogy of the Current and Hobson Families''; [[New Castle, Indiana]]: Mark O. Waters, pp 2–4.</ref> James and his wife Margaret are buried in Bluemont Cemetery (part of his original property). Current's grave is the only one in Grafton known to belong to a veteran of the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]].<ref name=gwv>[http://www.graftonwv.org/aboutgrafton.html graftonwv.com: "ABOUT GRAFTON"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028144429/http://www.graftonwv.org/aboutgrafton.html |date=October 28, 2010 }}</ref>

===Turnpike and railroad===
[[File:Photocopied December 1972 from original in collection of Mr. Roy Boliger, Grafton, WV, 1857. VIEW OF GRAFTON, WV. - Northwestern Virginia (BandO) Railroad, Grafton Machine Shop HAER WVA,46-GRAFT,1-1.tif|thumb|left|{{center|Grafton in 1859, from the Historic American Engineering Review – HAER}}]]
John Wolverton Blue (1803–1889) was in charge of the construction of Virginia's [[Northwestern Turnpike]] from [[Aurora, West Virginia|Aurora]] to the Tygart Valley. Visiting the future site of Grafton in 1833, he stayed overnight with the Currents.<ref>Core, Earl L. (1974–84), ''The Monongalia Story: A Bicentennial History'', Parsons, W. Va.: McClain Printing Co., 5 volumes; Vol. III: Discord (1979), pg 117.</ref> According to a local historian, "Blue, upon awakening the next morning, heard the wife of Current sobbing bitterly" over the impending loss of her "cabin home...[and] vegetable and flower garden" because of the planned right-of-way for the road. "Mr. Blue, a Virginian of the old school, was greatly moved...and...an offer of $300 for 900 acres...and their ruined home...was quickly accepted."<ref>Brinkman, Charles (1939–42), ''The History of Taylor County'', Chapt. 13; published in installments in the Grafton ''Sentinel''; 2 May issue. (These newspaper columns, published from April 18, 1939, to June 29, 1942, by the Grafton ''Sentinel'', are compiled by the Taylor County Historical and Genealogical Society in three volumes [Vol. 1, 1989; Vol. 2, 1992; Vol. 3, 1992]. The columns are produced as 890 "chapters" in the reprinted work.) James Current and his wife Margaret (Richardson) (1737–1830) had both died, so the "wife of Current" referred to may have been one of their daughters-in-law.</ref>

This neighborhood (now a suburb of Grafton) became known as Blueville and it — along with the nearby area called "Valley Bridge" (present day [[Fetterman, West Virginia|Fetterman]], or Ward 1) — began to grow after the Turnpike was completed in 1834.<ref>Snider, Joseph Franklin (1945), [https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8410&context=etd "The Early History of Grafton"],  ''Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports''. 7362. (Master's thesis for [[West Virginia University]]), pp 2-3.</ref> Blue also supervised the construction of a (now long gone) covered bridge over the Tygart here at this time.

In 1847, the [[Virginia General Assembly]] passed an act authorizing the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad|Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company]] to extend its line to the Ohio River at Wheeling. The city of Grafton owes its existence to the interventions of [[Thomas Haymond|Thomas S. Haymond]] (1794–1869), a lawyer and U.S. Congressman (and future Confederate colonel) from nearby [[Marion County, West Virginia|Marion County]]. According to another local historian, "Haymond never mentioned his county as desiring the [rail]road; but being well acquainted with the geography of north-western Virginia, he quietly got the following clause attached to the bill: 'That the said railroad to be constructed through the territory of Virginia, shall reach or cross the Tygart's Valley River at or within three miles of the mouth of Three Fork Creek in the county of Taylor'".<ref>Core, ''[[Op. cit.]]'', pg 292.</ref> This clause effectively re-routed the line away from Morgantown and forced it to pass through Haymond's hometown of [[Fairmont, West Virginia|Fairmont]]. Grafton, which is perched in unlikely fashion on a very steep hillside at the mentioned confluence, was the accidental beneficiary, also becoming the branch point for the side line north to Morgantown. 
[[File:The old Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Station in Grafton, West Virginia, built in 1911, a year before 30 passenger trains a day passed through this B&O junction town LCCN2015631675.tif|thumb|The [[Grafton Downtown Commercial Historic District|Grafton B&O Depot]]]]
The B&O work crews completed the line on January 11, 1852, and the first "iron horse" arrived two days later. This was the first trans-[[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] railroad. The population in 1853 was reported as comprising only eight families,<ref>Wolfe, Howard H. (1962), ''Mother's Day and the Mother's Day Church''; Privately printed (Kingsport, Tennessee); pg 5.</ref> but within a year "Grafton Junction" had emerged as a booming railroad town with several more residences and stores. As the railroad facilities were developed, local land was surveyed for the new town, which was chartered on March 15, 1856, in the Virginia General Assembly.<ref name="Archived copy">{{cite web|url=http://www.graftonwv.org/aboutgrafton.html |title=About Grafton |access-date=October 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028144429/http://www.graftonwv.org/aboutgrafton.html |archive-date=October 28, 2010 }}</ref> The population by this time was 606 people.<ref>Wolfe (1962), ''[[Op. cit.]]''</ref>

===Civil War===
Due to the importance of the B&O and Northwestern Virginia Railroads for the movement of troops and supplies, Grafton became an early strategic target during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] (1861-1865) and both sides tried to control it.  CSA General [[Robert E. Lee]] initially vowed to protect the railroad, and sent first CSA Major Francis M. Boykin Jr., then CSA Col. [[George A. Porterfield]] (a [[Virginia Military Institute]] graduate from [[Charles Town, West Virginia|Charles Town]] across from Harpers Ferry) to recruit at Grafton, but neither had much success.<ref>Daniel Carroll Toomey, The War Came by Train: the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad during the Civil War (Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum 2013) pp. 47–48 {{ISBN|978-1-886248-01-4}}</ref> Most Grafton residents, immigrants brought in to work for the railroad, sided with the Union.<ref>Newell, Clayton R., ''Lee vs. McClellan, The first Campaign'', Regnery Publishing Inc., 1996, pg. 71 {{ISBN|0-89526-452-8}}</ref> The Grafton Guards led by Col. [[George R. Latham]] became Company B of the [[2nd West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment|2nd West Virginia Infantry Regiment]] days after Virginians (over the objection of most of western Virginia) voted for secession on May 23.<ref>Toomey pp. 48–50, 78–79</ref>

The previous evening (May 22, 1861), opposing factions skirmished in the Town of Fetterman (now a part of Grafton), resulting in the death of [[Thornsbury Bailey Brown]], the first soldier killed in the Civil War. Southern supporters joined the Confederate Letcher's Guard.

With the Grafton Guards in Wheeling, Porterfield occupied Grafton on May 25, but left three days later for [[Philippi, West Virginia|Philippi]], when he realized his vastly outnumbered forces were facing a pincer movement from troops under the Wheeling militia's Col. [[Benjamin Franklin Kelley]] (soon to become a Brigadier General and who would station his Railroad Division at Grafton) as well as various Ohio and Indiana units sent by Union General [[George McClellan]], a U.S. Army officer turned railroad man whom President Lincoln had placed in charge of the Department of the Ohio. Kelley planned to attack the Confederates and drive them away from the vital railroads. Although reinforced by about 400 men at Philippi, the Confederates, realizing themselves vastly outnumbered in the June 3 attack, fled, leaving more than 750 muskets, ammunition, wagons, horses, medical supplies and tents behind, so the [[Battle of Philippi (West Virginia)]] would sometimes be called the "Philippi Races." Gen. Lee soon replaced Porterfield with CSA Gen. [[Robert S. Garnett]].<ref>Toomey pp. 50–55</ref>

Although the Union controlled Grafton, Confederates often raided and vandalized to disrupt railroad operations. The Northwestern Virginia Railroad and its rail yard and machine shops at Grafton were also a probable objective of the [[Jones-Imboden Raid]] in April 1863. Raiders did destroy the 3-span bridge across the Monongahela River at [[Fairmont, West Virginia|Fairmont]] due north of Grafton (the largest on the line) as well as several smaller bridges, but Grafton's rail yards, which were protected by Mulligan's Brigade, the First and Eighth Maryland, and Miner's Indiana battery, were not attacked.<ref>Toomey pp. 151–152</ref>

===Post-war growth===
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | total_width = 400
 | image1 = Photocopied December 1972 from original in collection of Mr. Roy Boliger, Grafton, WV, 1876. VIEW OF GRAFTON, WV. - Northwestern Virginia (BandO) Railroad, Grafton Machine Shop HAER WVA,46-GRAFT,1-4.tif
 | caption1 = 1876
 | image2 = Photocopy of photograph, 1972. GRAFTON BRIDGE, 1890. (From the original collection of Mr. Ray Boliger, Grafton, WV) - Northwestern Virginia Railroad, Grafton Bridge, Spanning HAER WVA,46-GRAFT,2-5.tif
 | caption2 = 1890
}}
Following the Civil War, Grafton continued to grow and prosper, developing into a major retail and industrial center for North Central West Virginia.  Grafton was visited by President [[U.S. Grant]] on September 23, 1872, as part of his reelection campaign. Grant's speech was interrupted several times by noisy southern sympathizers.<ref>Brinkman (1939–42), ''[[Op. cit.]]'', Vol. 1, pp 162–163.</ref>

In 1878, Grafton was designated as the county seat, replacing [[Pruntytown, West Virginia|Pruntytown]] in this role. A massive flood which swept through town in 1888 wrought many changes, including destruction of the historic (1834) covered bridge at Fetterman. Most of present-day Grafton was built during the period from 1890 to 1930.  [[John T. McGraw]], a financier and major contributor to most of Grafton's buildings, was the principal town builder.  Besides his bank, McGraw built a number of buildings along Main Street, and also the streetcar system that was used for many years.

===20th century===
[[Tygart Dam]] was constructed about 2 miles south of Grafton between 1934 and 1938, by the [[Works Progress Administration]] of the [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] administration. President Roosevelt visited the city on a stump tour, and remarked on such projects on October 1, 1936; he gained a [[1936 United States presidential election|landslide re-election]] the following month. Upstream of the dam, [[Tygart Lake State Park]] was designated to preserve recreation areas around the man-made lake. The Tygart Valley River flows through Grafton.

Grafton continued to prosper throughout much of the early 20th century, based on the railroad's importance in both the area and the national economy. But in the early 1950s, the Carr China Plant closed and left hundreds of residents unemployed.  In the late 1950s, Hazel Atlas Glass Plant closed and also left hundreds of residents without jobs.  In 1958, the women of Grafton organized a parade on Main Street to attract jobs for residents of the community.  This parade received national attention. Grafton was the chosen site of a plastic baby toys manufacturer. Because of the residents' efforts, Grafton was given an [[All-America City Award]] by the National Civic League in 1962, the smallest city that year to receive the award.

Although instrumental to the city's early growth and economy, the railroad inhibited its expansion. In the 1920s smoke abatement experts reported that the combination of high hills, low wind velocity, and frequent railroad traffic, created air quality problems for the city and its business district, which was adjacent to the area of intense railroad activity. The resulting smoke from the railroad industry was a chief factor in hindering the growth of the city. Restructuring of the railroads and heavy industry through the late 20th century resulted in the loss of more jobs and, ultimately, population. People moved elsewhere for work.<ref>[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wvtaylor/history.htm "History of Grafton, West Virginia"], Rootsweb</ref>

[[File:B&O Metropolitan at Grafton, July 1970 (27673473985).jpg|thumb|The ''[[Metropolitan Special]]'' at Grafton Station in July 1970]]

[[File:Streetview of Grafton Hotel & Grafton B&O Depot 2023.jpg|thumb|Street view of Grafton Hotel & Grafton B&O Depot in 2023.]]

In the early 1980s, the railroad relocated hundreds of jobs to [[Jacksonville, Florida]], as the [[Chessie System]] aimed to form [[CSX]]. Grafton suffered a severe economic and emotional loss from these changes.

The [[1985 Election day floods]] were notable in Grafton.  Most of the 47 people killed in this incident were in [[Pendleton County, West Virginia|Pendleton]] and [[Grant County, West Virginia|Grant]] counties, according to the [[National Weather Service]].<ref name=dwhite>''West Virginia Gazette'': "Remembering the '85 floods" (D. White) November 4, 2010</ref> Flooding in the Tygart Valley River basin (a tributary to the Monongahela River) set new records for peak discharge at all five of the long-term unregulated gauging stations in the basin. However, the peaks were not as extreme, relative to the previous peaks of record, as those in the [[Cheat River]] and [[South Branch Potomac River]] basins. Recurrence intervals for the peaks equaled or exceeded 50 years at all five of the aforementioned sites in the Tygart basin, and four were in excess of 100 years. Also, at one newly established gauging station, Three Forks Creek near Grafton, the peak discharge, {{convert|12,000|ft3/s}}, was estimated to exceed the 100-year recurrence interval.<ref name=dhcarp>[http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/1988/4213/report.pdf "FLOODS IN WEST VIRGINIA, VIRGINIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND MARYLAND, NOVEMBER 1985" (DH Carpenter) USGS WRI report 88-4213 Towson, MD, 1990]</ref>

===Historic places===
The [[Grafton Downtown Commercial Historic District]] was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1984 and the [[Grafton National Cemetery]] was listed in 1982.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2009a}}</ref>

==Geography==
Grafton is located at {{coord|39|20|30|N|80|1|11|W|type:city}} (39.341757, −80.019817),<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> along the [[Tygart Valley River]].  [[Tygart Lake State Park]] is a major nearby tourist attraction.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|3.80|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|3.67|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.13|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 24, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 25, 2012 }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 891
|1870= 1987
|1880= 3030
|1890= 3159
|1900= 5650
|1910= 7563
|1920= 8517
|1930= 7737
|1940= 7431
|1950= 7365
|1960= 5791
|1970= 6433
|1980= 6845
|1990= 5524
|2000= 5489
|2010= 5164
|2020= 4729
|estyear=2021
|estimate=4651
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the census<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 24, 2013}}</ref> of 2010, there were 5,164 people, 2,192 households, and 1,357 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1407.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 2,512 housing units at an average density of {{convert|684.5|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 97.1% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.7% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.2% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.5% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.9% of the population.

There were 2,192 households, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.1% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92.

The median age in the city was 41.7 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 26.9% were from 45 to 64; and 19% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

===2000 census===
As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 5,489 people, 2,277 households, and 1,448 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,491.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 2,575 housing units at an average density of {{convert|699.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 98.07% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.84% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.27% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.16% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.05% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.60% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] people of any race comprised 0.67% of the population.

There were 2,277 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.4% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $18,981, and the median income for a family was $25,161. Males had a median income of $22,765 versus $16,629 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,616. About 26.6% of families and 35.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 51.2% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

==National cemeteries==
[[File:Grafton National Cemetery.jpg|thumb|[[Grafton National Cemetery]]]]
[[Thornsbury Bailey Brown]] was the first soldier killed in the Civil War, at [[Fetterman, West Virginia|Fetterman]], now part of Grafton.<ref name=gwv/> He is interred at the [[Grafton National Cemetery]]. This was opened in 1868 to provide a burial ground for Union soldiers who died in West Virginia's military hospitals and battlefields.  The Federal Government selected Grafton as the site of the national cemetery for its proximity to the [[Maple Avenue Cemetery]], which already contained the remains of many [[US Civil War]] veterans.

On June 14, the first governor of West Virginia, [[Arthur Boreman]], officially dedicated the cemetery.  The cemetery contains more than 2,100 interments, including 1,252 Union soldiers. 613 Civil War soldiers are buried as unknowns and their graves are identified with six-inch square marble markers.  In 1875, an Act of Congress was passed authorizing "preservation and maintenance" of the cemetery. Two plaques on the lowest terrace contain stanzas from [[Theodore O'Hara]]'s poem "[[Bivouac of the Dead]]."

Memorial Day services at Grafton National Cemetery include a special tradition known locally as "Flower Strewing Day".  Historically, each year a parade begins in downtown Grafton and winds to the cemetery, where town children place flowers at each grave marker.  The day concludes with a memorial service officiated by a prominent West Virginian.  Every governor, except one who served a term of only six days, has spoken at the Grafton National Cemetery at least once during their term in office.<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/national_cemeteries/West_Virginia/Grafton_National_Cemetery.html nps.gov: "Civil War Era National Cemeteries: Honoring Those Who Served – Grafton National Cemetery"], National Park Service</ref>

==Folklore==

=== The Grafton Monster ===
On June 15, 1964, Grafton Sentinel reporter Robert Cockrell spotted a mysterious creature in Grafton while he was on the road around 11 p.m. near the [[Tygart Valley River]]. This creature was large, standing around 7-9 feet tall, white, hairy and without a noticeable head. After witnessing this encounter, Cockrell was eager to write an article on the monster. The reports of this creature were thought to be unbelievable by the editors of the paper and they originally rejected his article. However, after more sources began to witness similar encounters, the news outlet allowed Cockrell to publish the report. Following Cockrell’s report, numerous individuals claimed to have seen the creature, leading to widespread interest and local investigations. Although many believe this creature to be real, no physical evidence has been found to substantiate the sightings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tarley |first=Cavan |date=2024-06-11 |title=Grafton celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first Grafton Monster sighting |url=https://www.dominionpost.com/2024/06/11/grafton-celebrates-the-60th-anniversary-of-the-first-grafton-monster-sighting/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=Dominion Post |language=en-US}}</ref>

On June 15, 2024, Grafton celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Grafton Monster sighting during its Grafton Monster Festival. Hundreds of visits and vendors packed the streets of Grafton for the soft opening of the Grafton Monster Museum, located at 107 West Main St. The events that occurred during the two-day festival included guest speakers, a cryptid cosplay contest, and even a Grafton Monster calling contest, which resembled a whistling noise. The town is planning to make the Grafton Monster Festival a yearly event occurring each year on June 15.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pittman |first=Caine |date=2024-06-15 |title=Grafton Monster Festival delights visitors |url=https://www.wdtv.com/2024/06/15/grafton-monster-festival-delights-visitors/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=WDTV |language=en}}</ref>

Grafton is a location in the game [[Fallout 76]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/fallout-76/locations|title=Fallout 76 locations - all the map markers confirmed across post-apocalyptic West Virginia|first1=Jordan|last1=Forward|publisher=PC GamesN|date=October 8, 2018|access-date=August 9, 2024}}</ref>

==Education==
The sole school district in the county is [[Taylor County School District (West Virginia)|Taylor County School District]].<ref>{{cite map|author=Geography Division|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st54_wv/schooldistrict_maps/c54091_taylor/DC20SD_C54091.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Taylor County, WV|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|date=December 23, 2020|access-date=2025-04-04}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st54_wv/schooldistrict_maps/c54091_taylor/DC20SD_C54091_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

==Notable people==
[[File:International Mothers Day Shrine.jpg|thumb|[[International Mother's Day Shrine]]]]
* [[Clair Bee]], author and basketball coach for [[Long Island University]], born in Grafton
* [[Martin McNulty Crane]], Texas politician and attorney, born in Grafton<ref name=LRL>{{cite web|url=https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=3697|title=Martin McNulty Crane|work=Texas Legislators: Past & Present |publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library}}</ref>
* [[Marmaduke H. Dent]], justice of the [[West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals]], lived in Grafton most of his life
* [[Frank Gatski]], ''aka'' "Gunner Gatski", [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] center for [[Cleveland Browns]]
* [[Robert Halbritter]], politician and judge, born in Grafton
* [[Anna Jarvis]], founder of [[Mother's Day (United States)|Mother's Day]]
* [[William Jaco]], mathematician at [[Oklahoma State University]], born in Grafton
* [[Frances Benjamin Johnston]], early photographer and [[photojournalist]], born in Grafton
* [[George Preston Marshall]], longtime owner and president of NFL's [[Washington Redskins]], born in Grafton
* [[Eldora Nuzum]], first female editor of daily newspaper in West Virginia and interviewer of U.S. presidents, born in Grafton<ref>Higgins, Cara, "WVPA Inducts Nuzum into Hall of Fame", The Inter-Mountain, August 6, 2009.</ref>
* [[Ira E. Robinson]], politician and lawyer
* [[James W. Stansberry]], United States Air Force lieutenant general, born in Grafton

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Other sources===
* [[Eldora Marie Bolyard Nuzum]], The West Virginia Encyclopedia, The WV Humanities Council, Charleston, WV, 2006.
* Wooley, J.T, and Peters, Gerhard, "The American Presidency", December 1, 1978, Invitational White House Interview of President Jimmy Carter by Eldora Nuzum about the Appalachian Regional Commission, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 1999–2009.
*Brinkman, Charles, "Early History of Grafton", ''The Grafton'' (W. Va.) ''Sentinel'', (September 3, 1929 – December 31, 1929).
*''A Brief History of the City of Grafton, 1856–1956''. Compiled by Howard H. Wolfe, 1956.
*McDevitt, Wayne F. "Grafton and the B&O Railroad". ''A History of Taylor County''. Parsons: McClain, 1986.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Grafton, West Virginia}}
* [http://www.graftonwv.org/ City of Grafton, West Virginia]

{{Taylor County, West Virginia}}
{{West Virginia municipalities}}
{{West Virginia county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:County seats in West Virginia]]
[[Category:Northwestern Turnpike]]
[[Category:Cities in Taylor County, West Virginia]]
[[Category:Cities in West Virginia]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Tygart Valley River]]