Gill is an unincorporated community and former railroad town in Lincoln County, West Virginia, United States.

Geography

Gill is located between the mouth of Little Ugly Creek and Big Ugly Creek on the Guyandotte River in Lincoln County. Land situated across the river was once considered part of Gill. The community is located approximately five miles from Harts and 5.1 miles from Ranger.

History

Captain Farley's Raid

Captain Henry Farley, a veteran of the Revolutionary War and resident of Montgomery County, Virginia, was the first known Anglo visitor to present-day Gill. In June 1792, Captain Farley passed through the area while pursuing a Native American war party that had raided Virginia settlements at

Bluestone River The Bluestone River is a tributary of the New River, 77 mi (124 km) long, in southwestern Virginia and southern West Virginia in the United States.

. By the time he reached what is today Gill, he and his group had already engaged the retreating natives in the headwaters of Coal River and in the Guyandotte River valley some two miles below what is today

Logan Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gover ...

. Farley pursued the natives to the mouth of the Guyandotte River before returning home.

Pioneer settlers

William Wirt Brumfield first settled at the mouth of Big Ugly Creek, arriving about 1802 from the Big Stoney Creek section of what was then Montgomery County, Virginia but is now Giles County, Virginia. A War of 1812 soldier and gentleman justice of the County Court, he left the Ugly Creek section and settled at Buffalo Shoals in present-day Wayne County, West Virginia. His son, John H. Brumfield, populated the mouth of Ugly. Paris Brumfield, a son of John H. and a major character in the Lincoln County Feud, was born and raised in this vicinity. One noteworthy resident was Lewis "Jupiter" Fry, a well-known fiddler. Sampson S. Brumfield operated a log boom near the mouth of Ugly.

Formation of town

Gill Post Office was established on October 8, 1903. Thomas J. Gill, a timberman and store operator, served as the first postmaster. Later postmasters were Bradley W. Gill (son of Thomas) and Arabelle Gill (merchant mother of Brad). Notable residents in the early 1900s included members of the Cyfers family. At one time, the community boasted a hotel, railroad stop, church, school, and post office.

Decline

Gill's prosperity was linked to its location at the mouth of Big Ugly Creek and its proximity to the

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Richmond t ...

. The construction of Route 10 on the opposite side of the Guyandotte River in the 1920s caused the demise of Gill.

Economy

Timbering served as the primary industry. Gas is also important in the community's history. In the early 1900s, the Guyan, Big Ugly and Coal River Railway Company constructed a branch line up Big Ugly Creek from Gill.

Notable residents

* Paris Brumfield (1837-1891), Confederate veteran and major figure in the Lincoln County Feud * Sampson S. Brumfield (1847-c.1916), log boomer * Lewis "Jupiter" Fry (1843-1924), Confederate veteran and fiddler

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Lincoln County, West Virginia Unincorporated communities in West Virginia Populated places on the Guyandotte River