Gilmer County, located in the heart of West Virginia, was established on February 3, 1845, from parts of Kanawha and Lewis counties. It was named for Thomas W. Gilmer, a governor of Virginia.
Glenville, the seat of Gilmer County, was incorporated in 1856. It is the home of Glenville State College. Each summer, the town hosts the annual West Virginia State Folk Festival.
Cedar Creek State Park joined the state park system in 1955. The park features a furnished one-room schoolhouse with a tin roof, where eight grades once studied together.
Little Kanawha River begins near Craddock, Upshur County, and flows westward through Braxton, Gilmer, Calhoun, Wirt, and Wood counties.
Job’s Temple is a small log church built in the 1860s. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.