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Defoe

Ghost town · Webster County, West Virginia

Sutton quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1908, 1:62,500)
Sutton quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1908, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Defoe is a ghost town in Webster County, West Virginia. It is one of 4 former communities in Webster County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 27th among the 53 West Virginia counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Defoe as a historical populated place on the Erbacon topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 38.5473° N, 80.5762° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleErbacon
Elevation1,390 ft
Nearest living townCowen, WV
Distance to it9.5 miles
GNIS feature ID1727846
Coordinates38.54733, -80.57620

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What's there now

Defoe is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Cowen, WV (population 560), about 9.5 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 1,390 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Defoe?

Defoe is in Webster County, West Virginia, at 38.5473, -80.5762.

How many ghost towns are in Webster County?

Webster County, West Virginia has 4 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.