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Higby

Ghost town · Roane County, West Virginia

Kenna quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1906, 1:62,500)
Kenna quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1906, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Higby is a ghost town in Roane County, West Virginia. It is one of 13 former communities in Roane County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 8th among the 53 West Virginia counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Higby as a historical populated place on the Kentuck 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 38.6851° N, 81.5362° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleKentuck
Elevation799 ft
Nearest living townSpencer, WV
Distance to it12.7 miles
GNIS feature ID1740904
Coordinates38.68509, -81.53624

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What's there now

Higby is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Spencer, WV (population 2,137), about 12.7 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 799 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Higby?

Higby is in Roane County, West Virginia, at 38.6851, -81.5362.

How many ghost towns are in Roane County?

Roane County, West Virginia has 13 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.