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Iris

Ghost town · Ritchie County, West Virginia

Harrisville quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1907, 1:62,500)
Harrisville quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1907, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Iris is a ghost town in Ritchie County, West Virginia. It is one of 6 former communities in Ritchie County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 21st among the 53 West Virginia counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Iris as a historical populated place on the Smithville 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 39.0337° N, 81.0551° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleSmithville
Elevation1,109 ft
Nearest living townGrantsville, WV
Distance to it8.1 miles
GNIS feature ID1688988
Coordinates39.03369, -81.05511

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Iris is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Grantsville, WV (population 554), about 8.1 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 1,109 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Iris?

Iris is in Ritchie County, West Virginia, at 39.0337, -81.0551.

How many ghost towns are in Ritchie County?

Ritchie County, West Virginia has 6 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.