Dunbar

History

Dunbar was incorporated on April 19, 1921, by an Act of the West Virginia Legislature. Dunbar is on land that was originally occupied by Native Americans with 11 mounds identified in the residential areas. The land was granted to George Washington for his military service and was named for Mary Dunbar after she inherited the land from Washington, although other sources say it was named for Dunbar Baines, a prominent area banker. Dunbar was a farming community until industries began to evolve in the city with the opening of glass and bottling plants in 1912. The Gravely Plow was invented in Dunbar in 1916. Located at Dunbar is the Dutch Hollow Wine Cellars, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. The park is listed on the Register due to the walk-in wine cellars located within the Park. In the past the area was known for its vineyards and the cellars were used to store wine made from the grapes grown in the vineyards. The cellars were thought to be built around 1860 due to the popularity of wine-making. The wine was then hauled to Charleston and Cincinnati. After the Civil War, wine making was no longer profitable and the vineyards were abandoned. The popularity of wine in neighboring Virginia and Ohio also had an impact on grape growing in West Virginia. The wine cellars are preserved and protected for future generations due to the foresight of Dunbar to develop the area into a City park.

Geography

Dunbar is located at (38.364319, -81.739539). Dunbar is served by Interstate 64 and WV 25. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• GEORGE WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CHARLESTON · 1,195 students · 25.4:1 ratio
• CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CHARLESTON · 1,086 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• SAINT ALBANS HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ST. ALBANS · 993 students · 21.6:1 ratio
• SOUTH CHARLESTON HIGH SCHOOL
  High · SOUTH CHARLESTON · 952 students · 20.3:1 ratio
• NITRO HIGH SCHOOL
  High · NITRO · 827 students · 22.4:1 ratio
• JOHN ADAMS MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · CHARLESTON · 705 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• SISSONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · CHARLESTON · 563 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• SISSONVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · CHARLESTON · 541 students · 18.7:1 ratio