Chemical
Ghost town · Upshur County, West Virginia

Chemical is a ghost town in Upshur County, West Virginia. It is one of 3 former communities in Upshur County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 32nd among the 53 West Virginia counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Chemical as a historical populated place on the Alton 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 38.7598° N, 80.2351° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Alton |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,875 ft |
| Nearest living town | Helvetia, WV |
| Distance to it | 4.2 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 1696669 |
| Coordinates | 38.75983, -80.23508 |
What's there now
Chemical is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Helvetia, WV (population 16), about 4.2 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 1,875 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Maytonghost town · Webster County · 5.7 mi
- Penbroghost town · Webster County · 7.9 mi
- Beech Runghost town · Randolph County · 7.9 mi
- Florenceghost town · Randolph County · 8.2 mi
- Boydghost town · Upshur County · 10 mi
- Little Wildcatghost town · Lewis County · 11.1 mi
- Wildcatghost town · Braxton County · 11.9 mi
- Huffghost town · Randolph County · 12.7 mi
- Middle Forkghost town · Randolph County · 13.6 mi
- Walkersville Covered Bridgecovered bridge · Lewis County · 13.9 mi
- Fisherghost town · Randolph County · 16.3 mi
- Heavnerghost town · Upshur County · 16.6 mi
Questions
Where is Chemical?
Chemical is in Upshur County, West Virginia, at 38.7598, -80.2351.
How many ghost towns are in Upshur County?
Upshur County, West Virginia has 3 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
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.