Gilmer County is named for Thomas Walker Gilmer, who was a United States Secretary of the Navy and a Governor of Virginia.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Ritchie County, Doddridge County and Lewis County
E – Braxton County
S – Calhoun County
W – Calhoun County and Ritchie County
Created: February 3, 1845 
County Seat:
DeKalb 1845 – 1846
Glenville 1846 – present
County Courthouse – Glenville
Location: 10 Howard Street / Court Street
Built: 1917 – 1923
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Holabo and Lafferty of Clarksburg
Contractor: Acme Construction Company
Description: The building faces southwest and is a two story buff colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds on the rise of a hill in the center of Glenville overlooking the downtown. The south front has two large columns rising to wide header with pediment above. The entrance on the first story is recessed. The center section rises above the east and west sections. The base of the building is stone. In the interior, the courtroom is located on the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 14th Judicial Circuit and Family Court. The building was renovated in 1974.. On the northwest side is the two story red colored brick County Sheriff’s Residence.
Note: The contractor, Acme Construction Company, won the contract on a low bid of $99,000 which put them into bankruptcy. The legal hassle over the completion of the building may account for the fact that the building does not have a cornerstone.
County Courthouse Annex – Glenville
Location: 101 North Court Street / Johnson Street
Built: 1973 – 1974
Style: Modern
Architect: Denver R Turner of Charleston
Contractor: Facemire Brothers of Sutton
Description: The building faces southeast and is a two story buff colored brick, glass and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Glenville on the north side of the courthouse. The entrance at the south end of the southeast front of the building. Glass paneled walls are divided by brick wall sections. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County Magistrate Court.
See: The 14th Judicial District includes Braxton County, Clay County and Webster County.
History: The county was created in 1845 and DeKalb was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was the brick home of Salathiel Stalnaker located along highway 5. In 1846, the county seat was moved to Glenville and the first jail was erected. The court met at the home of William Ball. The second courthouse was built in 1850. The courthouse was sold in 1872 to Stephen Ruddell. The third courthouse was built in 1874 which had a large courtroom. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1917 to 1923 at a cost of $99,000. The County Courthouse Annex was constructed in 1973 to 1974.
County Courthouse – Glenville
County Courthouse Annex – Glenville
County Sheriff’s Residence – Glenville
Photos taken 2012