Town file
Gormania, West Virginia
Gormania, West Virginia (Grant County, West Virginia) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 201, "A Mystery Deepens" (10 December 2020). Gormania is a tiny town in Grant County, West Virginia, high in the hills on the Maryland border, with a population of 124.
- Town
- Gormania
- County
- Grant County
- State
- West Virginia
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 201
- Approximate location
- 39.293, -79.345
Episode 201 / 10 December 2020 / 151 min / full
A Mystery Deepens
"This is Gormania, West Virginia; this is in Grant County, right on the Maryland border." about 0:05:39
The case: Murder of Kathy Ford (February 17, 1988). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2020
- Population
- 124
- Median age
- 44
- Median household income
- $44,000 a year
- Median home value
- $151,400
- Two-bedroom rent
- $626 a month
- Cost of living
- 84
- Religious
- 43%
- Property crime
- ▼ about one-third
- Violent crime
- ▼ less than half
History, in brief
- Gormania began in 1830 when Jacob Schaer bought land near the Potomac River for $150. about 0:09:34
- Gorman, Maryland lies directly across the state border, about a quarter of a mile away. about 0:09:56
- In 1859, aged 20, Peter Gorman was a founding member of the Washington Nationals, the first official baseball team in America. about 0:10:21
- In 1867 Gorman led the Nationals westward, beating every team except Rockford, Illinois. about 0:10:44
- In 1867 Gorman was elected to a one-year term as president of the National Association of Baseball Players. about 0:11:22
- In 1903 Gorman and his son-in-law tried and failed to buy the Washington Senators. about 0:11:33
- Grant County was established in 1870 and was divided into townships. about 0:11:44
- Election-day floods in 1985 killed 47 people; the south branch of the Potomac at Franklin crested at 22.6 feet against a seven-foot flood stage. about 0:11:51
- A hilltop cemetery holds about 30 burials, most marked with wood; about 15 markers remain and only a few have names. about 0:13:08
- The first Spring Mountain Festival was held in Petersburg in 1992, after the Whitewater Weekend events of 1973 to 1979 ended. about 0:25:44
The reviews read out
2 stars
"Little job opportunities, no factories here."about 0:13:44
3 stars
"The overall review of this area isn't awful."about 0:13:51
3 stars
"Only a Family Dollar, a Dollar General, one grocery store, a few gas stations and a few fast-food places."about 0:14:09
4 stars
"I haven't heard of any crimes occurring in this area. Seems pretty safe to me."about 0:14:54
4 stars
"Most neighbours are very friendly and it is generally quiet; the road needs work because of potholes, though part of it was finally paved a few years ago."about 0:15:36
3 stars
"A great small town, but no one wants to stay unless they are older; the cost of living is not bad, people are nice and want to help sometimes too much, there can be drama, and drugs have become a recent problem."about 0:16:14
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Morgantown, West Virginia40 miles
- Edinburg, Virginia53 miles
- Clarksburg, West Virginia54 miles
- Webster Springs, West Virginia80 miles
- Bellaire, Ohio90 miles
- Wheeling, West Virginia90 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.