Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Raleigh County, West Virginia

Royal

Unincorporated community in West Virginia, United States.

Record

About Royal

Royal was an unincorporated community in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. Royal was founded in 1890, directly across from Prince.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Royal, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where Royal is

USGS topographic map around Royal
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

12 historic USGS maps cover Royal

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near Royal

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our West Virginia index.

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Royal": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Royal, West Virginia": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q7373563.
  4. USGS GNIS 1555536.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).