Located on the Little Kanawha River at the intersection of State Route 5 and U.S. 33-119, Glenville is the county seat of Gilmer County. The population was 1,129 in 2020.

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, pioneers began settling in the area they called ‘‘the Ford’’ because it was a place where travelers could cross the river. Later, the community was named Glenville because of its location in a glen. The first gristmill in Gilmer County was constructed there in 1812. The first courthouse was completed in 1850, the second in 1872, and the current courthouse in 1923. Glenville was incorporated in 1856.

As early as 1833, a high school was established in the Methodist Episcopal Church. After moving to the courthouse in 1850 and into a house in 1884, the school got its own building in 1913. Glenville High School was replaced by the consolidated Gilmer County High School in 1968. What is now Glenville State University was founded in 1872. In 1950, folklorist Patrick Gainer established the West Virginia State Folk Festival at the college.