Named after Lord Ravenswood in Sir Walter Scott's novel, The Bride of Lammermoor, Ravenswood is located in Jackson County along the Ohio River at an elevation of 620 feet. It was incorporated as a town on March 10, 1852, by the Virginia legislature. With a 2010 population of 3,876, Ravenswood is the largest community in Jackson County.

George Washington surveyed the area in 1770 and later acquired 2,448 acres. Early settlers included Ezekiel McFarland (1799) on Big Sandy Creek, followed by Lawrence Lane and John Nesselroade. During the Civil War the Battle of Buffington Island was fought near Ravenswood in 1863, and the area was troubled by bushwhacking between Union and Confederate supporters. The economy grew rapidly due to agriculture, banks, canning, trading, and riverboat commerce. The Ravenswood, Spencer & Glenville Railroad was established in 1886.

Ravenswood citizens have worked in the aluminum industry since 1953, and in health services, schools, and local government; other employers include construction companies, trucking, plastics, train and river freight, and automotive supplies. The Ritchie Bridge across the Ohio River opened Ravenswood to Ohio. A small airport serves light planes.

In the early 1990s, a bitter labor dispute split Ravenswood. The old Kaiser Aluminum plant was operated by Ravenswood Aluminum Corporation at the time. The town was divided as the strikers fought to get their jobs back while others chose to work nonunion. The impasse was finally resolved in 1992 under the threat of a pending National Labor Relations Board ruling on unfair labor practices. In 1995, Ravenswood Aluminum Corporation was purchased by Century Aluminum which, in turn, sold its rolling mill to Pechiney Rolled Products in 1999. The remaining portion of the Century plant, where aluminum was actually made, was idled in February 2009 and permanently closed in 2015. Six hundred fifty jobs were lost in the 2009 shut-down, with devastating impact on the community. The rolling mill, which remains the largest employer in Jackson County, was acquired by Alcan in 2003 and Rio Tinto in 2007. Rio Tinto sold the division that included the rolling mill in 2011, and it is now owned by Constellium Rolled Products.

The Ravenswood’s “Old Town” Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Read the National Register nomination.