Proctorville, OH

Proctorville sits on the Ohio River opposite Huntington, West Virginia, with the East End Bridge turning the river from a boundary into a daily route. The settlement began as Quaker Bottom in 1797, became known as Proctor's Landing after Jacob Proctor opened a store beside the wharf in 1834, and took the name Proctorville when it incorporated in 1878. River traffic, ferries, and a trading district shaped the village before the bridge changed the cross-river pattern.

That older river map remains visible in the streets near Front, Elizabeth, and State Route 7. The Briggs Lawrence County Public Library branch is at 410 Elizabeth Street, and the village is part of the Fairland Local School District. Fairland's schools include East, West, Middle, and High campuses. The East End Bridge, completed in 1985, links Proctorville to Huntington and places the village in the Huntington-Ashland regional corridor. Proctorville's present form comes through its wharf history, bridge crossing, library branch, and school network around the old river streets.