[2] Ripley was originally owned and settled by William, John, and Lewis Rodgers.

Jacob Starcher erected a grist mill in 1824 and laid out the town in 1830, naming it in honor of Harry Ripley, a young minister who was to be married, but drowned in Big Mill Creek, about one and a half miles north of the town, shortly before the ceremony took place.

The people who lived along the Ohio River near the Ravenswood settlement favored that location.

The Virginia General Assembly appointed an independent commission to make the final decision which selected Ripley.

[6] The post office was established in 1832 with the name Jackson Court House.

[7] During the American Civil War, Ripley remained under the control of the Union except for a brief incursion by the Confederate General Albert G. Jenkins in September 1862.

The spectacle prompted the West Virginia Legislature to ban public executions soon after.

39.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Ripley claims to host the "Biggest Small Town Fourth of July Celebration" in the United States.

[16] On 4 July 2002, then President George W. Bush gave a public speech at the town's courthouse.