Martins Ferry, Ohio

Martins Ferry, Ohio
—  City  —
Nickname(s): Ohio's First Settlement
Location of Martins Ferry, Ohio
Coordinates: 40°5′57″N 80°43′31″W / 40.09917°N 80.72528°W / 40.09917; -80.72528Coordinates: 40°5′57″N 80°43′31″W / 40.09917°N 80.72528°W / 40.09917; -80.72528
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Belmont
Area
– Total	2.3 sq mi (6.0 km2)
– Land	2.3 sq mi (6.0 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation[1]	709 ft (216 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	7,226
– Density	3,345.1/sq mi (1,291.6/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	43935
Area code(s)	740
FIPS code	39-48104[2]
GNIS feature ID	1061478[1]

Martins Ferry is a city located in Belmont County, Ohio, United States, on the Ohio River. A part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area, it is the largest city in Belmont County. The population was 6,915 at the 2010 census.

History

Martins Ferry enjoys the honor of being the oldest permanent settlement in the state of Ohio, having been settled at least as early as 1779. The community was a westward extension of the city of Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), but at that time, settlement on the west bank of the Ohio River was not permitted. The town was disbanded a couple of times before finally becoming permanent in 1785.

Unlike Marietta, Ohio's oldest city, Martins Ferry remained an unincorporated settlement for a relatively long time. It did not officially become a city until 1865, a full 77 years after Marietta. Through the years, it has been known as Hoglinstown, Mercertown, Norristown, Jefferson, Martinsville, and Martin's Ferry (the apostrophe between "Martin" and "s" is no longer used).

In 1835, Ebenezer Martin, the son of Absalom Martin, one of the city's earliest settlers, redesigned the town with a grid system of streets, much of which survives to this day. It was from this family that Martins Ferry took its name.

The city developed as an important industrial center during the late 19th century and early 20th century. It became an important rail hub and river port from where products were shipped all over the United States and beyond. Over the past 50 years, the town's population has decreased significantly as industries have closed or moved elsewhere. Today, the city's population is less than half of what it once was.

Geography

Martins Ferry is located at 40°5′57″N 80°43′31″W / 40.09917°N 80.72528°W / 40.09917; -80.72528 (40.099122, -80.725154)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²), practically all of it land.

The town is built on two basic plateaus situated between a hill and the Ohio River. The lower of the plateaus, along the river, is dominated by a large industrial park, the Martins Ferry Football Stadium, and by Ohio State Route 7 (a four lane traffic artery that runs from north to south across eastern Ohio). The higher plateau, which is the larger of the two, is predominantly residential and commercial, and is home to most of the city's residents. It gradually rises to a rather steep hillside in the west that forms a natural wall.

Directly across the river lies the city of Wheeling, West Virginia, and just 11 miles to the east is the Pennsylvania state line. The city of Columbus, Ohio, is 125 miles to the west, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is only 38 miles northeast of the city. On the southern end of town, Martins Ferry is directly connected to the village of Bridgeport.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	3,819		—
1890	6,250		63.7%
1900	7,760		24.2%
1910	9,133		17.7%
1920	11,634		27.4%
1930	14,524		24.8%
1940	14,729		1.4%
1950	13,220		−10.2%
1960	11,919		−9.8%
1970	10,757		−9.7%
1980	9,304		−13.5%
1990	7,990		−14.1%
2000	7,226		−9.6%
2010	6,915		−4.3%

During the census^[2] of 2000, there were 7,226 people, 3,202 households, and 1,959 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,345.1 people per square mile (1,291.7/km²). There were 3,680 housing units at an average density of 1,703.6 per square mile (657.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.19% White, 5.11% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population.

There were 3,202 households out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city, the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,960, and the median income for a family was $32,365. Males had a median income of $30,486 versus $21,979 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,672. About 16.1% of families and 18.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.6% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Today, Martins Ferry's largest employers include East Ohio Regional Hospital, a 250 bed hospital that is home to a level three trauma center, a popular birthing unit and a rapidly expanding surgical department. A new surgical building is scheduled for completion this year. Other major employers include Nickles Bakery, one of three modern bakeries in the Nickles family providing fresh baked goods to a 7 state area; United Dairy, a family owned dairy serving nine states; and the Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel Corporation, which operates their galvanizing plant in Martins Ferry, producing some 700,000 tons of SofTite Galvanized Steel each year. The steel mill was bought out by Severstal and went bankrupt.

Martins Ferry is also home of the corporate headquarters of United Bancorp, a financial institution operating two banks, The Citizens Savings Bank of Martins Ferry and the Community Bank of Lancaster. These two banks have a total of 15 locations across Eastern and Southern Ohio. The city is also home of Carolina Furniture Company and The Times Leader, one of East Central Ohio’s largest newspapers serving more than 50,000 people.

Education

The children of Martins Ferry are educated by the Martins Ferry City School District, which currently has an enrollment of 1,488 students on one campus. In addition to the public school system, Martins Ferry is also served by two religious schools: St Mary's Catholic School and the Martins Ferry Christian School.

Over the 2007 Christmas vacation, all Martins Ferry Public School students were relocated to their new K-12 campus-style school. The new school cost a reported $40.9 million dollars. It includes a new elementary school building and combination middle/high school building. 75% of the cost, or $31.9 million, was covered by the state, while the remaining 25%, or $9 million, was funded locally. Land for the campus was donated by the Ayers family.

On March 28, 2008, The Times Leader reported that Elm Middle School, as well as the former high hchool, were set to be demolished. Demolition cost a reported $458,000. The high school area is now an empty lot. The lot where Elm Middle School was has become a person's residence. Both North School and South School remain closed, awaiting bids for the space.

Community

There are 14 churches providing places of worship for Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Nazarenes, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Greek Orthodox Christians, Episcopalians and non-denominational Christians. There are also a number of clubs and organizations for veterans, ethnic groups and senior citizens.

The city has multiple cemeteries, including Riverview Cemetery, St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery and Walnut Grove Pioneer Cemetery. The latter is the burial place of local heroine, Betty Zane, who saved Fort Henry in Wheeling during one of the last battles of the Revolutionary War by hiding gunpowder inside her dress. Her brother, Ebenezer Zane, who cut Zane's Trace from Wheeling to Maysville, Kentucky, opening the west for settlement, is also buried in Walnut Grove Pioneer Cemetery, along with Absalom and Ebenezer Martin and other important early settlers.

Events

The volunteer fire department celebrates Betty Zane Frontier Days annually, in honor of Revolutionary War hero Elizabeth "Betty" Zane.

In early Spring, the city hold a Soap Box Derby going down Hanover Street and the pit boxs are where the original High School Was. The 2010 winner of the race was Jacob Wilkerson

Schools

In 2008, the new High School opened for the area. The previous public High School, known officially as Charles R. Shreve High School, but never called anything but Martins Ferry High School, was closed midway through the 2007-2008 school year.^{[citation needed]}

Notable residents

• Joe DeNardo - famous Pittsburgh meteorologist
• Alex Groza - Gold Medalist in the 1948 Olympics and star basketball player
• Lou Groza (AKA "The Toe") - Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
• William Dean Howells - American realist author
• James Wright - Pulitzer Prize winning poet and author who immortalized the blue collar city in his poem, "Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio".
• John Havlicek- Hall of Fame former NBA Player
• Jeffrey J. Niehaus - poet and theologian

See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 

External links

• The Times Leader
• Martins Ferry Public Library
• Martins Ferry Football and Sports
• Often-anthologized poem: Autumn Begins in Martins Ferry, Ohio, by James Wright