Wellsville is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

Columbiana County, Ohio Columbiana County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 101,877. The county seat is Lisbon and its largest city is Salem. Created in 1803, the county name is derived from that of 15th-centur ...

, United States. The population was 3,113 at the 2020 census. In its heyday, notable industries in Wellsville included shipping via the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

and

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

, as well as

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

and

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porce ...

manufacturing.

History

Early history and establishment

In 1770,

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

with his friend and personal surveyor, William Crawford, embarked on a journey down the Ohio River from

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

for the purpose of viewing lands to be apportioned among soldiers who had served in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. They are reported to have surveyed the Wellsville area, just north of Yellow Creek in 1770, and it was noted in his journal that it was good bottom land. The Yellow Creek Massacre occurred near Wellsville in 1774. A group of Virginian settlers killed the relatives of a prominent Iroquois leader, Logan, who was camped on Yellow Creek. Logan took revenge, resulting in

Lord Dunmore's War Lord Dunmore's War, also known as Dunmore's War, was a brief conflict in the fall of 1774 between the British Colony of Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo in the trans-Appalachia region of the colony south of the Ohio River. Broadly, the war incl ...

. James Clark and William Wells first settled in the area in 1795. Although they had to leave for a while due to Native American attacks in the area, they returned between 1797 and 1800. Wellsville was founded in 1797 by William Wells, a Pennsylvanian, and former justice of the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio. Wellsville's first school and church were also established before 1800. A barn built in 1807 by the Aten family was moved to Hale Farm and Village in Bath, Ohio.

19th century to present

In 1814, a turnpike road was built to

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, and in 1816, a post office was established with John J. Feehan serving as postmaster. In the 1820s, the first

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

was organized by Rev. John Callahan in the house of William Wells. This is supposed to be the first Methodist Episcopal Church organized in Ohio. Shortly thereafter, Joseph Wells founded the

Methodist Protestant Church The Methodist Protestant Church (MPC) is a Methodist denomination of Christianity that is based in the United States. It was formed in 1828 by former members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, being Wesleyan in doctrine and worship, but adopt ...

. Wellsville finally took shape around 1823, when William Wells recorded that lots had been laid out for planned settlement. The initial site was bounded by the current Third and Fifth Streets, between Riverside Avenue and Commerce Street (although at the time they had different names.)Davidson, Edgar. ''Before the Memory Fades''. The Wellsville Historical Society (n.d.). In 1836, a foundry was opened to make

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

machinery. It later became known as the Stevenson Company, and produced brick-making machinery. It still exists today as a fabrication and machine shop. Wellsville was incorporated as a village in 1848. In 1852, the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad (later acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad) built a track from

Hanover, Ohio Hanover is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Licking County, Ohio, Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,270 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The village lies along Ohio State Route 16. History Hanover w ...

, to Wellsville, and in 1856, it built a track from Wellsville to

Rochester, Pennsylvania Rochester is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Beaver and Ohio rivers northwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 3,472 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropoli ...

On February 14, 1861,

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

, on his way to his first inauguration, spoke to a large gathering in front of the Whitacre House, a hotel, in Wellsville. On July 26, 1863,

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

General John Hunt Morgan and several hundred of his soldiers surrendered to pursuing Union forces after

Morgan's Raid Morgan's Raid (also the Calico Raid or Great Raid of 1863) was a diversionary incursion by Confederate States Army, Confederate cavalry into the Union (American Civil War), Union states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia during the A ...

ended in nearby

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, and were held in Wellsville before being shipped to the

Ohio Penitentiary The Ohio Penitentiary, also known as the Ohio State Penitentiary, was a prison operated from 1834 to 1984 in downtown Columbus, Ohio, in what is now known as the Arena District. The state had built a small prison in Columbus in 1813, but as th ...

in Columbus. Morgan's Raid was the northernmost advance of Confederate troops during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. At this time, Ohio State Route 45 was known as the Warren-Ashtabula Turnpike, which ran from Wellsville to

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

. It was an important part of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. During the 1896 presidential campaign, Democratic candidate

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...

addressed a crowd in Wellsville from the back of a train. Bryan was the first candidate to successfully embrace "

whistle stop In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a bus stop, stop or train station, station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or drop ...

" campaigning, harnessing the power of a young rail network to reach masses of voters. The 1936 flooding of the Ohio River resulted in the construction of a flood wall. In 1951, his only year of varsity basketball at Wellsville,

Bevo Francis Clarence "Bevo" Francis (September 4, 1932 – June 3, 2015) was an American basketball player. Born on his family's farm in Hammondsville, Ohio, he became one of the most prolific scorers in college basketball history during his career at Rio G ...

scored 776 points in 25 games for an average of nearly 32 points per game. In the process, he led his team to a stunning 19–1 regular-season record and a berth in the state playoffs. He was a unanimous all-state performer. In 1986, the 1870 Episcopal Church of the Ascension and Manse was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

It is located on the

Allegheny Plateau The Allegheny Plateau ( ) is a large dissected plateau area of the Appalachian Mountains in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. It is divided into the unglacia ...

. Its southern border is the

. On its eastern border is the Little Yellow Creek and on its western border is the Yellow Cheek. Its northern border is rising hills. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 3,541 people, 1,475 households, and 957 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,774 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 89.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 6.8%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 1,475 households, of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 22.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.1% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the village was 37.6 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,133 people, 1,696 households, and 1,107 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 1,869 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 90.59%

, 6.97%

, 0.12% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.05% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population. There were 1,696 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were

living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.02. In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males. The median income for a household in the village was $26,198, and the median income for a family was $33,245. Males had a median income of $26,724 versus $19,904 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $14,335. About 16.5% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 23.3% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Wellsville operates under a

council–manager government The council–manager government is a form of local government commonly used for municipalities and counties in the United States and Ireland, in New Zealand regional councils, and in Canadian municipalities. In the council-manager government, ...

, where there are six council members elected as a legislature in addition to the mayor, who serves as an executive. All are elected for 4-year terms. The council employs a village manager and fiscal officer for administration. As of 2025, the mayor is Robert Boley ( D), the village administrator is Jarrod Grimm, and the fiscal officer is Hoi Wah.

Education

Children in Wellsville are served by the public Wellsville Local School District, which includes two elementary schools and Wellsville Junior/Senior High School. Wellsville is also served by the Wellsville Carnegie Public Library. It was established on February 15, 1912. In 2005, the library loaned more than 55,000 items to its 8,000 cardholders. Total holdings as of 2005 are over 36,000 volumes with over 62 periodical subscriptions.

Notable people

* Mary Bowermaster, American record holder in World Masters Athletics Championships * Tom Casey,

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

player, led league in rushing yards from 1950 to 1956 *

Edward Knight Collins Edward Knight Collins I (5 August 1802 – 22 January 1878) was an American shipping magnate. Early life He was born on August 5, 1802, in Truro, Massachusetts, to Israel Gross Collins (1776–1831) and Mary Ann Knight (c.1780-Jan 3, 1803). ...

, shipping magnate who had a summer home in Wellsville *

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

basketball player who was one of the most prolific scorers in

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

history during his career at Rio Grande College * Wallace Samuel Gourley, judge of the

United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (in case citations, W.D. Pa.) is a federal trial court that sits in Pittsburgh, Erie, and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is composed of ten judges as authorized by federa ...

* William Peters Hepburn, U.S. Representative from Iowa's 8th District * John Thomas MacKall, U.S. Army paratrooper during World War II *

Burr McIntosh William Burr McIntosh (August 21, 1862 – April 28, 1942) was an American lecturer, photographer, film studio owner, silent film actor, author, publisher of ''The'' ''Burr McIntosh Monthly'',silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

actor, author, publisher of '' Burr McIntosh Monthly'' * Melvin E. Newlin,

United States Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

and

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient * Clete Patterson, NFL player * Frank "Killjoy" Pucci, vocalist of the

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

band Necrophagia * William Chapman Ralston, San Francisco businessman and financier, founder of the Bank of California * James William Reilly, Ohio state representative, general in Union Army during

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

* P. Craig Russell, comic book illustrator

References

External links

Wellsville Village Admin

Wellsville Community Foundation Website
{{Authority control Villages in Columbiana County, Ohio Ohio populated places on the Ohio River Populated places established in 1797 1797 establishments in the Northwest Territory Villages in Ohio