Beallsville ( ) 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 ...

Monroe County, Ohio Monroe County is a County (United States), county located on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Ohio, across the Ohio River from West Virginia. As of 2023, the population was 13,153, making it the List of counties in Ohio, second-least po ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 355. The village gained national attention by losing more than 1% of its population killed in action in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, the worst per-capita loss of life experienced by any place in the country. Two former

coal mines Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

owned by

Murray Energy American Consolidated Natural Resources, previously known as Murray Energy, is a US-based coal mining company. It is the fourth largest coal producer in the country, and the largest privately-owned coal company. Founded in 1988 by Robert E. Murra ...

, Powhatan No. 6 mine and

Century Mine Century Mine was a large open cut zinc, lead and silver mine at Lawn Hill, northwest of Mount Isa in North West Queensland, Australia. It was Australia's largest open pit zinc mine. Discovered by CRA Limited, mining was initiated by Pasminc ...

, are located near Beallsville.

History

During the period of active American participation in the

in the 1960s, Beallsville gained brief notoriety for the loss of five of its citizens in the conflict — a traumatic rate of loss for the village of fewer than 500 residents that was estimated at 75 times the national average.Jeffrey Blankfort, "Our Town: The War Comes Home to Beallsville, Ohio," ''Ramparts'' an Francisco vol. 8, no. 1 (July 1969), pp. 39-46. The plight of the community drew wire service coverage and was the subject of a lengthy illustrated spread in the glossy left-wing magazine '' Ramparts.'' Moved by the magnitude of the loss, Congressman Clarence Miller made a formal request to

Secretary of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

Melvin Laird Melvin Robert Laird Jr. (September 1, 1922 – November 16, 2016) was an American politician, writer and statesman. He was a U.S. congressman from Wisconsin from 1953 to 1969 before serving as Secretary of Defense from 1969 to 1973 under Pres ...

and President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

to withdraw the village's other six servicemen from combat, which was denied. A sixth of the village's sons fell in combat on March 9, 1969, cementing the community's tragic distinction of having the highest percentage rate of loss in the Vietnam War of any town in America.

Geography

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 , all of it land.

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 409 people, 174 households, and 113 families living 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 196 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.8%

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 ...

and 2.2% from two or more races. There were 174 households, of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% 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, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.1% were non-families. 30.5% 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 2.35 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the village was 39.8 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.9% were from 25 to 44; 29.1% were from 45 to 64; and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 423 people, 171 households, and 114 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 186 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.35%

, 0.24%

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 ...

, and 1.42% 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 0.24% of the population. There were 171 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were

living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05. In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $25,893, and the median income for a family was $34,063. Males had a median income of $26,750 versus $20,938 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 $20,672. About 11.9% of families and 18.1% 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 15.0% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Merriman Colbert Harris Merriman Colbert Harris (July 9, 1846 – May 8, 1921) was a Missionary Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1904, who was active in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Japan. Birth and family Merriman was born July 9 ...

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 ...

soldier and

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 ...

Missionary Bishop *

Dustin Nippert Dustin David Nippert (born May 6, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball, and the Doosan Bears and KT Wiz of the KBO League. Nippert won the KB ...

, professional baseball player

Footnotes

{{authority control Villages in Monroe County, Ohio Villages in Ohio