East Liverpool is a city in

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 9,958 at the 2020 census. It lies along 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 ...

at the intersection of Ohio,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

about from both

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 ...

and

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

. The city is most notable for its

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 ...

industry, which was at one time the largest in the US.

History

Native American

petroglyphs A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

exist in the area surrounding East Liverpool, including on Babbs Island and near the

Little Beaver Creek Little Beaver Creek is a wild and scenic area in Ohio. The Little Beaver Creek watershed is located primarily in Columbiana County in eastern Ohio, and in portions of Carroll County, Mahoning County, and western Pennsylvania, draining appro ...

. Before the arrival of European Americans,

Mingo The Mingo people are an Iroquoian group of Native Americans, primarily Seneca and Cayuga, who migrated west from New York to the Ohio Country in the mid-18th century, and their descendants. Some Susquehannock survivors also joined them, a ...

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

, and

Wyandot Wyandot may refer to: Native American ethnography * Wyandot people, who have been called Wyandotte, Huron, Wendat and Quendat * Wyandot language, an Iroquoian language * Wyandot Nation of Kansas, an unrecognized tribe and nonprofit organization ...

peoples lived in the area until the

Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Indigenous peoples of North America, Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their Kingdom of Gre ...

led to the

Ohio Country The Ohio Country (Ohio Territory, Ohio Valley) was a name used for a loosely defined region of colonial North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and south of Lake Erie. Control of the territory and the region's fur trade was disputed i ...

's settlement. The

Public Land Survey System The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) is the surveying method developed and used in the United States to plat, or divide, real property for sale and settling. Also known as the Rectangular Survey System, it was created by the Land Ordinance of 17 ...

of the United States was established by Congressional legislation in 1785 to provide an orderly mechanism for opening the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...

for settlement. The ordinance directed the Geographer of the United States, Thomas Hutchins, to survey an initial east–west baseline. Hutchins began in 1786, using as his starting point a stake on the north bank of the Ohio River placed by a 1785 survey team from Virginia and Pennsylvania to fix their common north–south boundary. Hutchins' work, completed in 1787, established the

Seven Ranges The Seven Ranges (also known as the Old Seven Ranges) was a land tract in eastern Ohio that was the first tract to be surveyed in what became the Public Land Survey System. The tract is across the northern edge, on the western edge, with the so ...

. This survey is believed to be "the first mathematically designed system and nationally conducted

cadastral A cadastre or cadaster ( ) is a comprehensive recording of the real estate or real property's metes and bounds, metes-and-bounds of a country.Jo Henssen, ''Basic Principles of the Main Cadastral Systems in the World,'/ref> Often it is represente ...

survey in any modern country" and is memorialized by the

Beginning Point of the U.S. Public Land Survey The Beginning Point of the U.S. Public Land Survey is the point from which the United States in 1786 began the formal survey of the lands known then as the Northwest Territory, now making up all or part of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wiscon ...

monument. East Liverpool traces its founding to 1798 when Irish immigrant Thomas Fawcett purchased 1,100 acres of land along the Ohio River in what was then Jefferson County. In 1802, he platted the town of St. Clair, named for territorial governor

Arthur St. Clair Major-General Arthur St. Clair ( – August 31, 1818) was a Scottish-born American military officer and politician. Born in Thurso, Caithness, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in the Province of Pe ...

. It was called Fawcettstown for a time before being renamed Liverpool in 1816, after the port city of

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England. Over its first few decades, a grist mill, multiple stores, and wharves opened in the town. The first schoolhouse opened in 1820, and the first religious center opened in 1834 when an Episcopal Church was established on a 4th Street site provided by town developers. Liverpool was incorporated as East Liverpool in 1834 to avoid confusion with

Liverpool Township, Medina County, Ohio Liverpool Township is one of the seventeen townships of Medina County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 5,750 people in the township. Geography Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships and city ...

. Although

-based entrepreneurs invested in the town, it was smaller during this period than the nearby towns of New Lisbon and Wellsville. The arrival of English potter James Bennett in 1839 brought the establishment of the first

bottle kiln A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material (such as glass, plastic or aluminium) in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, can be sealed with an internal Stoppe ...

site in East Liverpool, launching the town's largest industry and bringing in multiple waves of Western European immigration throughout the late 19th century. Another large employer outside of the pottery industry was the

Crucible Steel Company Crucible Industries, commonly known as Crucible, was an American company which developed and manufactured specialty steels, and was the sole producer of a line of sintered steels known as Crucible Particle Metallurgy (CPM) steels. The company prod ...

in nearby

Midland, Pennsylvania Midland is a borough located along 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, Pennsylva ...

. By 1880, East Liverpool had grown to be the largest city in the county, and it reached over 20,000 residents before 1910. In 1905, the first city hospital opened. As of 1914, East Liverpool was served by the

Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania stat ...

. On October 22, 1934, local police and FBI agents led by

Melvin Purvis Melvin Horace Purvis II (October 24, 1903 – February 29, 1960) was an FBI agent instrumental in capturing bank robbers John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd in 1934. All of this would later overshadow his military career which saw him directl ...

shot and killed notorious bank robber

Pretty Boy Floyd Charles Arthur Floyd (February 3, 1904 – October 22, 1934), nicknamed Pretty Boy Floyd, was an American bank robber. He operated in the West and Central states, and his criminal exploits gained widespread press coverage in the 1930s. He was s ...

in a cornfield north of town after Floyd fled East Liverpool, and his body was returned to the town for embalming. The western downtown area was cleared in the 1960s to make way for the 4-lane expansion of

Ohio State Route 11 State Route 11 (SR 11) is a north–south freeway in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Its southern terminus is at U.S. Route 30 (Ohio), U.S. Route 30 (US 30) in East Liverpool, Ohio, East Liverpool at the West Virginia stat ...

. The city reached its peak population of more than 26,000 in 1970, but its pottery industry had already begun to decline by the mid-1960s. As with other industries, production moved to developing countries where labor costs were cheaper. This cost many jobs and, ultimately, population in the Upper Ohio Valley area, as people moved away in search of work. Many of the city's downtown businesses withdrew to

strip mall A strip mall, strip center, strip plaza or simply plaza is a type of shopping mall, shopping center common in North America and Australia where the stores are arranged in a row, with a footpath in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a ...

s in nearby

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

or left the area outright. In the mid-1990s, the city renovated its downtown district. To improve its urban design, it installed Depression-era lightposts, developed a new center called Devon's Diamond, and reconstructed the old high school's clock tower. In 2010, East Liverpool lost its position as the most populous city in the county to Salem after 130 years and was later withdrawn from being a principal city in the micropolitan area. Restoration of two buildings in the Diamond Historic District and East Fifth Street Historic District began in 2024 as part of a $1.2 million incentive received from the state government.

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 city has an area of , of which is land and is water. Neighborhoods include: * Beechwood * Downtown * East End * Fisher Park * Klondyke * Pleasant Heights * Thompson * West End * Sunnyside * Jethro

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 11,195 people, 4,601 households, and 2,892 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,316 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.7%

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 ...

, 4.6%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.3% 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 people of any race were 1.1% of the population. There were 4,601 households, of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.0% were married couples living together, 20.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.1% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the city was 37.6 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,089 people, 5,261 households, and 3,424 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,743 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.85%

, 4.81%

, 0.24% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.05%

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 ...

, 0.21% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 0.72% of the population. There were 5,261 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,138, and the median income for a family was $27,500. Males had a median income of $27,346 versus $18,990 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,656. About 21.5% of families and 25.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.2% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Pottery industry

The potteries of East Liverpool became the national center of

ceramic 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, porcela ...

toilet and table wares, with 85 firms operating at one time or another making two-thirds of the national output from 1880 to 1950. East Liverpool's pottery district encompasses the city itself and the surrounding towns of

Chester, West Virginia Chester is a city in Hancock County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. It is located along the Ohio River in the state's northern panhandle and is the northernmost city in West Virginia. Chester is part o ...

;

Newell, West Virginia Newell is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Hancock County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,203 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Weirton–Steubenville metropolitan area and i ...

; and

Wellsville, Ohio Wellsville is a village in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,113 at the 2020 census. In its heyday, notable industries in Wellsville included shipping via the Ohio River and Pennsylvania Railroad, as well as pottery an ...

. In 1887, East Liverpool had 21 general ware potteries that employed 2,558 operatives. By 1923 the 17 firms had 7,000 employees and operated 270 kilns, with $25,000,000 in annual output. At various times, some of the largest potteries included the Goodwin Baggott Pottery; Knowles, Taylor & Knowles; Taylor, Smith & Taylor; The Hall China Company; and

Homer Laughlin China Company The Fiesta Tableware Company (formerly The Homer Laughlin China Company) is a ceramics manufacturer in Newell, West Virginia, United States. Established in 1871, it is widely known for its Art Deco glazed dinnerware line, Fiesta. In 2002, '' ...

. Englishman James Bennett established the industry in 1839, making use of good transportation and rich local clays. It quickly became the community's leading industry. East Liverpool became known as "The Crockery City". Potters from Staffordshire, England, began pouring into East Liverpool, attracted by higher wages and the prospect of land ownership. By 1879, there were 24 potteries in East Liverpool, nearly all operated by English immigrants. As late as 1900, East Liverpool remained "essentially a transplanted potting town of Englishmen". Until the turn of the century about 85% percent of the population could trace its heritage to England. After the English, the second largest ethnic group in East Liverpool were German settlers. From 1870 to 1890, the city more than doubled in population each decade as it attracted new industrial workers with the growth of the pottery industry. In the mid-19th century, East Liverpool produced most of the yellowware pottery used in the United States. Among the most famous of East Liverpool's ceramics was the porcelain known as Lotus Ware. Produced by Knowles, Taylor & Knowles in the 1890s, this

Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

- and

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

n-influenced artware swept the competition at the 1893

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

in Chicago. The Museum of Ceramics in downtown East Liverpool has the world's largest public display of Lotus Ware. Two potteries continue to operate in the area: the American Mug & Stein Company and the

Fiesta Tableware Company The Fiesta Tableware Company (formerly The Homer Laughlin China Company) is a ceramics manufacturer in Newell, West Virginia, United States. Established in 1871, it is widely known for its Art Deco glazed dinnerware line, Fiesta. In 2002, '' ...

, formerly Homer Laughlin.

Holly Black Holly Black (; born November 10, 1971) is an American writer and editor best known for her children's and young adult fiction. Her most recent work is the ''New York Times'' bestselling young adult ''Folk of the Air'' series. She is also well kn ...

's ceramic-themed novel '' Doll Bones'' is set in East Liverpool due to its history in the industry.

Other businesses

In 1979, a toxic waste incinerator was proposed in the city's East End neighborhood. Local investors believed the incinerator could be an alternative to the declining ceramics industry. However, the ambiguity regarding its potential impacts on public health and the environment led to protests against its construction. In 1991, a march against the incinerator's construction resulted in 33 people, including actor

Martin Sheen Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...

, being arrested for trespassing. Despite a pledge from Vice President

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...

that the Clinton administration would prevent the incinerator from opening until its compliance with state and federal regulations was confirmed, the plant was completed in 1992 and began operating as Waste Technologies Industries the following year. In 2005, the

Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency may refer to the following government organizations: * Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland), Australia * Environmental Protection Agency (Ghana) * Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) * Environmenta ...

declared the area surrounding the incinerator and the S.H. Bell Company's metal facility a "potential

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has gene ...

area". In 2008, concerns were raised about toxic particles affecting East Liverpool residents' health, particularly

manganese Manganese is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese was first isolated in the 1770s. It is a transition m ...

, which was found in high concentrations. East Liverpool residents were found to have higher than normal levels of manganese, cadmium, and lead in their blood, and the community was considered to be in a health crisis due to the presence of these toxic elements. Government agencies worked with S.H. Bell Company to decrease the toxic metals being released into the surrounding air and land, and from 2006 to 2013 air quality improved. In 2014, hazardous and toxic particles in air quality assessments increased. Activism to reduce the toxic waste began.

Arts and culture

Since 1970, the annual Tri-State Pottery Festival in June has celebrated the local ceramics industry with local pottery exhibits, games, amusement rides, food vendors, and live entertainment. Starting in 2021, the First Fridays on Fifth event series has taken place on the first Friday of each month from May to October, hosting local crafts, musicians, and food vendors.

Library

The Carnegie Public Library was funded by

industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

, whose uncle lived in East Liverpool. Along with the

Steubenville Steubenville ( ) is a city in Jefferson County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Ohio River west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 census. The Weirton–Steubenville metropolitan area has an es ...

library, it was the first of the Carnegie libraries in Ohio. Designed by the local A. W. Scott, it was built with Roman mottled buff-brown brick trimmed with white tile, with construction starting in 1900. The lobby is of ceramic mosaic, the wainscoting of Italian marble and the solid brass hardware. The library opened on May 8, 1902, with Gertrude A. Baker of

Mount Vernon, Ohio Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Kokosing River, northeast of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 16,956 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Th ...

serving as its first librarian. The library underwent two renovations over the 1950s and early 1990s.

Historic places

Due to being the home of a large industry with many wealthy business owners, 16 different properties and three historic districts are 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 ...

, in addition to the

, the only

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in Columbiana County. The Diamond Historic District is at the one-sided traffic diamond between Market Street and East Sixth Street. The area is triangular, bounded by three roads. Buildings at the Diamond date back to 1884. The East Fifth Street Historic District consists of three blocks of downtown East Liverpool along East Fifth street between Market Street and Broadway, listed due to its examples of

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of t ...

. East Liverpool Downtown Historic District covers the whole of downtown in 22 acres, and is noted for its

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

and

Second Empire architecture Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts originating in the Second French Empire. It was characterized by elements of many different historical styles, and al ...

as well as its prominence as a commercial center in East Liverpool's history. Many historic properties in East Liverpool were the homesteads of prominent business owners throughout the late 19th century. These include the Cassius Clark Thompson House (1876), Ikirt House (1888), Homer Laughlin House (1882), Godwin-Knowles House (1890), and the Richard L. Cawood Residence (1923), all of unique architectural styles. The remaining structures on the listing are large, multi-story businesses that had historical significance in East Liverpool's economy and community during the 20th century, such as the original

East Liverpool Post Office East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...

(1909), Goodwin Baggott Pottery (1844), Carnegie Public Library (1902), the original

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

(1913), the Civil Works Administration

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

(1934), the

Elks Club The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE), commonly known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks, is an American fraternal order and charitable organization founded in 1868 in New York City. Originally established as a social club for m ...

building (1916), Odd Fellows Temple (1907), Mary A. Patterson Memorial building (1924), Potters Savings and Loan (1904), the first Potters National Bank (1881), and the

Travelers Hotel The Travelers Hotel, in East Liverpool, Ohio, was built in 1907 and had 105 rooms. Located at 117 East Fourth Street, on the banks of the Ohio River, it is one of the few remaining river town hotels that faces the river. The original name of th ...

(1907).

Sports and recreation

There are two public parks within East Liverpool city limits. Thompson Park was established after composer Will Lamartine Thompson donated 100 acres of land to the city in 1899. It opened in 1900 as a green space to get away from the industry of the city. It has been open ever since, and amenities include picnic pavilions, a swimming pool, a football field, a baseball field, a disc golf course, a playground and walking trails. The Broadway Wharf on the

includes a small public park and boat launch. The

Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is a route across the United States commemorating the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 to 1806. It is part of the National Trails System of the United States. It extends for some from Pittsburgh, ...

, which commemorates the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...

of 1804 to 1806, passes through East Liverpool. The semipro

East Liverpool Potters The East Liverpool Potters were an American basketball team based in East Liverpool, Ohio that was a member of the Central Basketball League The Central Basketball League was an early regional professional or semi-pro basketball league based in ...

basketball team of the

Central Basketball League The Central Basketball League was an early regional professional or semi-pro basketball league based in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The league disbanded on November 12, 1912, after playing a few exhibition games. Joseph "Joe" Meech Leithead served as S ...

played in the city from 1906 to 1909, and an

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

club was fielded from 1906 to 1912. The East Liverpool Country Club has a 9-hole golf course designed by

Willie Park, Jr. William Park Jr. (4 February 1864 – 22 May 1925) was a Scottish professional golfer. He won The Open Championship twice. Park was also a successful golf equipment maker and golf writer. In his later years, Park built a significant career as on ...

, that opened on July 14, 1921.

Government

East Liverpool operates under a

mayor–council government A mayor–council government is a system of local government in which a mayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected city council constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most comm ...

. Eight council members are elected as a legislature for 2-year terms, comprising four separate wards, three at-large districts, and a council president. In addition, an independently elected mayor serves as an executive. As of 2024, the mayor is Robert J. Smith and the council president is John A. Torma. The mayor, auditor, treasurer, and law director are all elected to 4-year terms.

Education

Children in East Liverpool are served by the public

East Liverpool City School District The East Liverpool City School District is a public school district serving the communities of East Liverpool, La Croft, Glenmoor, and Liverpool Township in southeastern Columbiana County in the U.S. state of Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U ...

, which includes two elementary schools, one middle school, and East Liverpool Junior/Senior High School. Private schools include East Liverpool Christian School and two online schools, Buckeye Online School for Success and Quaker Digital Academy, which are based downtown. St. Aloysius School was a Catholic school in the

Diocese of Youngstown The Diocese of Youngstown () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northeastern Ohio in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Cin ...

that operated in the city from 1885 to 2015.

Kent State University at East Liverpool Kent State University at East Liverpool (Kent State East Liverpool) is a satellite campus of Kent State University in East Liverpool, Ohio, United States. Administered with Kent State University at Salem, Kent State East Liverpool offers bachelo ...

, a satellite campus of

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

, was established in 1965. In tandem with Kent State Salem, more than 20 post-secondary degrees are offered, including 12 bachelor's degrees. New Castle School of Trades opened a downtown campus in 2016.

Media

East Liverpool was once home to several newspapers in the 1800s, but most were consolidated into '' The Review'', which today serves chiefly southern Columbiana County and northern Hancock County. Additionally, the '' Morning Journal'' out of

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 ...

reports in the area. The radio station WOHI 1490 AM has broadcast from the city since December 1, 1949, and is marketed as a classic hits station. The city also had a station on the FM dial 104.3, WOGI, but its license was moved to

Moon Township, Pennsylvania Moon Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 27,261 at the 2020 census. Located northwest of Pittsburgh, the township is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and ...

, in 2000 and now serves the Pittsburgh radio market. Both stations were launched by the former East Liverpool Broadcasting Company.

Transportation

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route of the United States Numbered Highway System, with the highway traveling across the Northern U.S. With a length of , it is the third-longest U.S. Highway, afte ...

passes through East Liverpool before entering

. Within the city, it is concurrent with State Route 11 and State Route 7, forming a four-lane divided highway with limited access. As the highway reaches downtown, it encounters an interchange where SR 7 exits toward Wellsville, and State Route 39 joins the concurrency. The combined U.S. 30, SR 11, and SR 39 route then curves eastward, running parallel to the

and

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

tracks. At the final interchange, SR 39 continues eastward through the East End neighborhood and the

state line, while U.S. 30 crosses the Ohio River via the Jennings Randolph Bridge into West Virginia. SR 11 terminates at the state line. State Route 267 begins in downtown East Liverpool, ascending a hill toward the Pleasant Heights neighborhood before continuing into the community of La Croft. Since the 1890s, East Liverpool and the West Virginia communities of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

and Newell have been connected by three different bridges spanning the Ohio River. The first Chester Bridge connected College Street in East Liverpool with 1st Street in Chester from 1896 to 1969 and carried U.S. Route 30. The bridge was demolished in 1970. It was replaced by the Jennings Randolph Bridge, which opened in 1977 and carries U.S. 30. The

Wayne Six Toll Bridge The Wayne Six Toll Bridge, formerly the Newell Toll Bridge is a privately owned suspension bridge over the Ohio River on the Golding Street Extension between Newell, West Virginia, Newell, West Virginia and East Liverpool, Ohio, East Liverpool, O ...

, formerly Newell Bridge, was built in 1905 and connects West 5th Street near East Liverpool City Hospital with West Virginia State Route 2. It is the only privately owned toll bridge on the Ohio River.

Notable people

Dan Adkins Danny L. AdkinsDanny L. Adkins
at the Social Security Death Index via FamilySearch.org. Retrieved December ...

, comic book artist for

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

Bernie Allen : ''This is about the baseball player. For the musical project of Travis McCoy called Bernie Allen, see Bernie Allen (band).'' Bernard Keith Allen (born April 16, 1939) is an American former Major League Baseball player for the Minnesota Twin ...

, former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

second baseman * Dick Booth, former

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

halfback *

Less Browne Less Browne (born December 7, 1959) is an American former professional football defensive back who played in the United States Football League (USFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He was a member of the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL, and ...

, former

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

and

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 ...

defensive back * John Caparulo, stand-up comedian *

Jane Louise Curry Jane Louise Curry, born September 24, 1932, in East Liverpool, Ohio, is a prolific author of adventure, fantasy, mystery, time travel, and American Indian tales for older children and teenagers. She has written 39 books. Her novels include the ...

, children's novel author *

Ben Feldman Benjamin Feldman (born May 27, 1980) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has undertaken roles on stage, including the Broadway play ''The Graduate'', along with more prominent roles in television series such as his role as Jonah S ...

, prolific life insurance salesman * Benedict Charles Franzetta, former Catholic bishop * John Godwin, former

player *

Lou Holtz Louis Leo Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is an American former college football coach and television analyst. He served as the head football coach at the College of William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State University (1972–1975), the N ...

, author, television commentator, motivational speaker, and former

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. ...

football coach * George P. Ikirt, physician and

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

* John Leslie,

pornographic film Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, adult films, blue films, sexually explicit films, or 18+ films, are films that represent Human sexual activity, sexually WIKT:explicit, explicit subject matter in order to sexual arousal, arouse, fasci ...

actor, director, and producer *

Bob McFadden Robert McFadden (January 19, 1923 – January 7, 2000) was an American singer, impressionist, and voice-over actor perhaps best known for his many contributions to animated cartoons. His most popular television cartoon characters included M ...

, voice actor * O. O. McIntyre, columnist of ''New York Day by Day'' *

Hy Myers Henry Harrison "Hy" Myers (April 27, 1889 – May 1, 1965) was a professional baseball player. He was an outfielder over all or part of 14 seasons (1909–1925) with the Brooklyn Superbas/Robins, St. Louis Cardinals, and Cincinnati Reds. In ...

, former

player for the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

Seth Neiman Seth Neiman (born June 27, 1954) is an American computer industry businessperson and venture capitalist in California, and a professional racing driver. He is the team principal of Flying Lizard Motorsports, which participates in the United Sport ...

computer industry A computer is a machine that can be programmed to automatically carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as ''programs'', ...

businessperson,

venture capitalist Venture capital (VC) is a form of private equity financing provided by firms or funds to startup, early-stage, and emerging companies, that have been deemed to have high growth potential or that have demonstrated high growth in terms of number ...

and professional

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

* Craig Newbold, member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

from the 1st district * Sally Johnston Reid, composer, educator and former president of the

International Alliance for Women in Music The International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM) is an international membership organization of women and men dedicated to fostering and encouraging the activities of women in music, particularly in the areas of musical activity, such as compos ...

Elaine Riley Elaine Riley (January 15, 1917 – December 7, 2015) was an American film and television actress. Early years The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A.B. Riley, Riley was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, on January 15, 1917. She won the Miss East Liverpool ...

, actress with

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

Ruth Crawford Seeger Ruth Crawford Seeger (born Ruth Porter Crawford; July 3, 1901 – November 18, 1953) was an American composer and musicologist. Her music heralded the emerging modernist aesthetic, and she became a central member of a group of American composers ...

, composer and first woman to receive the Guggenheim Fellowship * George Smith,

13th In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the Musical note, note thirteen scale degrees from the root (chord), root of a chord (music), chord and also the interval (music), interval between the root and the thirteenth. The thirteenth is m ...

lieutenant governor of Missouri The lieutenant governor of Missouri is the first person in the order of succession of the U.S. state of Missouri's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, removal, impeachment, absence from the state, ...

Josh Stansbury Josh Stansbury (born November 19, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist. He was the light heavyweight North American Allied Fight Series (NAAFS) champions in 2013 and formally fought for Bellator. Stansbury competed in Light Heavyweight div ...

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

, former

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

light heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

division fighter *

Josiah Thompson Josiah "Tink" Thompson (b. 17 January 1935) is an American writer, retired professional private investigator, and former philosophy professor. In 1967, he published both ''The Lonely Labyrinth'', a study of Kierkegaard's pseudonymous works, and ...

, author of ''Six Seconds in Dallas'' * Will Lamartine Thompson, composer of

hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

and

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

Norm Van Lier Norman Allen Van Lier III (April 1, 1947 – February 26, 2009) was an American professional basketball player and television broadcaster who spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Bulls. Early life Norman Van Lier was born on April ...

, former

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

point guard *

Jabez Vodrey Jabez Vodrey (1795–1861) is generally thought to be the first English potter to emigrate to and work west of the Appalachian Mountains in the United States. Early years Vodrey was born on 14 January 1795 in Tunstall, Staffordshire, a centuries ...

, prominent early potter *

Peter Wooley Peter Wesley Wooley (December 26, 1934 – November 15, 2017) was an American film producer, author, director, and production designer with 85 films and television series to his credit, including the Mel Brooks' films ''Blazing Saddles'' and ''High ...

, former Hollywood film producer and

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

-nominated art director

Sister cities

East Liverpool has one

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

: *

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...

, England, United Kingdom

References

External links

*
East Liverpool Area Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Cities in Columbiana County, Ohio Ohio populated places on the Ohio River Populated places established in 1796 1796 establishments in the Northwest Territory Cities in Ohio

History

Geography

Demographics

2010 census

2000 census

Economy

Pottery industry

Other businesses

Arts and culture

Library

Historic places

Sports and recreation

Government

Education

Media

Transportation

Notable people

Sister cities

References

Further reading

External links