Moundsville, West Virginia
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Moundsville is a city in and the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Marshall County, West Virginia Marshall County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 30,591. Its county seat is Moundsville. With its southern border at what would be a continuation of the Mason-Dixon line to the Ohio River ...
, United States, 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 ...
. The population was 8,122 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area. The city was named for the nearby ancient
Grave Creek Mound The Grave Creek Mound in the Ohio River Valley in West Virginia is one of the largest conical-type burial mounds in the United States, now standing high and in diameter. The builders of the site, members of the Adena culture, moved more than ...
, constructed 250 to 100 BC by indigenous people of the
Adena culture The Adena culture was a pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 500 BCE to 100 CE, in a time known as the Early Woodland period. The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharin ...
.


History

In 1771, English colonists Samuel and James Tomlinson built a cabin at what later became Moundsville, although they did not overwinter, and in fact left for several years after attacks by Native Americans. Elizabethtown, as Tomlinson's community was called, was incorporated in 1830 and would become the county seat upon the creation of Marshall County in 1835. Nearby, the town of Mound City was incorporated in 1832. The two towns combined in 1865. In 1852, a line of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...
opened, connecting the eastern rail network with the Ohio and Mississippi riverboat system; Moundsville was an important port until 1861, when 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 ...
shut down the river system and caused major damage to the railroad. Fostoria Glass Company (specializing in hand-blown glassworks) was headquartered in Moundsville from 1891 to 1986. The retired West Virginia State Penitentiary operated in Moundsville from 1867 to 1995. On August 4, 1927,
Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...
landed The Spirit of St. Louis at Langin Field in Moundsville.


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 a total area of , of which is land and is water.


Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Moundsville has a
Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 9,318 people, 4,016 households, and 2,445 families living in the city. 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 4,458 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.5%
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 ...
, 0.8%
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 ...
, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% 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 1.1% of the population. There were 4,016 households, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% 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, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age in the city was 45.2 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 30.1% were from 45 to 64; and 20.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.


2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 9,998 people, 4,122 households, and 2,662 families living in the city. 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 4,461 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.13%
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 ...
, 0.73%
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 ...
, 0.13% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.01%
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 ...
, 0.10% from other races, and 0.60% 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 1.16% of the population. There were 4,122 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% 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, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.4% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,107, and the median income for a family was $30,534. Males had a median income of $26,242 versus $19,348 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 city was $13,997. About 18.1% of families and 22.4% 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 33.2% of those under age 18 and 15.5% of those age 65 or over.


Notable people

* Edward L. Athey, sports coach at Washington College. *
Frank De Vol Frank Denny De Vol (September 20, 1911 – October 27, 1999) was an American bandleader, arranger, composer and actor. As a composer, he was nominated for four Academy Awards. Early life De Vol was born in Moundsville in Marshall County in no ...
, film and television music composer and actor * Virginia B. Evans, painter, glass artist, and teacher * Joseph W. Gallaher, businessman and politician *
Davis Grubb Davis Alexander Grubb (July 23, 1919 – July 24, 1980) was an American novelist and short story writer, best known for his 1953 novel ''The Night of the Hunter (novel), The Night of the Hunter'', which was The Night of the Hunter (film), adapt ...
, novelist and story writer * Kristin Lewicki, professional ice hockey player * Adrian Melott, astrophysicist and astrobiologist * Arch A. Moore Jr., former
Governor of West Virginia A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
* Ed Pastilong, football player, coach, and college athletics administrator, WVU's Director of Athletics for 21 years * Ted Valentine, NCAA men's basketball referee and 2005 Naismith College Official of the Year.


Media

* '' Moundsville Echo''


In popular culture

In 2018, documentary filmmakers David Bernabo and John W. Miller released ''Moundsville'', a documentary about the history of Moundsville. “You Missed My Heart”, a song by Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and Jimmy LaValle, references a prison cemetery in Moundsville. This song has also been covered by
Phoebe Bridgers Phoebe Lucille Bridgers (born August 17, 1994) is an American singer-songwriter. Her indie folk music typically centers on acoustic guitar and Electronic music, electronic production, with melancholic lyrical themes. She has won four Grammy Aw ...
.


References


External links


City's official website
* {{Authority control Cities in West Virginia Cities in Marshall County, West Virginia County seats in West Virginia West Virginia populated places on the Ohio River 1771 establishments in the Colony of Virginia Populated places established in 1771