Bellaire, Ohio
Encyclopedia
Bellaire is a village in Belmont County
, Ohio
, United States
. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia
Metropolitan Statistical Area
. The population was 4,278 at the 2010 census. The village is located along the Ohio River
. The Bellaire toll bridge
(now abandoned and closed) was filmed in the 1991 motion picture The Silence of the Lambs; its curved railroad viaduct and bridge over the Ohio were featured in the 2010 film Unstoppable
.
Among dozens of local manufacturers, the Imperial Glass Company, founded in 1901 by riverman and financier Edward Muhleman, first made glass in 1904 and distinguished itself for mass production of attractive and affordable pressed glass tableware using continuous-feed melting tank
s. One of the largest American handmade glass manufacturers during the 20th century, Imperial also produced blown glass, several lines of art glass, and its trademark "Candlewick" pattern. Bellaire's glassmaking era ended when the "Big I" closed its door in 1984, and the building was razed in 1995. Its diverse products remain highly prized by glass collectors.
The museum is dedicated to the glassware and people who worked at Imperial. The National Imperial Glass (NIG) Collectors Society hopes that by creating the museum they can keep alive the story of Imperial. Imperial was one of the largest and most diverse of the companies that made up the American handmade glass industry.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²). 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) of it is land and 0.56% is water.
of 2010, there were 4,278 people, 2,187 households, and 1,299 families residing in the village. The population density
was 2,064.6 people per square mile (1,073.2/km²). There were 2,507 housing units at an average density of 1,425.4 per square mile (550.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 92.07% White, 5.70% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races
, and 1.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population.
There were 2,110 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples
living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 84.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $19,480, and the median income for a family was $25,185. Males had a median income of $26,639 versus $16,101 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $13,912. About 21.1% of families and 27.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.0% of those under age 18 and 20.6% of those age 65 or over.
During the Bituminous Coal Miners' Strike of 1894, the National Guard was called up to protect the region's coal mines, and on June 13, there was a violent clash between strikers and national guard troops just west of town.
Bellaire Public Library is housed in the Mellott Memorial Building.
Belmont County, Ohio
Belmont County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 70,400. Its county seat is St. Clairsville...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Wheeling metropolitan area
The Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia and one in Ohio, anchored by the city of Wheeling...
. The population was 4,278 at the 2010 census. The village is located along the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. The Bellaire toll bridge
Bellaire Bridge
The Bellaire Bridge or Interstate Bridge is a privately-owned, closed cantilever truss toll bridge that spans the Ohio River between Benwood, West Virginia and Bellaire, Ohio...
(now abandoned and closed) was filmed in the 1991 motion picture The Silence of the Lambs; its curved railroad viaduct and bridge over the Ohio were featured in the 2010 film Unstoppable
Unstoppable (2010 film)
Unstoppable is a 2010 American action thriller film directed by Tony Scott, written by Mark Bomback, and starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. The film tells the story of a runaway freight train, and the two men who attempt to stop it.The film was released in the United States and Canada on...
.
Native Americans
Mound builders occupied the area though it is believed that no permanent settlement was ever within the present-day city limits. The Mingoes, Shawnees and Delawares (to a lesser extent) were know to have frequented the area.Europeans
The first documented European visitors to the Ohio River Valley and the Bellaire were French trappers and priests in the early and mid 1700s. They were impressed with the river's heavily wooded and hilly shores, and with the abundance of fish and wildlife.Beginnings of Bellaire
George Washington had notably explored the Ohio River Valley and, after the Revolutionary War, had passed out land parcels to his soldiers. The ownership of the land changed hands sporadically until both John Rodefer and Jacob Davis purchased a shared majority. In 1834 they realized that they had a desirable location for a village. Six acres of building lot sites were surveyed above what is today Twenty-Seventh Street West toward Belmont Street. It was named Bell Air after Jacob Davis's former home in Maryland. Soon after, many lots were purchased and the town began to grow. The first big boost for growth came with the building of the Central Ohio Railway (now Baltimore and Ohio) and the Stone Viaduct Bridge that carried it, thanks to Col. John Sullivan campaigning for the location to be in the area (renamed Bellaire by the railroad company to make it a stand-out location.)Glass City era
Bellaire gained the title of "Glass City" for the period of 1870 to 1885. The area was blessed by great transportation, an energy source, and a skilled workforce. The transportation infrastructure included the Ohio River, the National Road, and railroads including the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and the Central Ohio Railroad. Coal was the local energy source, as Belmont County was part of the eastern Ohio coal region. Coal had been mined in Bellaire and floated down the Ohio River since the 1850s. Glassmaking had already begun across the river in Wheeling, West Virginia by the 1820s. Some of the glass making facilities of the time were Belmont Glass Works, Bellaire Window Glass Company, Star Glass Works, National Glass Manufacturing Company, Bellaire Goblet Works, Union Window Glass Company, and Enterprise Window Glass Company. In the next decade, the list also included the Bellaire Bottle Company, the Century Glass Company, and the Imperial Glass Company. The discovery of natural gas in the Fostoria, Ohio area meant that many in the Bellaire glassmaking industry moved west, and Fostoria became the new heart of the glassmaking industry.Among dozens of local manufacturers, the Imperial Glass Company, founded in 1901 by riverman and financier Edward Muhleman, first made glass in 1904 and distinguished itself for mass production of attractive and affordable pressed glass tableware using continuous-feed melting tank
Melting tank
A melting tank is a tank used by manufacturing companies to manufacture a variety of products.-Melting tank uses:Melting tanks can be designed to melt products such as:* Resin* Solder* alloys with a low melting temperature* Paraffin Wax* Soy...
s. One of the largest American handmade glass manufacturers during the 20th century, Imperial also produced blown glass, several lines of art glass, and its trademark "Candlewick" pattern. Bellaire's glassmaking era ended when the "Big I" closed its door in 1984, and the building was razed in 1995. Its diverse products remain highly prized by glass collectors.
Imperial Glass Museum
The museum contains displays of Imperial Glassware, as well as other Bellaire glassware, from the Ohio Valley Glass and Artifacts Museum.The museum is dedicated to the glassware and people who worked at Imperial. The National Imperial Glass (NIG) Collectors Society hopes that by creating the museum they can keep alive the story of Imperial. Imperial was one of the largest and most diverse of the companies that made up the American handmade glass industry.
Economic boom and bust
The town grew, with many industries including glass, coal, steel, and enamel finding success in the immediate area. The population exploded to a modest 15,000, but the town has since been experiencing a 90-year decline.Today
Bellaire is now mobilizing on creating new industries to bring the village back to its former grandeur.Geography
Bellaire is located at 40°0′59"N 80°44′44"W (40.016257, -80.745627).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²). 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) of it is land and 0.56% is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, there were 4,278 people, 2,187 households, and 1,299 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,064.6 people per square mile (1,073.2/km²). There were 2,507 housing units at an average density of 1,425.4 per square mile (550.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 92.07% White, 5.70% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population.
There were 2,110 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 84.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $19,480, and the median income for a family was $25,185. Males had a median income of $26,639 versus $16,101 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $13,912. About 21.1% of families and 27.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.0% of those under age 18 and 20.6% of those age 65 or over.
During the Bituminous Coal Miners' Strike of 1894, the National Guard was called up to protect the region's coal mines, and on June 13, there was a violent clash between strikers and national guard troops just west of town.
Education
Bellaire is home to Bellaire High School, St. John Central Grade School, and St. John Central High School.Bellaire Public Library is housed in the Mellott Memorial Building.
Notable natives and residents
- Henry CrimmelHenry CrimmelHenry Crimmel was an American glassmaker who became well known in Ohio and Indiana. A German that came with his family to America at the age of eight years old, the American Civil War veteran started at the lowest level in glass making, and learned every aspect of the business...
, American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
veteran and co-founder of Sneath Glass CompanySneath Glass CompanyThe Sneath Glass Company was an American manufacturer of glass that was established in 1889 in Tiffin, Ohio, under the name Tiffin Glass Company. Two years later, the company was renamed Sneath Glass Company, and it was reorganized and moved to Hartford City, Indiana, in 1894. Originally, lantern... - Jose DavisJose DavisJose Davis is an American Arena Football League quarterback who was most recently the second string quarterback for the Cleveland Gladiators before being cut to make room for former New England Patriots and New York Dragons quarterback Rohan Davey.-High school years:Davis attended Bellaire High...
, former professional footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback in the Canadian Football LeagueCanadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
and Arena Football LeagueArena Football LeagueThe Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster... - Nate DavisNate Davis (quarterback)Nate Charles Davis is an American football quarterback with the Kansas City Command of the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft...
, professional football quarterbackQuarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
in the National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing... - Andy DorrisAndy DorrisAndrew Dorris was a former professional American football defensive lineman in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, and the Houston Oilers.-References:...
- former professional football defensive lineman in the NFL - Joey GallowayJoey GallowayJoseph Scott Galloway is an American football wide receiver. He most recently played for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks eighth overall in the 1995 NFL Draft...
, professional football wide receiver in the NFL - Brickyard KennedyBrickyard KennedyWilliam Park Kennedy was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1892 through , he played for the Brooklyn Grooms/Superbas , New York Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates . Kennedy batted and threw right-handed...
("Roaring Bill"), professional baseball pitcherPitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions... - Ted LevineTed LevineFrank Theodore "Ted" Levine is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs and Captain Leland Stottlemeyer in the television series Monk.-Early life and career:...
, actor - Lance MehlLance MehlLance Alan Mehl is a former professional American football player. He played 8 seasons for the New York Jets of the National Football League from 1980-1987. He was an All-American at Penn State University....
, former professional football linebackerLinebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for the New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL - Ben TaylorBen Taylor (American football)Benjamin Frazier Taylor is a former American football linebacker.Taylor was a linebackers coach for the Bridgewater College football team.-Cleveland Browns:...
, former professional football linebacker in the NFL
External links
- Village website
- Neffs Fire Department
- http://www.ushistoricalarchive.com/mapimages/ohio/7.jpg