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| '''Sistersville''' is a city in ], ], along the ]. The population was 1,588 at the 2000 census. The ] crosses the Ohio River to the ] community of Fly in ]. | '''Sistersville''' is a city in ], ], along the ]. The population was 1,588 at the 2000 census. The population dropped by -12.1%. in 2010 to 1,396 down from 1,588 at the 2000 census.<ref>{{cite web|title=City-Data.com: Sistersville, West Virginia|url=http://www.city-data.com/city/Sistersville-West-Virginia.html|publisher=City-Data.com|accessdate=6 November 2012}}</ref> The ] crosses the Ohio River to the ] community of Fly in ]. | ||
| ==History== | |||
| Sistersville has quite an interesting background. It all started in 1802 when Charles Wells floated down the ] from ] on a ] so that he could start a little settlement which at the beginning was to be known as Well's Landing. The Wells family was a prolific lot. The family started Wellsville up in ] only about a hundred miles upriver from here and Charles Wells also founded Charles-town or Wellsburg almost 70 miles up. Charles had 10 children by his first wife and another 12 by his second wife after her death. According to the family tradition the twentieth child would be ]. The Twenty Wells and the twenty first child was known as Plenty Wells although the baptismal records indicate she was baptized as Caty Adams Wells. The family came down the river perhaps because it has gotten too crowded for them and they needed space to spread out. Mr. Wells ended up owning all the land five miles up and 5 miles on either side of his landing site along the ] which would be enough room for twenty-two children. | |||
| Besides his family, Mr. Wells brought with his equipment that could be used for a horse-powered mill and to set up residence about a mile south of what is now the center of town. The first store in the area was started right of his house , he also held county court there and a ferry was also established across the ] which has ran off and on ever since it was established. The ferry is still the only way to get across the river for a dozen miles in either direction. Well Landing became regular center for back woods commerce and had a ], a thread wheel and even a ]. One of the oldest buildings is still standing today is located by the ferry landing. The building which once served as a tavern and store, now serves as warehouse, but is currently being slowly renovated. Welkin, the Wells family home, is located at the Southern end of town next to the golf course. The current house was built by a son of Charles and served as an oil company office for many years before it once again became a residence. | |||
| Charles Wells died in 1815. After his death as part of his will divided his large estate among all of his children, but in the same year two of his daughters, Delilah Wells Grier and Sarah Wells McCoy laid out part of the family land into plots to create the Sistersville; which was renamed in their honor. Portions of the Wells estate adjoined Diamond Street where the town hall is located today. Sistersville has about 1900 people today, but there were originally 300 inhabitants for many years. You got to think until 1884 when the railroad came through the only way to Sistersville was by birth, ] , ] and ]! Even the roads, such as they are, are a relatively recent addition. | |||
| Sistersville is located about 15 miles south of the ] and tiny Sistersville's families were divided during the Civil War. West Virginia joined the Confederacy in 1861 and 21 members of the Sistersville Blues militia went off to fight the North along with the instruments of their drum corps. Abraham Dickinson, who was one of the residents, didn't much like the Confederacy though and so he and, delegates from around the region, went up to the Wheeling Convention in 1863 in order to separate the state of ] who was loyal to the north, but because of the Draft Act of 1864 an additional 30 of Sistersville citizens went on to serve in the Union army where they ended up fighting their own relatives and friends on the battle lines. In Sistersville the feelings were strong and deep. The proud confederate flag of the local ] was hidden in a local home under some wallpaper where it couldn’t be seen, it was always raised. The Presbyterian congregation quit meeting during the War because they believed that, "The less said the better." The Underground Railroad was active sheltering runaway slaves in two homes in town. One of the two homes even had a tunnel that was ran out from the basement to the ]. | |||
| The first oil well of the great Sistersville oil field was drilled on August 11, 1891. The bringing in of the Pole Cat well which pumped water for a year before it started pumped oil, which brought in a sudden influx of oil men, drillers, leasers, speculators, followers, floaters, wild-catters, and even hangers-on. This helped quickly take Sistersville from a rural village of 300 people to a rip-roaring metropolis 15,000 people almost overnight. Imagine the entire ] covered with 2,500 ]. Trees were cut down for wood and houses were torn down in order to make room for the ] , and one of them was the Little Sister which you can see down by the ferry landing. At the same time, shacks and tents were put up to help house the people. In those days the ] was full of people living under the trees with the barest of coverings to help protect them from the elements. ] lined the riverbanks on both sides of the ] for a mile or more. They were secured so closely together that you could travel from one end of the river to the other without even going ashore. These helped to feed and sleep the people as well as furnishing liquor, amusements and entertainment of every kind to suit the tastes of those seeking it. Nearly every houseboat seemed to have a speakeasy, gambling room, or worse. | |||
| There was conspicuously little in the way of a proper temporary residence for the upper class and important guests in town.Another Wells family member, Ephraim Wells, who was a grandson of Charles, came to the rescue with this marvelous hotel opened a little over a hundred years ago on January 15th, 1895. With the opening of the hotel, Sistersville became not only a boomtown, but a place of importance on the social circuit. There was a grand opera house in addition to the saloons and theaters and the vaudeville acts would travel the circuit from Pittsburgh to Sistersville and Cleveland. Sadly, most of that disappeared in two great fires some years ago. The Wells Inn was the place for the rich to stay and indulge in elegance and still stands today. <ref name="Some History About Sistersville, WV">{{cite web|title=Some History About Sistersville, WV|url=http://www.marietta.edu/~crowthes/sishistory.html|publisher=Marietta College|accessdate=7 November 2012}}</ref> | |||
| ==Geography== | ==Geography== | ||
| Sistersville is located at {{coord|39|33|42|N|80|59|52|W|type:city}} (39.561615, -80.997791){{GR|1}}. | Sistersville is located at {{coord|39|33|42|N|80|59|52|W|type:city}} (39.561615, -80.997791){{GR|1}}. | ||
| According to the ], the city has a total area of 0. |
According to the ], the city has a total area of : 0.52 square miles (1.3 km²), all of it land. | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 23:17, 9 November 2012
City in West Virginia, United States| Sistersville, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Wells Street in downtown Sistersville in 2006 | |
 Location of Sistersville, West Virginia | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Tyler |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km) |
| • Land | 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km) |
| Elevation | 650 ft (198 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 1,588 |
| • Density | 3,028.3/sq mi (1,169.2/km) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 26175 |
| Area code | 304 |
| FIPS code | 54-74380Template:GR |
| GNIS feature ID | 1552903Template:GR |
Sistersville is a city in Tyler County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,588 at the 2000 census. The population dropped by -12.1%. in 2010 to 1,396 down from 1,588 at the 2000 census. The Sistersville Ferry crosses the Ohio River to the unincorporated community of Fly in Monroe County, Ohio.
History
Sistersville has quite an interesting background. It all started in 1802 when Charles Wells floated down the Ohio River from Wellsburg on a flatboat so that he could start a little settlement which at the beginning was to be known as Well's Landing. The Wells family was a prolific lot. The family started Wellsville up in Ohio only about a hundred miles upriver from here and Charles Wells also founded Charles-town or Wellsburg almost 70 miles up. Charles had 10 children by his first wife and another 12 by his second wife after her death. According to the family tradition the twentieth child would be Baptised. The Twenty Wells and the twenty first child was known as Plenty Wells although the baptismal records indicate she was baptized as Caty Adams Wells. The family came down the river perhaps because it has gotten too crowded for them and they needed space to spread out. Mr. Wells ended up owning all the land five miles up and 5 miles on either side of his landing site along the Ohio River which would be enough room for twenty-two children.
Besides his family, Mr. Wells brought with his equipment that could be used for a horse-powered mill and to set up residence about a mile south of what is now the center of town. The first store in the area was started right of his house , he also held county court there and a ferry was also established across the Ohio River which has ran off and on ever since it was established. The ferry is still the only way to get across the river for a dozen miles in either direction. Well Landing became regular center for back woods commerce and had a gristmill, a thread wheel and even a sawmill. One of the oldest buildings is still standing today is located by the ferry landing. The building which once served as a tavern and store, now serves as warehouse, but is currently being slowly renovated. Welkin, the Wells family home, is located at the Southern end of town next to the golf course. The current house was built by a son of Charles and served as an oil company office for many years before it once again became a residence.
Charles Wells died in 1815. After his death as part of his will divided his large estate among all of his children, but in the same year two of his daughters, Delilah Wells Grier and Sarah Wells McCoy laid out part of the family land into plots to create the Sistersville; which was renamed in their honor. Portions of the Wells estate adjoined Diamond Street where the town hall is located today. Sistersville has about 1900 people today, but there were originally 300 inhabitants for many years. You got to think until 1884 when the railroad came through the only way to Sistersville was by birth, flatboat , steamboat and ferry! Even the roads, such as they are, are a relatively recent addition.
Sistersville is located about 15 miles south of the Mason Dixon line and tiny Sistersville's families were divided during the Civil War. West Virginia joined the Confederacy in 1861 and 21 members of the Sistersville Blues militia went off to fight the North along with the instruments of their drum corps. Abraham Dickinson, who was one of the residents, didn't much like the Confederacy though and so he and, delegates from around the region, went up to the Wheeling Convention in 1863 in order to separate the state of West Virginia who was loyal to the north, but because of the Draft Act of 1864 an additional 30 of Sistersville citizens went on to serve in the Union army where they ended up fighting their own relatives and friends on the battle lines. In Sistersville the feelings were strong and deep. The proud confederate flag of the local militia was hidden in a local home under some wallpaper where it couldn’t be seen, it was always raised. The Presbyterian congregation quit meeting during the War because they believed that, "The less said the better." The Underground Railroad was active sheltering runaway slaves in two homes in town. One of the two homes even had a tunnel that was ran out from the basement to the Ohio River.
The first oil well of the great Sistersville oil field was drilled on August 11, 1891. The bringing in of the Pole Cat well which pumped water for a year before it started pumped oil, which brought in a sudden influx of oil men, drillers, leasers, speculators, followers, floaters, wild-catters, and even hangers-on. This helped quickly take Sistersville from a rural village of 300 people to a rip-roaring metropolis 15,000 people almost overnight. Imagine the entire countryside covered with 2,500 oil derricks. Trees were cut down for wood and houses were torn down in order to make room for the oil derricks , and one of them was the Little Sister which you can see down by the ferry landing. At the same time, shacks and tents were put up to help house the people. In those days the orchard was full of people living under the trees with the barest of coverings to help protect them from the elements. Houseboats lined the riverbanks on both sides of the Ohio River for a mile or more. They were secured so closely together that you could travel from one end of the river to the other without even going ashore. These helped to feed and sleep the people as well as furnishing liquor, amusements and entertainment of every kind to suit the tastes of those seeking it. Nearly every houseboat seemed to have a speakeasy, gambling room, or worse.
There was conspicuously little in the way of a proper temporary residence for the upper class and important guests in town.Another Wells family member, Ephraim Wells, who was a grandson of Charles, came to the rescue with this marvelous hotel opened a little over a hundred years ago on January 15th, 1895. With the opening of the hotel, Sistersville became not only a boomtown, but a place of importance on the social circuit. There was a grand opera house in addition to the saloons and theaters and the vaudeville acts would travel the circuit from Pittsburgh to Sistersville and Cleveland. Sadly, most of that disappeared in two great fires some years ago. The Wells Inn was the place for the rich to stay and indulge in elegance and still stands today.
Geography
Sistersville is located at 39°33′42″N 80°59′52″W / 39.56167°N 80.99778°W / 39.56167; -80.99778 (39.561615, -80.997791)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of : 0.52 square miles (1.3 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 1,588 people, 694 households, and 460 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,028.3 people per square mile (1,179.1/km²). There were 779 housing units at an average density of 1,485.5 per square mile (578.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.50% White, 0.06% African American, 0.06% Asian, and 0.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population. In 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the town's population at 1,413.
There were 694 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,799, and the median income for a family was $33,750. Males had a median income of $34,250 versus $23,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,267. About 16.2% of families and 22.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.8% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- Bill Bolling- (1957-) current Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
- Juliann Graham-(1915-1935) actress
- Tara Wilson, Miss West Virginia USA 2000
See also
References
- "City-Data.com: Sistersville, West Virginia". City-Data.com. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
- "Some History About Sistersville, WV". Marietta College. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- 2008 Census Estimate
External links
- Detailed city data from www.city-data.com
- "Historic Wells Inn Comes Full Circle" in Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, May 2011
- "Storytelling Retreat in Sistersville" from Words from the Mountains Blog
| Municipalities and communities of Tyler County, West Virginia, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: Middlebourne | ||
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |