Clarksburg, West Virginia

Clarksburg
Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library
Harrison County Courthouse
Flag of Clarksburg
Official seal of Clarksburg
Nickname: 
Jewel of the Hills
Motto: 
"Proud Past...Unlimited Future"
Map
Interactive map of Clarksburg
Clarksburg is located in West Virginia
Clarksburg
Clarksburg
Clarksburg is located in the United States
Clarksburg
Clarksburg
Coordinates: 39°16′50″N 80°20′40″W / 39.28056°N 80.34444°W / 39.28056; -80.34444
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountyHarrison
Established1785
Government
 • MayorJames Malfregeot
Area
 • City9.71 sq mi (25.16 km2)
 • Land9.71 sq mi (25.16 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
994 ft (303 m)
Population
 • City16,039
 • Estimate 
(2021)[3]
15,784
 • Density1,567.49/sq mi (605.20/km2)
 • Metro
68,761
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
26301-26302, 26306
Area code304
FIPS code54-15628
GNIS feature ID1537358[4]
WebsiteClarksburg, West Virginia

Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. The population of the city was 16,039 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth-most populous city in West Virginia.[3] It is the principal city of the Clarksburg micropolitan area, which had a population of 90,434 in 2020.[5] Clarksburg was named National Small City of the Year in 2011 by the National League of Cities.

History

Indigenous peoples have lived in the area for thousands of years. The Oak Mounds outside Clarksburg were created by the Hopewell culture mound builders between A.D. 1 and 1000

The first known European visitor to the area that later became Clarksburg was John Simpson,[6] a trapper, who in 1764 located his camp on the West Fork River opposite the mouth of Elk Creek at approximately 39°16′53″N 80°21′05″W / 39.28128°N 80.35145°W / 39.28128; -80.35145 (39.28128, -80.35145)[7]

Settlement and early history

The Waldomore estate of the Goff political family

As early as 1772, settlers began claiming lands near where Clarksburg now stands, and building cabins. In 1773, Major Daniel Davisson (1748–1819) took up 400 acres (1.6 km2), upon which the principal part of the town is now located. By 1774, people settling near present Clarksburg included: Daniel Davisson, Obadiah Davisson (Daniel's father), Amaziah Davisson (Daniel's uncle), Thomas, John, and Matthew Nutter, Samuel and Andrew Cottrill (brothers), Sotha Hickman, and Samuel Beard. Undoubtedly, others located on these public lands, of which no official records were made.[6] The Virginia General Assembly authorized the town of Clarksburg in 1785. Now a city, it is named for General George Rogers Clark, a Virginian who conducted many expeditions against the British and Indians during the Indian Wars and the war of the American Revolution, including the strategically critical capture of the Forts of Vincennes, now in the State of Indiana, in 1778.[8]

As now-President George Washington had proposed years earlier, the General Assembly also authorized a road from Winchester, Virginia to Morgantown in 1786, and a branch from this road (which decades later became the Northwestern Turnpike) would soon begin through Clarksburg toward the Little Kanawha River (which flows into the Ohio River at Parkersburg). In 1787, the Virginia General Assembly authorized the Randolph Academy at Clarksburg, a private school led by Rev. George Towers and the first west of the Alleghenies.[9] However, although many here as the 19th century began wanted the National Road westward to follow McCulloch's Path (improvements beginning after the Northwestern Turnpike company's formal incorporation by the Virginia General Assembly in 1827), Congress instead authorized construction on an easier route (Nemacolin's Path) through Maryland and Wheeling, which opened in 1818.

Construction of the first Harrison County courthouse began in Clarksburg in 1787. That building was followed by four increasingly larger courthouses; the most recent one completed in 1932. The first Court House stood on what is now the North East Corner of Second and Main Streets; the jail stood on the opposite side of Main Street near where the Presbyterian church now stands.[9]

Relatively poor transportation slowed northwestern Virginia's development, so subscribers in Winchester, Romney, Kingwood, Clarksburg, Parkersburg and other towns en route caused the Northwestern Turnpike to be built. While the toll road increased development around Clarksburg in the 1830s, it also used a relatively anachronistic model. Nonetheless, the Randolph Academy was razed and replaced by the Northwestern Academy in 1841, a year after stage coach service began between Clarksburg and Parkersburg on the Ohio River. Clarksburg's development increased more a decade later due to new technology and further subscriptions. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached Clarksburg from Grafton in 1856.

Two of the modern city's historic buildings date from this prewar era. The Stealey-Goff-Vance House, now owned by the Harrison County Historical Society, was originally constructed in 1807, expanded in 1891 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Waldomore was built beginning in 1839, served as the Clarksburg Public Library from 1931 to 1976 (when a new building was built next door for the majority of the collection), and added to the National Register in 1978.

Civil War

1898 bird's-eye view of Clarksburg

During the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861, Harrison county had two delegates, John S. Carlile and Benjamin Wilson. Carlile became a leader of the Wheeling Convention which led to creation of the Restored Government of Virginia during the American Civil War. Carlile was appointed to the U.S. Senate by the convention. Though he had been a strong advocate for statehood for West Virginia he later opposed the bill in the senate.[10] Wilson had abstained in the April 17 vote on Virginia's secession ordinance, but signed the ordinance later in April. He was arrested by Union forces in June and later released. In 1862 he named his son after Stonewall Jackson, who had been born in Clarksburg. Wilson later became a U.S. senator from West Virginia.[11][12]

Clarksburg's citizenry also reflected this divide. Union General McClellan established his headquarters near Clarksburg until the First Battle of Bull Run. The B&O line made Clarksburg an important Union supply base throughout the war, with at one point more than 7000 troops in the city. It became a target of Confederate raiders, but none actually reached the city, instead striking surrounding areas with fewer defenders. The closest, most famous (and materially successful) raid, the Jones-Imboden Raid of April and May 1863, was designed to impede recognition of West Virginia (which became the 35th state of the Union anyway in June 1863).

The influx of Union troops and the increased demand for goods and services stimulated the city's economy. Many new businesses were established to cater to the needs of the military, and existing businesses experienced a boom in trade. The war also heightened political tensions in the city, as residents debated the issues of slavery and secession.[13][14]

Postwar industrialization

In 1877, Clarksburg became one of three cities from which West Virginia voters would select their new state capital. Despite its relatively central location and an early lead, it came in second; Charleston, West Virginia became and remains the state capital.[15]

Around that time Clarksburg gained some industry and manufacturing, particularly involving glass and coal.[16] The city grew slowly but steadily, and services increased apace. The still-functional Despard Building was built in 1870. Telephone service, the first in the state, began in Clarksburg in the mid-1880s. Native son Edwin Maxwell was the Republican nominee for Governor of West Virginia in the 1884 election, though he lost narrowly to Emanuel Willis Wilson. In 1887, Clarksburg laid its first six miles of water lines; downtown streets were lit by electricity in 1889. Nonetheless, in the late 1890s, a visitor called Clarksburg a "sleepy, moss-covered town."[17]

Clarksburg's boom years began around the turn of the century, as coal and glass production increased. The population grew from 4,050 in 1900 to 27,869 in 1920, partly because in 1917 it annexed the previously independent surrounding communities of Adamston, Stealey, North View and Broad Oaks. The population may have reached 35,000 in 1929, before the Great Depression.[18]

Child labor at the Crescent Glass Works, 1908

In 1894, the Traders' Hotel was constructed, the grandest structure to date. Many buildings in the Clarksburg Downtown Historic District date from that era. In 1900, the first sewer lines were installed, and Main and Pike streets were paved with brick. In 1901, the city's first trolley opened for business (it would cease operating in 1947). Merchants Smith, Brown and Company built an early department store beginning in 1890. The Northwestern Academy was razed in 1894 and the Towers School erected (which became the city's high school). Merchants National Bank built a building in 1894 which later became the Community Bank. Clarksburg's oldest bank, the Empire National Bank, built a seven-story headquarters in 1907. Other significant buildings include the Goff Building (1911), Municipal Building (1888), the Waldo Hotel (1901–1904), Robinson Grand (1912, 1940), Harrison County Courthouse (1931–1932), U.S. Post Office (1932), Masonic Temple (1911–1914), First United Presbyterian Church (1894), and First Methodist Church (1909, 1956).[19][18]

An automobile had reached Clarksburg in 1902, and that technology fostered further development. In 1928, U.S. Route 50 was paved through Clarksburg. U.S. Interstate 79 would open in 1979 and connect Clarksburg with Charleston as well as Pennsylvania. In 1924, Clarksburg hosted a parade for its "native son", John W. Davis, who had become the "dark horse" Democratic presidential candidate (but lost) to Republican incumbent Calvin Coolidge. The following year, Republican and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Howard M. Gore, became Governor of West Virginia. During the 1920s, Clarksburg's Melville Davisson Post (1869–1930) may have been the country's highest paid author, writing 17 novels including the characters of Randolph Mason and Uncle Abner.[18]

As the Great Depression began, the Farmers Bank closed in 1929, and the Bank of West Virginia (which had opened in 1869) failed in 1933. Clarksburg's population dropped to 30,579 by 1940, and further as the decade progressed. Former Gov. Gore served as state agricultural commissioner (1931–33) and later as Public Service Commissioner (1941–47).[20]

However, Clarksburg managed to avoid urban blight and preserved much of the architecture it had gained during the "boom years". It is now West Virginia's tenth largest city. The West Virginia Preservation Alliance, the state's first, was created in Clarksburg in 1981.[18]

Mountaineer Militia

On October 11, 1996, seven men having connections with the Mountaineer Militia, a local anti-government paramilitary group, were arrested on charges of plotting to blow up the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Criminal Justice Information Services Division complex in Clarksburg. While members of the group had been assembling large quantities of explosives and blasting caps, militia leader Floyd Raymond Looker obtained blueprints of the FBI facility from a Clarksburg firefighter. Plastic explosives were confiscated by law enforcement officials at five locations in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Looker was taken into custody after arranging to sell the blueprints for $50,000 to an undercover FBI agent, whom he believed to be a representative of an international terrorist group. In 1998 Looker was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Two other defendants were sentenced on explosives charges, and the firefighter drew a year in prison for providing blueprints.[21]

Geography

Downtown Clarksburg as viewed from the east on Main Street

Clarksburg is located at 39°16′50″N 80°20′40″W / 39.28056°N 80.34444°W / 39.28056; -80.34444, along the West Fork River and Elk Creek.[22]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.74 square miles (25.23 km2), all land.[23]

Clarksburg is located in West Virginia's North-Central region. It lies within the ecoregion of the Western Allegheny Plateau.[24]

Clarksburg is located at the junction of U.S. 50 and U.S. 19, two miles west of the junction of U.S. 50 with Interstate 79. The city lies at an elevation of 1,007 feet at the junction of Elk Creek and the West Fork River of the Monongahela River.[9]

Climate

Clarksburg had a humid continental climate if one considers the 0 °C isotherm. The latest temperature numbers have the climate as humid subtropical (Cfa). To the molds of Köppen the climate may be considered the southern boundary of the Dfb zone at low altitudes in the North American continent (limit of 39 ° N), although in the immediate vicinity it is Dfa.[25] The city still suffers strong influences from the south, especially from the Gulf of Mexico but due to its location has a much more significant influence of the cold air intrusion of Canada, where it is not protected by the Appalachians. The extent further to the south is due to the eastern and southeastern mountain ranges blocking the oceanic influence in part, even if it is minimal anyway by the considerable distance from the coast. At the same time it can be classified as Cfa or hybrid of different climatic zones according to the criterion to be surveyed,[26] a situation similar to that of Boston.[25] It is the Dfb boundary throughout the northern hemisphere if it is to be disregarded in elevated regions on all continents. The southern record could appear on the Korean peninsula but the dry season defined version (Dwb) predominates in these locations.[27] The average temperature is 52.2 °F (11.2 °C) with a high average of 63.3 °F (17.4 °C) and a low average of 41.1 °F (5.1 °C). It has 45.6 inches (1,160 mm) of rain with peak in May (4.8 inches or 122 mm) and lower value in February with 3.2 inches (81 mm). The amount of total snow is 25 inches (64 cm), with highest values between January and February, 8 inches (20 cm) in total for each month. Since the season of snowfall goes from November to March.[28]

Record temperatures range from −24 °F (−31 °C) on January 19, 1994, up to 102 °F (39 °C) as recently as September 3 and 4, 1953.[29]

Climate data for Clarksburg Benedum Airport, West Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1922–present)[a]
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 78
(26)
79
(26)
88
(31)
95
(35)
96
(36)
100
(38)
102
(39)
101
(38)
102
(39)
95
(35)
85
(29)
78
(26)
102
(39)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 65.2
(18.4)
66.8
(19.3)
76.1
(24.5)
84.0
(28.9)
87.8
(31.0)
90.6
(32.6)
91.8
(33.2)
90.9
(32.7)
88.9
(31.6)
82.0
(27.8)
74.7
(23.7)
67.0
(19.4)
92.7
(33.7)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 42.6
(5.9)
45.6
(7.6)
54.7
(12.6)
67.6
(19.8)
75.7
(24.3)
82.5
(28.1)
85.5
(29.7)
84.6
(29.2)
78.9
(26.1)
67.6
(19.8)
56.0
(13.3)
46.6
(8.1)
65.7
(18.7)
Daily mean °F (°C) 33.6
(0.9)
36.1
(2.3)
44.1
(6.7)
55.3
(12.9)
63.9
(17.7)
71.3
(21.8)
74.8
(23.8)
73.6
(23.1)
67.2
(19.6)
55.8
(13.2)
45.7
(7.6)
37.8
(3.2)
54.9
(12.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 24.6
(−4.1)
26.6
(−3.0)
33.4
(0.8)
43.1
(6.2)
52.0
(11.1)
60.2
(15.7)
64.2
(17.9)
62.7
(17.1)
55.4
(13.0)
44.1
(6.7)
35.5
(1.9)
29.0
(−1.7)
44.2
(6.8)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 1.3
(−17.1)
6.2
(−14.3)
13.4
(−10.3)
25.8
(−3.4)
34.8
(1.6)
45.6
(7.6)
52.7
(11.5)
51.0
(10.6)
40.8
(4.9)
28.5
(−1.9)
18.9
(−7.3)
10.5
(−11.9)
−1.6
(−18.7)
Record low °F (°C) −24
(−31)
−23
(−31)
−18
(−28)
7
(−14)
23
(−5)
33
(1)
41
(5)
39
(4)
29
(−2)
14
(−10)
−2
(−19)
−13
(−25)
−24
(−31)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.30
(84)
3.14
(80)
3.62
(92)
3.89
(99)
4.25
(108)
4.54
(115)
5.40
(137)
3.62
(92)
3.51
(89)
3.02
(77)
3.17
(81)
3.38
(86)
44.84
(1,139)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 15.1 13.5 14.1 14.6 15.8 14.2 14.9 13.9 13.3 13.6 11.1 14.3 168.4
Source: NOAA[29][31]
Climate data for Clarksburg 1 (near city center), West Virginia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1922–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 78
(26)
79
(26)
88
(31)
95
(35)
96
(36)
100
(38)
102
(39)
101
(38)
102
(39)
94
(34)
85
(29)
78
(26)
102
(39)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 65.2
(18.4)
66.8
(19.3)
76.1
(24.5)
84.0
(28.9)
87.8
(31.0)
90.6
(32.6)
91.8
(33.2)
90.9
(32.7)
88.9
(31.6)
82.0
(27.8)
74.7
(23.7)
67.0
(19.4)
92.7
(33.7)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 39.7
(4.3)
43.2
(6.2)
52.2
(11.2)
65.4
(18.6)
74.7
(23.7)
82.1
(27.8)
85.1
(29.5)
83.6
(28.7)
77.4
(25.2)
65.6
(18.7)
53.4
(11.9)
44.0
(6.7)
63.9
(17.7)
Daily mean °F (°C) 30.7
(−0.7)
33.3
(0.7)
41.0
(5.0)
52.3
(11.3)
62.2
(16.8)
70.3
(21.3)
74.0
(23.3)
72.6
(22.6)
65.9
(18.8)
53.9
(12.2)
42.6
(5.9)
35.3
(1.8)
52.8
(11.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 21.7
(−5.7)
23.4
(−4.8)
29.7
(−1.3)
39.1
(3.9)
49.6
(9.8)
58.5
(14.7)
63.0
(17.2)
61.7
(16.5)
54.5
(12.5)
42.1
(5.6)
31.9
(−0.1)
26.6
(−3.0)
41.8
(5.4)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 1.3
(−17.1)
6.2
(−14.3)
13.4
(−10.3)
25.8
(−3.4)
34.8
(1.6)
45.6
(7.6)
52.7
(11.5)
51.0
(10.6)
40.8
(4.9)
28.5
(−1.9)
18.9
(−7.3)
10.5
(−11.9)
−1.6
(−18.7)
Record low °F (°C) −24
(−31)
−23
(−31)
−18
(−28)
7
(−14)
23
(−5)
33
(1)
41
(5)
39
(4)
29
(−2)
14
(−10)
−2
(−19)
−13
(−25)
−24
(−31)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.54
(90)
3.39
(86)
4.17
(106)
4.08
(104)
4.78
(121)
4.85
(123)
5.33
(135)
3.96
(101)
3.67
(93)
3.34
(85)
3.32
(84)
3.81
(97)
48.24
(1,225)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 7.9
(20)
7.8
(20)
3.5
(8.9)
0.1
(0.25)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.7
(1.8)
3.8
(9.7)
23.8
(60)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 15.6 13.9 14.2 14.2 15.0 12.7 12.4 10.9 10.1 11.6 12.3 15.3 158.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 4.9 4.2 1.6 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7 3.1 14.6
Source: NOAA[29][32]
Notes
  1. ^ Records maintained at Benedum Airport since August 8, 1998, and at the "Clarksburg 1" COOP (39°16′06″N 80°21′08″W / 39.2682°N 80.3522°W / 39.2682; -80.3522) before then.[30]

Nearby places

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1860895
18802,307
18903,00830.4%
19004,05034.6%
19109,201127.2%
192027,869202.9%
193028,8663.6%
194030,5795.9%
195032,0144.7%
196028,112−12.2%
197024,864−11.6%
198022,371−10.0%
199018,059−19.3%
200016,743−7.3%
201016,578−1.0%
202016,039−3.3%
2021 (est.)15,784[3]−1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[33]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 16,061 people and 6,588 households residing in the city. There were 8,129 housing units in Clarksburg. The racial makeup of the city was 88% White, 3.9% African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% from other races, and 6.4% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3% of the population.

There were 6,588 households, of which 37.4% were married couples living together, 35.2% had a female householder with no spouse present, 20.4% had a male householder with no spouse present.The average household and family size was 3.3. The median age in the city was 39.7 years.[34]

2010 census

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 16,578 people, 7,213 households, and 4,179 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,702.1 inhabitants per square mile (657.2/km2). There were 8,132 housing units at an average density of 834.9 per square mile (322.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.9% White, 3.9% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 7,213 households, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.1% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.91.

The median age in the city was 39.5 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.8% were from 25 to 44; 27.1% were from 45 to 64; and 16.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,743 people, 7,447 households, and 4,378 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,758.3 inhabitants per square mile (678.9/km2). There were 8,662 housing units at an average density of 909.7 per square mile (351.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.86% White, 3.83% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino were 1.06% of the population.

There were 7,447 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,722, and the median income for a family was $35,075. Males had a median income of $30,194 versus $22,388 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,587. About 14.8% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.5% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Belgians

During the first decade of the 20th century, French was frequently spoken on the West Virginia streets of such communities as South Charleston, the North View section of Clarksburg, and the small town of Salem. These neighborhoods shared a connection to the window-glass industry, and the people speaking French often were Walloons, or French-speaking Belgians. About 1900, changes in window-glass manufacture brought thousands of immigrants from the Charleroi area of Belgium just when the industry was expanding into West Virginia to take advantage of cheap natural gas and large deposits of silica sand. For a generation, window-glass factories, many of which were worker-owned cooperatives, relied heavily on these Belgian immigrants to provide the skills necessary to make West Virginia a national center of production.

West Virginia's Belgians came from an area economically similar to West Virginia. The Charleroi basin of the Hainaut province in Belgium was dependent upon coal mining, steel production, and window-glass manufacturing. The Belgians’ new homes in north-central West Virginia and the Kanawha Valley must have felt familiar.

They left Europe because the Belgian glass factories were struggling in the 1880s and 1890s. Equally important, workers had limited opportunities to voice their concerns either politically or economically. Belgian glassworkers found in the United States an effective trade union to represent their workplace concerns and the means to build a vibrant political movement advocating democratic socialism. In fact, some of these Belgian enclaves, including Star City near Morgantown and Adamston (now part of Clarksburg), elected Socialist mayors in the years before World War I. Aside from politics, Belgian ethnic communities also became famous for the cuisine, musical groups, social clubs, and celebrations composing the unique Belgian cultural heritage.

The technological changes that had made skilled Belgian workers so valuable, however, soon gave way to newer technologies that turned window-glass manufacture from a skilled craft to a mass-production industry. By the end of the 1920s, a few large corporations dominated the industry and machines replaced most of the skilled craftsmen. One exception, window-glass cutters, continued to provide opportunities to a new generation of Belgian-Americans. More than 70 years later, the Belgian-American Heritage Society keeps alive the history and culture of this fascinating ethnic group.[35]

Economy

Postcard of Main Street in Clarksburg, looking east (1904)

The availability of natural resources, coupled with easy access to railroad facilities, attracted industry and manufacturing to Clarksburg, including chemical plants, brickworks, potteries, foundries and machine shops, hardwood and casket companies, glass factories (including the Akro-Agate marble company), and the Jackson (later Phillips) Sheet and Tin Plate Company, the forerunner of Weirton Steel. Economic development brought successive waves of immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including Irish, Italians, Greeks, French, Belgians, and Spanish.[9]

Early 20th century Clarksburg boasted eight banks, three hospitals, and several fine hotels, including the elegant seven-story Waldo, which opened in 1909. The seven-story Empire Bank building went up in 1907, the nine-story Goff Building in 1911, and the 10-story Union Bank in 1912.

By 1929, Clarksburg had reached its peak population of 35,115. During the Depression the city lost industry and population, but during World War II the railroad again made it a central clearinghouse. New development came with the construction in the 1970s of Interstate 79 and the new four-lane U.S. 50 Appalachian Corridor D connecting I-79 to I-77, but plant closings in the 1980s had a negative impact. New expansion in the government and technology sectors began in the 1990s, including the relocation of the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Center to Clarksburg and construction of a new federal building and a new building to house Fairmont State University's Clarksburg branch.[9]

Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library
  • In 1975, Clarksburg opened a new public library designed by Marcel Breuer, adding another distinctive element to its architecturally rich downtown.[36]
  • The city has a daily newspaper, The Exponent-Telegram,[37] three local television stations, and six radio stations.
  • Clarksburg is home to Eastpointe and Newpointe, the largest strip mall in West Virginia, adjacent to Interstate 79. Most of Clarksburg's retail has relocated to the strip malls, and downtown is now home to many professional services.[18]

Akro Agate Company

The Akro Agate Company of Clarksburg was a world leader in manufacturing glass marbles. Organized in Akron, Ohio, in 1911 the firm relocated to Clarksburg in 1914 because of the availability of glass sand and cheap natural gas for fuel. The Chinese checkers craze of the 1930s and ’40s helped make the marbles very profitable, with more than 2,000,000 made per week. Beginning in the 1930s a line of pressed glass vases, floral ware, and colorful glass containers was produced. Miniature glass children’s dishes, including tea pots, cups, saucers, and other pieces, were sold as inexpensively boxed sets when World War II limited the availability of metal for toys. The marbles and multicolored pressed articles in similar hues are sought by collectors today. Pressed products can sometimes be identified by the trademark of the letter A with a crow flying through it. The firm, located off South Chestnut Street, ceased production in 1951.[38][39]

Hazel-Atlas Glass Company

Hazel-Atlas Glass Company, the glassmaking giant in a state known for glass production, was created in 1902 by the merger of four earlier companies. The largest glass company in the United States from the 1930s until the 1950s, Hazel Atlas was a major producer of inexpensive ‘‘depression glass’’ table sets of pink, green, blue, colorless, and black glass. Hundreds of thousands of glass premiums given away in oats, coffee, and other products were made by Hazel Atlas.

Hazel Atlas glass plants in West Virginia included one along the Tygart River in Grafton (1916–60) that largely produced wide-mouth canning jars, and the world's largest tumbler factory in Clarksburg (1902–87). By 1920, the Clarksburg factory had 15 acres of floor space, employed 1,200 people, and shipped all over the world. The company's metal factories in Wheeling made lids and closures for glass containers.[40]

Rolland Glass Company

The Rolland Glass Plant was a glass manufacturing company founded in 1921 by Albert Rolland in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The company specialized in producing high-quality tableware and stemware, and its products were sold throughout the United States.

The Rolland Glass Plant was a major employer in Clarksburg, and it played an important role in the city's economy. At its peak, the plant employed over 1,000 workers. However, the company began to struggle in the late 1960s due to increased foreign competition and rising production costs.

In 1970, the Rolland Glass Plant was acquired by the Fourco Glass Company, which continued to operate the plant until 1979. The plant was then sold to the Hordus Glass Company, which operated it until 1985. The plant was closed permanently in 1985, and the buildings were demolished in 1987.

Today, the site of the Rolland Glass Plant is occupied by the Rolland Glass Museum, which is dedicated to preserving the history of the company and the glass industry in Clarksburg. The museum houses a collection of Rolland Glass products, as well as photographs, documents, and other artifacts.[41][42][43]

Other notable glass companies

  • Clarksburg Glass Company (1893–1921)
  • National Bottle Company (1903–1919)
  • Diamond Glass Company (1920–1930s)
  • West Virginia Glass Specialty Company (1940s–1950s).

Federal Bureau of Investigation

In July 1995, the Federal Bureau of Investigation completed construction on its Criminal Justice Information Services Division complex in Clarksburg. The $200 million complex, located on 986 acres, is the national repository for the FBI's law enforcement records. The project came about through the efforts of Senator Robert C. Byrd. In 1990, in Byrd's second year as head of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the senator worked to fund the center and get it built in West Virginia, not Washington.[44]

Culture

Clarksburg is a cultural center of the north-central West Virginia region and hosts many events and festivals. Since 1979 Clarksburg has hosted the annual West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival held during Labor Day weekend. Every September since 1991 the city has been the site of the West Virginia Black Heritage Festival. Since 2006 Clarksburg has hosted the annual Glen Elk Wine, Music and Arts festival. Since 1997 Clarksburg has also hosted the Greater Clarksburg 10K race, the official WV 10K State Championship. In 2007 the race was renamed the Jarvis Greater Clarksburg 10K.[45]

Landmarks and attractions

Waldo Hotel, once one of the state's most luxurious hotels and the social center of Clarksburg

Transportation

Clarksburg is at the crossroads of U.S. Route 50 (Corridor D), the main arterial route for Clarksburg, and Interstate 79. Other major highways include West Virginia Route 20, West Virginia Route 58, U.S. Route 19, and West Virginia Route 98.

The Northwestern Turnpike, now known as U.S. Route 50, chartered in 1827, and began in 1831, reached Clarksburg in 1836 and was macadamized from the Tygarts Valley River to Parkersburg in 1848.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached Clarksburg from Grafton in 1856.

Clarksburg is served by the North Central West Virginia Airport, approximately 7 miles east of the city.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 27, 1996. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ List of micropolitan statistical areas
  6. ^ a b "History of Clarksburg, WV". Genealogytrails.com. April 10, 2008. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  7. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  8. ^ [1] Archived February 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ a b c d e "e-WV - Clarksburg". Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  10. ^ Rice, Otis K. and Stephen W. Brown, West Virginia, A History, Univ. Press of Kentucky, 1993, pgs. 147-48
  11. ^ Hall, Granville Davisson, The Rending of Virginia, A History, Univ. of Tennessee Press, 2000, pg. 155
  12. ^ "How Virginia Convention Delegates Voted on Secession, April 4 and April 17, 1861, and Whether They Signed a Copy of the Ordinance of Secession" (PDF). Library of Virginia. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  13. ^ "Prelims", European Origins of Library and Information Science, Studies in Information, vol. 13, Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. i–xv, January 1, 2019, doi:10.1108/S2055-537720190000013001, ISBN 978-1-78756-718-4, retrieved December 2, 2023
  14. ^ "Home". Harrison County WV Historical Society. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  15. ^ Clarksburg Downtown Historic District NRIS, item 8, p. 3 available at http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/harrison/82004794.pdf Archived February 4, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ "Clarksburg Visitors Bureau". www.clarksburgvisitorswv.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  17. ^ NRIS item 8 p. 3
  18. ^ a b c d NRIS
  19. ^ "Clarksburg Visitors Bureau". www.clarksburgvisitorswv.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  20. ^ NRIS item 8 p. 4
  21. ^ "Special Report #1: The Mountaineer Militia's Long, Slippery Slope". Adl.org. October 21, 1996. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  22. ^ West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. DeLorme. 1997. p. 25. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.
  23. ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  24. ^ "Level III Ecoregions of West Virginia". U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  25. ^ a b "Interactive United States Koppen-Geiger Climate Classification Map". www.plantmaps.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  26. ^ "Clarksburg climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Clarksburg weather averages - Climate-Data.org". en.climate-data.org. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  27. ^ "World Koppen Classification". Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  28. ^ Data, US Climate. "Climate Clarksburg - West Virginia and Weather averages Clarksburg - Weather history january 2018". www.usclimatedata.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  29. ^ a b c "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  30. ^ "Threaded Station Extremes". Archived from the original on May 19, 2006. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  31. ^ "Station: Clarksburg Benedum AP, WV". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  32. ^ "Station: Clarksburg 1, WV". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  33. ^ United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  34. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  35. ^ "e-WV - Belgians". Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  36. ^ "e-WV - Architects and Architecture". Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  37. ^ "e-WV - Clarksburg Exponent Telegram". Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  38. ^ "e-WV - Akro Agate Company". Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  39. ^ "History of Akro Agate". Akro Agate. Akro Agate.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  40. ^ "e-WV - Hazel Atlas Glass Company". Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  41. ^ "West Virginia History OnView | WVU Libraries". wvhistoryonview.org. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  42. ^ "Clarksburg". glassfactories. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  43. ^ "Hazel Atlas Glass History | Alumni | WVNCC | West Virginia Northern Community College | Accounting Degree | Business Administration Degree | Education Degree | Nursing Degree | Radiography Degree | Medical Assistant Degree | Criminal Justice Degree | Manufacturing Degree | Construction Degree | Logistics Degree | Welding Degree | Chemical Operator Degree | Petroleum Technology Degree | Cyber Security Degree | Computer Information Degree | Liberal Arts Degree | Art Degree | History Degree | English Degree | Tourism and Hospitality Degree | Culinary Degree | Wheeling WV | Weirton WV | New Martinsville WV". www.wvncc.edu. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  44. ^ "e-WV - FBI Center". Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  45. ^ "J. Cecil Jarvis". Archived from the original on May 16, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
  46. ^ www.wvlegislature.gov https://www.wvlegislature.gov/house/lawmaker.cfm?member=Delegate%20Jennings. Retrieved July 8, 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  47. ^ "LEWIS, Charles Swearinger, (1821 - 1878)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  48. ^ "Roy E. Parrish". The Clarksburg Telegram. May 2, 1912. p. 5. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  49. ^ "Emily Shaffer". IMDb. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2018.

Read other articles:

日語寫法日語原文日本標準時假名にほんひょうじゅんじ平文式罗马字Nihon Hyōjunji此條目可参照日語維基百科相應條目来扩充。若您熟悉来源语言和主题,请协助参考外语维基百科扩充条目。请勿直接提交机械翻译,也不要翻译不可靠、低品质内容。依版权协议,译文需在编辑摘要注明来源,或于讨论页顶部标记{{Translated page}}标签。兵庫縣明石市的明石市立天文科學館(日…

Mathematical model of interest rates A trajectory of the short rate and the corresponding yield curves at T=0 (purple) and two later points in time In finance, the Vasicek model is a mathematical model describing the evolution of interest rates. It is a type of one-factor short-rate model as it describes interest rate movements as driven by only one source of market risk. The model can be used in the valuation of interest rate derivatives, and has also been adapted for credit markets. It was int…

House elections for the 16th U.S. Congress 1818–19 United States House of Representatives elections ← 1816 & 1817 April 26, 1818 – August 12, 1819[a] 1820 & 1821 → All 186[b] seats in the United States House of Representatives94 seats needed for a majority   Majority party Minority party   Leader Henry Clay John Sergeant Party Democratic-Republican Federalist Leader's seat Kentucky 2nd Pennsylvania 1st Last election …

Державний комітет телебачення і радіомовлення України (Держкомтелерадіо) Приміщення комітетуЗагальна інформаціяКраїна  УкраїнаДата створення 2003Керівне відомство Кабінет Міністрів УкраїниРічний бюджет 1 964 898 500 ₴[1]Голова Олег НаливайкоПідвідомчі орг…

Russian politician In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Yurievich and the family name is Kiryanov. Artyom KiryanovАртем КирьяновMember of the State Duma for Novgorod OblastIncumbentAssumed office 12 October 2021Preceded byYury BobryshevConstituencyNovgorod-at-large (No. 134) Personal detailsBorn (1977-01-12) 12 January 1977 (age 47)Novgorod, Russian SFSR, USSRPolitical partyUnited RussiaAlma materHerzen UniversityRussian State Unive…

Charles CrosCharles Cros photographié par NadarBiographieNaissance 1er octobre 1842Fabrezan (Aude)Décès 9 août 1888 (à 45 ans)Paris (France)Sépulture Cimetière du MontparnasseNom de naissance Jean Émile Hortensius Joseph CrosNationalité françaiseActivités Poète, inventeur, photographe, écrivainFratrie Antoine-Hippolyte CrosHenry CrosEnfant Guy-Charles Crosmodifier - modifier le code - modifier Wikidata Charles Cros (prononcé /kʁɔs/), né le 1er octobre 1842 à Fabrezan (Aude…

Enrico Colombari Nazionalità  Italia Altezza 170[1] cm Peso 68[1] kg Calcio Ruolo Allenatore (ex centrocampista) Termine carriera 1939 - giocatore 1954 - allenatore CarrieraSquadre di club1 1920-1926 Pisa134 (10)1926-1930 Torino101 (4)1930-1937 Napoli213 (6)1937-1938 Pisa21 (1)1938-1939 Savoia10 (0)Nazionale 1928-1933 Italia9 (0)Carriera da allenatore 1938-1939 Savoia? Empoli1940-1941 Savoia1941-1942 Ternana1942-1943 Vittori…

Частина серії проФілософіяLeft to right: Plato, Kant, Nietzsche, Buddha, Confucius, AverroesПлатонКантНіцшеБуддаКонфуційАверроес Філософи Епістемологи Естетики Етики Логіки Метафізики Соціально-політичні філософи Традиції Аналітична Арістотелівська Африканська Близькосхідна іранська Буддійсь…

Entrance to La Boqueria Fruits and vegetables for sale at La Boqueria The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria (Catalan: [məɾˈkad də ˈsaɲ ʒuˈzɛb də lə βukəˈɾi.ə]; Spanish: Mercado de San José de la Boquería), usually simply referred to as La Boqueria, is a large public market in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, and one of the city's foremost tourist landmarks, with an entrance from La Rambla, not far from the Liceu, Barcelona's opera house. The m…

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: 2007 Orkney Islands Council election – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Main article: 2007 Scottish local elections 2007 Orkney Islands Council election ← 2003 3 May 2007&#…

Prince-Bishopric of OsnabrückHochstift Osnabrück1225–1803 Coat of arms Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück in 1786 (red line).StatusPrince-BishopricCapitalOsnabrückCommon languagesLow Saxon, GermanReligion Roman Catholic until the 1540s, then also LutheranGovernmentPrince-BishopricPrince-Bishop Historical eraMiddle Ages• Created on collapse    of Saxony 1225• Secularised    to Hanover 1803 Preceded by Succeeded by Duchy of Saxony El…

Cline Falls State Scenic ViewpointPicnic area at Cline Falls parkShow map of OregonShow map of the United StatesTypePublic, stateLocationDeschutes County, OregonNearest cityRedmondCoordinates44°16′07″N 121°15′21″W / 44.2687303°N 121.2558687°W / 44.2687303; -121.2558687[1]Area9 acres (3.6 ha)Operated byOregon Parks and Recreation Department Cline Falls State Scenic Viewpoint (also known as Cline Falls State Park) is a state park near Redm…

Sri Lankan businessman Hon. DrNalaka GodahewaMPනාලක ගොඩහේවාநாலக கொடஹேவாMinister of Mass MediaIn office18 April 2022 – 9 May 2022PresidentGotabaya RajapaksaPrime MinisterMahinda RajapaksaPreceded byDullas AlahapperumaSucceeded byBandula GunawardaneMember of Parliamentfor Gampaha DistrictIncumbentAssumed office 20 August 2020Majority325,479 votes[1]State Minister of Urban DevelopmentIn office20 August 2020 – 18 April 202…

Civil War in Laos from 1959 to 1975 Laotian Civil WarPart of the Vietnam War, the Indochina Wars, and the Cold WarAreas of Laos controlled by the Pathet Lao and bombed by the United States Air Force in support of the Kingdom of Laos.Date23 May 1959 – 2 December 1975(16 years, 6 months, 1 week and 2 days)LocationLaosResult Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese victory Establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic End of the Kingdom of Laos Small scale insurgency by anti-Pa…

Dam in Gregory County and Charles Mix County, South DakotaFort Randall DamFort Randall Dam and Power Plant, with Lake Francis Case in the backgroundLocation of Fort Randall Dam in the State of South DakotaCountryUnited StatesLocationGregory County and Charles Mix County, South DakotaCoordinates43°04′00″N 98°33′14″W / 43.066722°N 98.553897°W / 43.066722; -98.553897PurposeFlood control, hydroelectric power, irrigation, water supply, river navigation, and recreat…

Coast guard of Ukraine Some of this article's listed sources may not be reliable. Please help improve this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed. (May 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Law enforcement agency Sea Guard of the State Border Guard Service of UkraineМорська охорона Державної прикордонної служби УкраїниEmblemRacing stripeEnsignPennantJurisdictional structu…

12th Governor of Wyoming from 1923 to 1924 William B. Ross12th Governor of WyomingIn officeJanuary 1, 1923 – October 2, 1924Preceded byRobert D. CareySucceeded byFrank Lucas Personal detailsBornWilliam Bradford Ross(1873-12-04)December 4, 1873Dover, Tennessee, U.S.DiedOctober 2, 1924(1924-10-02) (aged 50)Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.Resting placeLakeview Cemetery, Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.Political partyDemocraticSpouse Nellie Tayloe ​(m. 1902)​Children3Paren…

American conservative LGBT tax-exempt organization This article may contain citations that do not verify the text. Please check for citation inaccuracies. (October 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) GOProudFormationApril 15, 2009 (2009-04-15)DissolvedJune 2, 2014 (2014-06-02)TypeLGBT, RepublicanHeadquartersWashington, D.C.[1]Region served United StatesFoundersChristopher R. BarronJimmy LaSalviaAffiliationsMetroplex Republicans DallasRight Prid…

Phylum of gelatinous marine animals For the genus of crane flies, see Ctenophora (fly). Comb jelliesTemporal range: 540–0 Ma[1][2][3][4] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Ctenophorae (comb jelly) Scientific classification Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: CtenophoraEschscholtz, 1829 Classes Tentaculata Nuda †Scleroctenophora[5] Ctenophora (/təˈnɒfərə/ tə-NOF-ər-ə; sg.: ctenophore /ˈtɛnəfɔːr, ˈtiːnə-/ TEN-ə-for, TEE-nə-; f…

托莱杜Toledo市镇托莱杜在巴西的位置坐标:22°44′34″S 46°22′19″W / 22.7428°S 46.3719°W / -22.7428; -46.3719国家巴西州米纳斯吉拉斯州面积 • 总计136.133 平方公里(52.561 平方英里)海拔1,128 公尺(3,701 英尺)人口 • 總計5,720人 • 密度42人/平方公里(109人/平方英里) 托莱杜(葡萄牙語:Toledo)是巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州的一个市…