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"As you enter Marshall County from the South you come to the town of Moundsville which is set along the Ohio River. Moundsville was established in 1866 and was formerly one of the most prosperous towns in the Ohio Valley. The town's first inhabitants are considered to have been the Adena Indians, who have left numerous signs of their habitation. Among the most famous is the Grave Creek Mound which is the largest conical mound east of the Mississippi River. Another reminder of the past is the West Virginia Penitentiary which was built in 1866 and was in use for over a century until its closing in November of 1995. Moundsville also used to be a booming industrial town with a variety of industries including: the world renowned Fostoria Glass Factory, the United States Stamping Plant, several chemical plants, and many coal mines. Due to unfavorable economic conditions, much of the industry folded during the late 70's and early 80's, leaving Moundsville to return to the quiet residential town along the river."
(The above paragraph is an excerpt from material compiled by Mrs. Melvin's Eighth Grade English Class members: Jennifer Bergstrom, Lisa Whitecotton and Catherine Dailey.)
"Around eleven thousand people live in the city of Moundsville, West Virginia. The community is located in eastern United States among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It sits between the hills alongside the Ohio River about sixty miles south-west of Pittsburgh at 40 degrees north latitude, 81 degrees west longitude, and 700 feet above sea level. The hills are approximately a thousand feet high and are close enough to prevent agoraphobic attacks [fear of being in open spaces]."
"Three streams (Little Grave Creek, Middle Grave Creek, and Big Grave Creek) enter the mile-wide Ohio River in this area. Over the millennia these creeks have created approximately four square miles of flat land that were known historically as the flats of Grave Creek. In 1770, a pioneer, Joseph Tomlinson, built a fort to protect his family, settled on the forest flats and discovered the large mound that is the first word in Moundsville. Flat land is rare in this part of the country, and an earlier race of people had cherished this same location. Their burial mound is sixty-nine feet high, two hundred and eighty feet across and dates from around 250 B. C. Over the years, a city grew up around the large Adena Indian mound that is still the center of town."
"Many of the residents work as coal miners and some are steel workers. We also have our share of doctors, firefighters, golfers, lawyers, pitchers, police officers, preachers, teachers, storekeepers, and -- uh, a webmaster."
(The above three paragraphs are excerpts from material compiled by Adena Corp., Inc., RR 5 Box 71, Moundsville, WV 26041-9604.)
Moundsville is one of the limited bridge sites to span the Ohio River and is the county seat of Marshall County. It is about 13 miles south of Wheeling and I-70 and is served by numerous transportation routes (such as, highways, the Ohio River, rail) and also has a small airport.
Reynolds Memorial Hospital in the adjacent town of Glendale serves surrounding communities including Moundsville. The schools in Marshall County have modern facilities and equipment by which they provide quality education for the area youth. Moundsville still sports a downtown shopping district besides commercial development along State Route 2. Additionally, mall and plaza shopping are not far away in St. Clairsville, Ohio to the west, Wheeling to the north or Pittsburgh to the northeast.
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