Ridgeley, West Virginia

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Ridgeley, West Virginia
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

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image_caption = Ridgeley and the North Branch of the Potomac River, as viewed from Cumberland, Maryland, in 2007


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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of Ridgeley, West Virginia


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = West Virginia
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Mineral

government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 0.8
area_land_km2 = 0.7
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 0.3
area_land_sq_mi = 0.3
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 762
population_density_km2 = 1084.7
population_density_sq_mi = 2809.5

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 213
elevation_ft = 699
latd = 39 |latm = 38 |lats = 35 |latNS = N
longd = 78 |longm = 46 |longs = 9 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 26753
area_code = 304
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 54-68260GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1555480GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Ridgeley is a town in Mineral County, West Virginia, United States, and part of the Cumberland Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 762 at the 2000 census.

Ridgeley was initially known as St. Clairsville, named for Arthur St. Clair. [cite book| author=Kenny, Hamill |title= West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains |year=1945 |publisher=The Place Name Press |location=Piedmont, West Virginia |pages= p. 530] It was incorporated as Ridgeley on November 28, 1914, named for the former owners of the land upon which the town was built. ["West Virginia Blue Book." [http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Educational/publications/pub.cfm Published annually] by the Clerk's Office of the West Virginia Senate.]

Geography

Ridgeley is located at coor dms|39|38|35|N|78|46|9|W|city (39.643187, -78.769189),GR|1 along the North Branch Potomac River, opposite Cumberland, Maryland. [cite book| title= West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer |year=1997 |publisher= DeLorme |location=Yarmouth, Me. |isbn= 0-89933-246-3 |pages= p. 28]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²). 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (6.90%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 762 people, 323 households, and 202 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,089.7/km² (2,809.5/mi²). There were 379 housing units at an average density of 542.0/km² (1,397.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.08% White, 0.52% African American, 0.13% Native American, and 0.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.49% of the population.

There were 323 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,016, and the median income for a family was $36,042. Males had a median income of $29,250 versus $20,227 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,199. About 13.3% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over.

History

The land on which the town is built was originally conveyed from Thomas Lord Fairfax to George Mason in 1749. In 1750, the first frontier fort, Fort Ohio, was built at Ridgeley.fact|date=May 2007 It was, at the time, the westernmost outpost of colonial civilization and was most commonly referred to as the "New Store" settlement at the time. The New Store was primarily a trading post created by the Ohio Company which included prominent members including George Mason and Lawrence Washington. There is evidence that Joseph Chapline, the founder of Sharpsburg, Maryland, who also was in charge of the construction of Fort Cumberland, organized the construction of the New Store settlement. The settlement was used for various purposes from 1750-1763. Early Ohio Company residents who worked at the settlement (and who explored the surrounding countryside) included Hugh Parker and Christopher Gist.

In May 1754, George Washington led a company of troops to meet Joshua Fry at the storehouses at Fort Ohio. Fry was a colonel and commander in the Virginia Militia. He was to take command of the forces sent to the frontier. Fry was thrown from his horse, died, and was probably buried in early Ridgeley as Fort Cumberland had not yet been built. Washington then took command of the troops, his first military command. Washington staged an attack from Fort Ohio against a French detachment of 40 men that resulted in the death of French diplomat Ensign Joseph Coulon de Jumonville. This action is considered the first shot fired in the French and Indian War.

In Spring 1755, Washington returned to the area to prepare for General Edward Braddock's attack on Fort Duquesne (commonly referred to as Braddock's March). Fort Cumberland was under construction at the time, and was used as the center of planning for the attack, while Fort Ohio was commandeered and used as well. Both a very young Daniel Boone (21) and Daniel Morgan (20) worked in the area to plan and carry out the ill-fated assault.

When Fort Cumberland was all but abandoned in 1763, the Ohio Company reclaimed the land and put it up for sale. Eventually, the land was conveyed to James McCubbin Lingan in 1785, then to Captain George Calmes in 1803. Calmes built a mansion on the property. The land and home passed down through George Calmes' family through most of the 1800s. Late in that century, portions of the town began to be subdivided for housing and business use. In 1905, a group leased the Calmes Mansion and created the Potomac Club, which operated in Ridgeley as an important tennis and boating club until 1919.

In 1887, the West Virginia Central Railroad built yards and tracks in Ridgeley. In 1904, the West Virginia Central became the Western Maryland Railroad. The town developed as a blue collar community, many of whose residents worked for the railroad. For most of its history, it had been called alternately "St. Clairsville" or "Sinclairsville," but upon incorporation in 1914, it was renamed Ridgeley after Charles Ridgeley (1822-1897) a prominent early resident and businessman.

The town grew throughout the early part of the 20th century to be a vibrant blue collar community of schools, churches and businesses. Serious flooding from the Potomac River was a challenge to the town until the Army Corps of Engineers completed a major flood control project in the 1950s. During the 1970s and 80's, as the Mineral County school system consolidated schools in the area, all the town's schools were closed, challenging Ridgeley's cohesiveness as a community.⁷

In recent years Ridgeley has been plagued by a series of difficulties that have raised questions on the town's overall quality of life. As of 2008, the town has no grocery stores or banks (though it does have a convenience store). It does, however, have 16 active alcoholic beverage licenses⁸, an average of one for every 47.6 residents.

In 2007, Ridgeley hit the news when the town's mayor, Mitchell Reeves, was indicted on a number of charges and was able to call from jail and fire the Police Chief and police clerk, who had participated in the investigation. Both were found to be fired without cause and were rehired when the new mayor and council took office.⁹

Current Mayor and Town Council

Mayor - Dr. Richard Lechliter

Recorder - Mark Jones

Finance - Robert Shipley

Ordinances - Tanya Ryan

Water/Sewer - Thomas Hedrick

Housing - Jim Twigg

Streets - Lynn Carr

ee also

*

References

^{7. Clites, Gary, "Ridgeley and Carpendale, West Virginia From 1750: A History", Knobley Mountain Press, ISBN 978-1-4357-2044-2, 2008} [8. West Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. http://portal.wvabca.com/public/licensesearch/licensesearch.aspx] [9. Cumberland Times June 11, 2007.http://www.times-news.com/local/local_story_162095132.html]

External links