Better than Toronto...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APPALACHIA!!!

These river towns fascinate me...another tumbled down relic of the industrial past. Still holds a glimmer of hope, though. 

Wellsville does not look well. :-(

You know when you're in Appalachia when a bar is called "___________ II"

^ I think that's an antique shop, not a bar.

Nice photos, Ink. Too many vacant storefronts and overall a scenery of abandonment and decline. But this phenomenon is not just in Wellsville, or Ohio, or even Appalachia, I can show you similar dying small towns in the deep South, in Nebraska, Montana, Texas, Arizona, and even in Oregon.  As we become more globalized and internationally competitive, economic investment bypasses smaller communities in favor of large urban centers. Those small communities, which once depended on manufacturing or agriculture, have been especially hard hit because our current "service" based economy isn't part of these places. Some kind of new economic model or tax-reduction based investment policy will have to be offered to make these places attractive and level the economic playing field in order to make them competitive with the large regional urban centers. (cities) Otherwise, IMHO, the countless fading American small towns from coast to coast will be gone in another generation or two. BTW, that last photo of an 1890's towered Queen Anne style house is really a diamond in the rough-opening up the beautiful wrap-around porch and a period appropriate paint job would make this old house pop. Perhaps then it could be used as a bed & breakfast? Sellers are asking $28k for the yellow house in your photos-looks like some cheap real estate there. Some good old bones in this town.

^ I think that's an antique shop, not a bar.

 

Oh I see. Most of the business looked like bars.

Nice photos, Ink. Too many vacant storefronts and overall a scenery of abandonment and decline. But this phenomenon is not just in Wellsville, or Ohio, or even Appalachia, I can show you similar dying small towns in the deep South, in Nebraska, Montana, Texas, Arizona, and even in Oregon.  As we become more globalized and internationally competitive, economic investment bypasses smaller communities in favor of large urban centers. Those small communities, which once depended on manufacturing or agriculture, have been especially hard hit because our current "service" based economy isn't part of these places. Some kind of new economic model or tax-reduction based investment policy will have to be offered to make these places attractive and level the economic playing field in order to make them competitive with the large regional urban centers. (cities) Otherwise, IMHO, the countless fading American small towns from coast to coast will be gone in another generation or two. BTW, that last photo of an 1890's towered Queen Anne style house is really a diamond in the rough-opening up the beautiful wrap-around porch and a period appropriate paint job would make this old house pop. Perhaps then it could be used as a bed & breakfast? Sellers are asking $28k for the yellow house in your photos-looks like some cheap real estate there. Some good old bones in this town.

 

It's not so much that agriculture has diminished in importance, but that technology has accelerated the movement away from the small family farmers who bought and sold in the local community, and toward corporate, vertically-integrated industrial-scale farming. The eighty-acre farm, or even the two- or three-hundred acre operation is no longer viable, and aggregations of thousands of acres have displaced the small operators. They purchase supplies in wholesale quantities and haul their grain to ports or rail terminals sixty or a hundred miles away with their own tractor-trailer rigs. Animal-raising operations for market or dairy production number in the hundreds or thousands of animals, again with their own processing, marketing, and feed-production facilities.

 

Even if one wanted to operate a farm the size of most family farms in the 1950s and before, it would be difficult to find a source of new machinery appropriately scaled for that type of work, and except in Amish areas the farm stores and feed mills one would need no longer exist.

"Some kind of new economic model or tax-reduction based investment policy will have to be offered to make these places attractive and level the economic playing field in order to make them competitive with the large regional urban centers. (cities) Otherwise, IMHO, the countless fading American small towns from coast to coast will be gone in another generation or two."

 

As a native of Columbiana County, I've always wondered how the smaller villages like Wellsville, Leetonia, etc. would survive over the years. The small towns like East Liverpool and Salem (around 12K population each) have had it rough but they're both large enough to offer something in the way of service-related jobs (hospital, a handful of banks, a regional KSU campus), etc. - at least for another generation. I just can't imagine how places smaller than that are hanging on through the economy we've had, when there's so little to compel younger folks to stay.

Great photos, Ink. Out of curiousity, what is this?

 

Hair Hut lol

Great photos, Ink. Out of curiousity, what is this?

 

 

It's a pottery kiln from back in the day - East Liverpool (and Wellsville) was a major center of pottery production.

^Darn MayDay beat me to it. Bob, that area is/was well known for its pottery.

Thanks everyone! Very cool. I might have to swing through there sometime.

quote]

 

It's not so much that agriculture has diminished in importance, but that technology has accelerated the movement away from the small family farmers who bought and sold in the local community, and toward corporate, vertically-integrated industrial-scale farming. The eighty-acre farm, or even the two- or three-hundred acre operation is no longer viable, and aggregations of thousands of acres have displaced the small operators. They purchase supplies in wholesale quantities and haul their grain to ports or rail terminals sixty or a hundred miles away with their own tractor-trailer rigs. Animal-raising operations for market or dairy production number in the hundreds or thousands of animals, again with their own processing, marketing, and feed-production facilities. Even if one wanted to operate a farm the size of most family farms in the 1950s and before, it would be difficult to find a source of new machinery appropriately scaled for that type of work, and except in Amish areas the farm stores and feed mills one would need no longer exist.

 

Robert,

 

That is so true. Perhaps the only thing more endangered than small town America is the traditional American family owned and operated farm. Just as the Mom & Pop Main St. businesses have given way to national chain stores operated by huge corporations, so too have small farms been replaced by "corporate" farms of enormous size and scale. As you mentioned, both the supplies and the markets for the corporate farms' produce are located far away, not from the local farming communities as in the past. This, of course, puts even more economic strain on these fading communities. You are also correct about the Amish carrying on the old farming traditions but they are too few in number to make much of a difference. I recall one community in Missouri, (Jamesport) which was in steep decline but got a new lease on life when Amish and Mennonite families started buying up old family farms close to the community. In turn, they soon bought some of the old vacant storefronts in town and opened up an Amish bakery, restaurant, gift shops, and similar enterprises. While the town isn't booming, it isn't in decline either. Guess we need a few million more Amish farmers?

As a native of Columbiana County, I've always wondered how the smaller villages like Wellsville, Leetonia, etc. would survive over the years. The small towns like East Liverpool and Salem (around 12K population each) have had it rough but they're both large enough to offer something in the way of service-related jobs (hospital, a handful of banks, a regional KSU campus), etc. - at least for another generation. I just can't imagine how places smaller than that are hanging on through the economy we've had, when there's so little to compel younger folks to stay.

 

Wellsville, East Liverpool, and communities on the WV side of the river (Wheeling, WV in particular) down to Williamstown, WV are declining and need some kind of economic boost. Maybe an "enterprise" zone with tax incentives for new and existing small businesses would help? In looking at the official Wellsville website, there was talk there several years ago about an alternative energy (ethanol?) plant to be built with 2,500 construction workers coming into town. It appears the project went bust or never happened. It was sad to see the website's collection of photos showing old Wellsville buildings and landmarks being demolished and then oddly tagged as "progress". (?) Many of the links on the site were dead and no apparent updates in several years. As already mentioned, The East Liverpool-Wellsville area at the turn of the last century made some of the finest ceramics in the nation and shipped their quality wares to all corners. The Pottery Museum in E. Liverpool tells the story of this glorious period and has some exquisite examples of local products. Quality glassware was also produced in this region with artistic examples now being very collectible.

 

As always seems to be the case, foreign producers with lower production costs brought about the demise of local manufacturing. The quality was lower as well, but consumers often choose cheaper over quality. To survive, this region will have to re-invent its local economy with new, sustainable models. Planning a successful regional economic transformation should keep the Phd. types busy for a while. This is one of the most picturesque areas anywhere authentically revealing "old" small town Americana; folks should go see it soon before its gone forever. I appreciate Ink taking these photos; they are the proverbial tip of the iceberg as for how much there actually is to see in the region. (one of my personal favorites to visit)

 

I vaguely remember a somewhat bizarre 90s movie with Matthew Broderick called "A Road to Wellsville" or something like that.

I guess I can google it...

 

I vaguely remember a somewhat bizarre 90s movie with Matthew Broderick called "A Road to Wellsville" or something like that.

I guess I can google it...

 

LOL, The Road to Wellville. Funny movie. It was filmed at the mountain resort where I worked during the summers during college, Mohonk Mountain House in upstate NY.

 

William Lightbody: Oh, no, no, I can't eat fifteen gallons of yogurt.

Dr. John Harvey Kellogg: Oh, it's not going in that end, Mr. Lightbody.

 

 

^ Yes, thanks.

Dr. Kellogg...Battle Creek, Mich...now I remember.

Been to Wellsville a couple of times to ride 4-Wheelers.  We trailered them down.  About 5 or 6 years ago there was a large flood.  Boy did we have fun riding that day, there were even roads completely washed out!

 

  Much has been written about the migration from the large central cities to the suburbs. Not as much has been written about the migration from the rural areas to the suburbs. About one third of Ohio's counties are gaining population, about one third are stable, and about one third are declining.

 

    The ones that are gaining are generally on the 1-71 corridor between Cincinnati and Columbus, except the 3-C urban counties of Hamilton, Franklin, and Cuyahogo. The ones losing are generally in the northwest & southeast portions of the state.

 

    Any gains in the I-71 corridor are being offset by losses elsewhere. For every new subdivision in Warren County, there is a street of vacant buildings in places like Wellsville.

Are all the street signs in orange on black?  That's probably the most unusual color scheme I've ever seen.

I'm responding a year later, but yes our street signs are orange and black because those colors are our school spirit-the Wellsville Tigers! :clap:

"Some kind of new economic model or tax-reduction based investment policy will have to be offered to make these places attractive and level the economic playing field in order to make them competitive with the large regional urban centers. (cities) Otherwise, IMHO, the countless fading American small towns from coast to coast will be gone in another generation or two."

 

As a native of Columbiana County, I've always wondered how the smaller villages like Wellsville, Leetonia, etc. would survive over the years. The small towns like East Liverpool and Salem (around 12K population each) have had it rough but they're both large enough to offer something in the way of service-related jobs (hospital, a handful of banks, a regional KSU campus), etc. - at least for another generation. I just can't imagine how places smaller than that are hanging on through the economy we've had, when there's so little to compel younger folks to stay.

 

Sorry, I know this is an old thread, but Leetonia is in bad shape.  At least with Wellsville and other river towns, you have the interesting river history, Leetonia is just a sad case.  Columbiana and Salem (both of our local towns) are doing pretty well, and have really attractive main street areas, Leetonia still has some nice bones, but not much else.  They have built brand new schools and a brand new library, but with a town of some 2,000 left, it seems like a huge waste IMO.

^Darn MayDay beat me to it. Bob, that area is/was well known for its pottery.

 

We would go boating all the time down on the river before heading to Berlin Lake.  You would always find pieces of pottery along the shores of the river.

Watch a jolt of economic life come to these towns over the next 30 years with wet natural gas, including oil, butane, propane, ethane and other stuff that makes these wells more profitable than the dry wells in the Marcellus region. Wellsville is in a better position than most because it has very good transload facilities between ship and rail. Lots of sand will come up the Ohio River on barges and get off-loaded here, and many secondary petroleum products from Utica wells are likely to be loaded here on ships for refineries near Ashland, KY or even to Louisiana. A $3 billion Shell cracker plant will be built about 20 miles east of here and a $450 million gas processing plant will be built by Chesapeake about 20 miles northwest of here. Wellsville, because of its location on the northernmost tip of the Ohio River, is in a great location to benefit from this and other natgas-related activities.

Watch a jolt of economic life come to these towns over the next 30 years with wet natural gas, including oil, butane, propane, ethane and other stuff that makes these wells more profitable than the dry wells in the Marcellus region. Wellsville is in a better position than most because it has very good transload facilities between ship and rail. Lots of sand will come up the Ohio River on barges and get off-loaded here, and many secondary petroleum products from Utica wells are likely to be loaded here on ships for refineries near Ashland, KY or even to Louisiana. A $3 billion Shell cracker plant will be built about 20 miles east of here and a $450 million gas processing plant will be built by Chesapeake about 20 miles northwest of here. Wellsville, because of its location on the northernmost tip of the Ohio River, is in a great location to benefit from this and other natgas-related activities.

 

 

This area has long deserved an economic boost and now it has it. While I think the long term prospects are for the area to gradually come back, for a few years, an economic boom may take place with many new residents coming in for the jobs after the local job market gets tight. Wish I had a crystal ball to look a decade down the road as the new Oil & Gas economy may transform the region and completely change our perceptions of it. But with economic prosperity comes changes and "progress". In this instance it may means a whole new (modern) look for these faded towns (big box retailers, strip shopping centers, and national chain stores/fast food joints as well as McMansions and tract housing) along with the sacrifice of their frozen-in-time quaintness. It was the chronically weak local economy that preserved (via benign neglect) all of the picturesque remnants of the past.