Gallipolis, Ohio

 

population: 4,180. seat of gallia county.

on the ohio river, just across from point pleasant, wv. the famous silver bridge connects the two. means land of the gauls....not like the bird but the name. the french settled it. with what they refer to as a french square as the focal point, i dont know what they mean by that. there is a rectangle park between the main street and the river, with two one-way streets on the other sides. has a place called the our house museum. it's famous enough to be mentioned on the official ohio bicentennial map. i think it celebrates general lafeyette of the revolutionary war. close by is the original bob evans farm in rio grande and and in chesire is a nuclear plant and an aep plant that aep bought the city as a deal where all the mutants wouldn't sue them, but then the residents are gonna annex more land to fight back..or something :lol: Anyways,

 

 

a peek at part of  the silver bridge. not the original one, which collapsed and killed people.

the business district

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oh no, this isn't the courthouse is it?

it is...it took me a long time to find it...now i see why they kept it hidden

In reference to Silver Bridge, there should be one, if not two, websites concerning it's collapse.

If you go to the State Library and go through the old Ohio Dept. of Highways (forerunner to ODOT) newsletters, there is bunch of info on the bridge collapse there.

1.) The movie "The Mothman Prophecies" takes place in Point Pleasant, WV and is about the Silver Bridge disaster.

 

2.) My family has lived in Gallipolis since 1790 (Thank god my dad joined the Air Force and got us the hell out of there)

 

3.) There's a portrait of my 4xGreat-grandfather hanging up in the Our House Museum. He was one of the woodsmen who came down from Vermont to build the blockhouses for the French settlers who came later. Supposedly he was the first one to hop off the boat and chop down a tree in what is now the city park that Summit Street described.

 

4.) Downtown isn't quite as bad as it looks in the pics. It used to be a lot nicer when I was a kid, but they built a Super Wal-Mart down the road and you know how that goes. Plus they've had a couple of devastating fires that destroyed some really nice buildings. The original courthouse also burned down I think.

 

5.) My parents own a farm out by Bob Evans' farm (the jerk made us build a fence because his animals were getting onto our property).

 

6.) If you ever find yourself in Gallipolis you should check out the "Our House" museum. It used to be an Inn and they've restored it to be like it was in 1805 when LaFayette stayed there one night for his "Tour of America" after he helped us win the Revolutionary War.

 

*Gallipolis means "City of the French", but most of the French settlers who came to Gallipolis were too bugeois (sp?) to handle frontier life so they moved on down the river to the big city of Portsmouth.

by the way it's pronounced Gallah-police, not Galop-olis, or Galah-polis (in other words the ending doesn't rhyme with Indianapolis)

ss nice pics.

 

john that's a cool history thx for sharing it.

By the way john, Gallipolis does not mean city of the french, it means city of the gauls.  I live in Gallipolis and am not originally from here, and I take some offense in the comment about thanking God your dad got you the hell out of here.  I've been coming to Gallipolis since I was a very young child, I have several relatives who've lived, worked and even served this community.

 

There are wonderful things about Gallipolis and Gallia County, like any other small rural area, you just might have to look for them, but once found they are a wonderful experience.  This area is a wonderful place to raise children away from the hard core problems of the bigger city. Although we have a share of it, it is nothing in comparison to even Huntington (where I grew up) and Charleston WV which are only an hour away or Columbus OH (about 2 hours away). 

 

If you want to see the best of Gallia County and it's people, come to the Gallia County Jr Fair the week that August 1st falls in (same week every year).  We have the largest junior fair in the state of Ohio and our youth work extremely hard at raising and presenting their projects

Welcome to the forum.

 

You may want to consider the fact that this forum focuses on cities (it is UrbanOhio.com, after all). That's great that you enjoy the rural atmosphere that Gallia County offers. However, try to understand that others might find that rural atmosphere to be too isolated and stifling for their tastes. I don't see that John made any comments that you should be personally offended by. I grew up in Columbiana County and quite frankly, I was happy to "get the hell out of there" - but I can see why others might find it appealing.

I came through there in the early 70s, when the new bridge was in early stages of construction; just concrete piers being poured with mixers and cranes on a barge in the river. I crossed the river from West Virginia on a temporary ferry that was in service there until the new bridge was completed. One of these days I'll find the slides.

By the way john, Gallipolis does not mean city of the french, it means city of the gauls.  I live in Gallipolis and am not originally from here, and I take some offense in the comment about thanking God your dad got you the hell out of here.  I've been coming to Gallipolis since I was a very young child, I have several relatives who've lived, worked and even served this community.

 

There are wonderful things about Gallipolis and Gallia County, like any other small rural area, you just might have to look for them, but once found they are a wonderful experience.  This area is a wonderful place to raise children away from the hard core problems of the bigger city. Although we have a share of it, it is nothing in comparison to even Huntington (where I grew up) and Charleston WV which are only an hour away or Columbus OH (about 2 hours away). 

 

If you want to see the best of Gallia County and it's people, come to the Gallia County Jr Fair the week that August 1st falls in (same week every year).  We have the largest junior fair in the state of Ohio and our youth work extremely hard at raising and presenting their projects

 

WOW!  I don't know what to say.  I'm sorry you took offense to my comments, I didn't mean to offend anyone.  Like I said my family's roots are tied deeply with Gallipolis, so I've always had a special place in my heart for her.  Gaul is what the Roman's called their territory in what is now France, so Gaul and France are kind of interchangeable.

One of my roommates back in college used to mow the grass at the regionally famous Our House restaurant in Gallipolis. On his resume he put "Yard Maintenance - Our House" as a job. Of course, people at interviews were like "what the hell is this?" when they saw it until he changed it to "Yard Maintenance - Our House Restaurant".

Gallipolis, Ohio

 

I was definitely impressed with how nice and well-kept downtown Gallipolis is, especially for being such an old river town located in one of the poorer regions of the state.

 

• Third oldest city in Ohio.
  
• Gallipolis was settled in 1790 by French aristocrats escaping the guillotine in post-Bastille Day, pre-revolutionary France
  
• County seat of Gallia County.
  
• The population was 4,180 at the 2000 census, an 18% drop from the 1990 census level of 5,085. When the population dropped below 5,000, Gallipolis became a village, but continues to operate under its existing city charter.
  
• Gallipolis gained notoriety for the collapse of the Silver Bridge.
  
• Gallipolis is the hometown of Bob Evans, founder of Bob Evans Restaurants, the original one of which was located on Upper River Road in Gallipolis.
  
• Source: Wikipedia
  

 

Sweet. The river towns often have interesting character, and Gallipolis looks in a lot better shape that some.

I should have known to checkout your website for information about Cheshire, seicer.  Thanks for posting the link.

 

Apparently the previous courthouse burnt down in 1980.  Thanks for the picture of the old one, Ink.

Town's in pretty good shape for such a low population!

Looks charming.  The courthouse isn't wonderful, looks more like a low budget attempt at making an ugly design look French.  Too bad, but there are worse out there. The rest of the buildings look to be clean and well maintained. 

City considers design alternative

By Andrew Carter, Gallipolis Daily Tribune

Published: March 10, 2010

 

GALLIPOLIS — Representatives from the architectural firm of Brandstetter Carroll, Inc., appeared before the Gallipolis City Board of Commissioners on Tuesday to present another option for the design of the proposed municipal building. 

 

The proposed complex for the City of Gallipolis, according to Brandstetter, would include a 16,000-square foot, single-story structure with an estimated cost of $2,320,000.  The design option Brandstetter and Carroll presented Tuesday is a complex located adjacent to the Gallia County Courthouse that would encompass part of the current municipal parking lot and the existing Davis Hall location.  The design included parking areas on both First and Second avenues.

 

After giving residents who gathered for the work session a brief history of the city’s efforts to find a replacement for the current, crumbling structure that houses city government, Commission President Jim Cozza emphasized that the commission would not render a decision Tuesday regarding the proposal presented by Brandstetter Carroll.  Cozza later informed residents that the commission would convene in the next week for the purpose of entering executive session to discuss the matter.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailytribune.com/view/full_story/6622960/article-City-considers-design-alternative?instance=special_coverage_bullets_right_column

City use of grant funds questioned

By Michelle Miller, Gallipolis Daily Tribune

Published: March 18, 2010

 

GALLIPOLIS — Gallipolis City Manager Randy Finney addressed public concerns regarding grant money being used to demolish houses owned by businesses during a special meeting of the Gallipolis City Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.  “I’m looking for any house to come down that’s vacant and been vacant for quite sometime,” said Finney.  “We need to spend this grant money.”

 

Finney said, even with the demolition projects currently under way, the city still has approximately $20,000 of grant money left.  Finney told the commissioners, 10 houses have been bid out for demolition and should be torn down in the next week and six more are in the bid process.

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailytribune.com/view/full_story/6755400/article-City-use-of-grant-funds-questioned?instance=secondary_stories_left_column

Old becoming new

Gallipolis Daily Tribune

Published: March 19, 2010

 

Board members and administrators from the Gallipolis City School District toured Washington Elementary School on Wednesday to view the progress of the renovation project.  Officials said the school is expected to be ready to receive students this fall.

 

SCHOOL LOCATION MAP

 

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.mydailytribune.com/view/full_story/6769012/article-Old-becoming-new?instance=home_news_lead

I went to school at Washington Elementary for half a year and most of my relatives went there so I'm glad to see they went for renovation over demolition.

City building hot topic, again

By Amber Gillenwater, Gallipolis Daily Tribune

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

 

GALLIPOLIS — The various proposed sites for the new Gallipolis municipal building dominated discussion during a special session of the Gallipolis City Commission on Tuesday.  The city commission scheduled a second work session on Tuesday to receive input from the citizens of the city and discussed the pros and cons of each proposed site.

 

The first site discussed was the property already owned by the city in the area across from the current municipal building.  This site contains Davis Hall as well as the parking lot previously used for city parking.  The positive aspects discussed for this proposed site included the fact that the property is already owned by the city and, thus, the construction of the building could be started very soon.  Also, there would be parking across the street as well as close access to the Gallia County Jail for the city police and municipal court.  Among the cons discussed was the possibility of inadequate space and accessibility to the building.

 

Full article: http://www.mydailytribune.com/view/full_story/9180044/article-City-building-hot-topic--again?instance=news_special_coverage_right_column

Gallipolis preservationists rush to save house

By Mary Beth Lane, The Columbus Dispatch

Monday, March 28, 2016 - 7:30 AM

 

GALLIPOLIS, Ohio — Preservationists who cherish the historic buildings that dot this Ohio River community are racing time to rescue a house in the path of a new Speedway gas station.

 

The painted brick house at 809 Second Ave. near downtown Gallipolis is believed to have been built between 1825 and 1840 by John Gee, a black man who moved into the community by 1822 and became a noted builder and philanthropist.  Speedway, a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corp., bought the property in October for $247,000, according to the Gallia County auditor’s office.  The company plans to demolish the house for a larger gas station and store to replace the one currently next door.

( . . . )

The board of the nonprofit Ariel-Ann Carson Dater Performing Arts Centre, which houses the Ohio Valley Symphony Orchestra and other arts groups in downtown Gallipolis, has approved spending an estimated $40,000 to move the house to nearby donated land in the 600 block of Third Avenue, said Executive Director Lora Lynn Snow.  It could become a cultural center that would complement what the Ariel offers, drawing tourists to learn about the black history woven into Gallia County, Snow said.

 

MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/03/28/history-may-be-lost-in-gallipolis.html

Welp...

 

Crews demolish 19th century home

By Michael Johnson, Gallipolis Daily Tribune

Thursday, April 7, 2016

 

GALLIPOLIS – After more than 175 years, the white-painted brick home at 809 Second Avenue is gone.  The home, thought to have been built between 1825-1840 by John Gee, a skilled African American carpenter, landowner and philanthropist, came tumbling down in less than an hour early Wednesday morning despite the best efforts of local preservationists to save it from destruction.

 

Speedway, the gas station and convenience store chain, bought the property next to its existing property at the corner of Second Avenue and Pine Street for about $250,000 late last year so that it could build a larger facility.  On Monday, its aging facility was demolished.

 

Attempts to save the structure at 809 Second Avenue from the wrecking ball by moving it to another location never materialized.

 

MORE: http://mydailytribune.com/news/5785/crews-demolish-19th-century-home

That sucks.