Bridgeport, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Bridgeport is a city in Harrison County
, West Virginia
, United States
. The population was 7,306 at the 2000 census.
The town of Bridgeport had its beginning in pre-Revolutionary War times. In 1764, John Simpson entered the area and gave his name to Simpson Creek. Bridgeport was chartered in 1816. When the town was incorporated in 1887, it established the office of mayor and town council. The city currently employs a City Manager
. Bridgeport is home to Meadowbrook Mall, a 100-store regional shopping complex serving North-Central West Virginia
.
The first mill of which there is official record is the Bridgeport or Johnson Mill, which Harvey W. Harmer describes as the first mill in Bridgeport in his Old Grist Mills of Harrison County. This gristmill
was constructed by James Anderson sometime between 1771 and 1787 on Simpson Creek.
In the 19th century, farming was the main livelihood, and the stores in town were mostly general stores designed to serve the area farmers. The town also had a blacksmith and a barber (a man born in slavery), several mills, and two hotels. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
ran through Bridgeport beginning in 1856, eliminating the need for area cattleman to drive their livestock all the way to Baltimore. They instead drove their herds into Bridgeport to the stock pens at the railroad depot. The stockyards remained until the early 1980's when it was raised and replaced by Rite Aid. Cattle, sheep, hogs, and even turkeys were driven into Bridgeport from area farms to be sold here or driven on to market.
The Bridgeport Lamp Chimney Company was succeeded by the Master Glass Company. The Master Glass Company, a marble factory, moved to Bridgeport in 1941 and in 1950 took over the assets of the Akro-Agate Marble Company of Clarksburg. The company manufactured "glass balls for industrial use, colored signal lenses, toy marbles, glass ball reflectors used in highway signs and guard rail posts, and other products for various industrial uses." The company ceased operations in 1973, and the City of Bridgeport bought the property. The building has been torn down, and the former site of the tannery, lamp chimney factory, and marble factory is now a parking lot for the Benedum Civic Center.
On June 29, 2006, the city became noted as the site of a showdown over the issue of separation of church and state in the United States
. A portrait of Jesus
originally hung on a wall at Bridgeport High School
. Two parents filed suit in federal court
to have the portrait removed, after the Harrison County Board of Education deadlocked over whether to remove the portrait.http://www.wdtv.com/viewstory.html?name=2196027 The portrait of Jesus was stolen from Bridgeport High School early in the morning on August 17, 2006 and a mirror was put in its place. http://www.wvmetronews.com/index_forsub.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=16178
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 8.3 square miles (21.6 km²), of which, 8.3 square miles (21.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.60%) is water.
of 2000, there were 7,306 people, 2,988 households, and 2,103 families residing in the city. The population density
was 880.4 people per square mile (339.9/km²). There were 3,190 housing units at an average density of 384.4 per square mile (148.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.93% White, 1.25% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.19% from other races
, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.
There were 2,988 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.8% were married couples
living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $49,310, and the median income for a family was $58,825. Males had a median income of $46,590 versus $29,861 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $25,132. About 3.7% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.
Harrison County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 68,652 people, 27,867 households, and 19,088 families residing in the county. The population density was 165 people per square mile . There were 31,112 housing units at an average density of 75 per square mile...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 7,306 at the 2000 census.
The town of Bridgeport had its beginning in pre-Revolutionary War times. In 1764, John Simpson entered the area and gave his name to Simpson Creek. Bridgeport was chartered in 1816. When the town was incorporated in 1887, it established the office of mayor and town council. The city currently employs a City Manager
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
. Bridgeport is home to Meadowbrook Mall, a 100-store regional shopping complex serving North-Central West Virginia
North-Central West Virginia
North-Central West Virginia is a region of the U.S. State of West Virginia. The region's largest city is Morgantown.- Counties :*Monongalia County*Marion County*Harrison County*Taylor County*Doddridge County...
.
History
When John Simpson entered the Bridgeport area in 1764, he was attracted by the plentiful supply of fur-bearing animals. The men to follow him were also trappers and the fur trade was the first business in what is now Bridgeport. As the settlers came and cleared land, timber was sold, and the lumber trade became another area business.The first mill of which there is official record is the Bridgeport or Johnson Mill, which Harvey W. Harmer describes as the first mill in Bridgeport in his Old Grist Mills of Harrison County. This gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
was constructed by James Anderson sometime between 1771 and 1787 on Simpson Creek.
In the 19th century, farming was the main livelihood, and the stores in town were mostly general stores designed to serve the area farmers. The town also had a blacksmith and a barber (a man born in slavery), several mills, and two hotels. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
ran through Bridgeport beginning in 1856, eliminating the need for area cattleman to drive their livestock all the way to Baltimore. They instead drove their herds into Bridgeport to the stock pens at the railroad depot. The stockyards remained until the early 1980's when it was raised and replaced by Rite Aid. Cattle, sheep, hogs, and even turkeys were driven into Bridgeport from area farms to be sold here or driven on to market.
The Bridgeport Lamp Chimney Company was succeeded by the Master Glass Company. The Master Glass Company, a marble factory, moved to Bridgeport in 1941 and in 1950 took over the assets of the Akro-Agate Marble Company of Clarksburg. The company manufactured "glass balls for industrial use, colored signal lenses, toy marbles, glass ball reflectors used in highway signs and guard rail posts, and other products for various industrial uses." The company ceased operations in 1973, and the City of Bridgeport bought the property. The building has been torn down, and the former site of the tannery, lamp chimney factory, and marble factory is now a parking lot for the Benedum Civic Center.
On June 29, 2006, the city became noted as the site of a showdown over the issue of separation of church and state in the United States
Separation of church and state in the United States
The phrase "separation of church and state" , attributed to Thomas Jefferson and others, and since quoted by the Supreme Court of the United States, expresses an understanding of the intent and function of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States...
. A portrait of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
originally hung on a wall at Bridgeport High School
Bridgeport High School (West Virginia)
Bridgeport High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Bridgeport, West Virginia, in Harrison County that operates as part of the Harrison County School District....
. Two parents filed suit in federal court
United States federal courts
The United States federal courts make up the judiciary branch of federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government.-Categories:...
to have the portrait removed, after the Harrison County Board of Education deadlocked over whether to remove the portrait.http://www.wdtv.com/viewstory.html?name=2196027 The portrait of Jesus was stolen from Bridgeport High School early in the morning on August 17, 2006 and a mirror was put in its place. http://www.wvmetronews.com/index_forsub.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=16178
Bridgeport Landmarks
- Pete Dye Golf ClubPete Dye Golf ClubThe Pete Dye Golf Club is an 18-hole facility in Harrison County, just northwest of Bridgeport, West Virginia. It features 7,308 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. The course rating is 76.9 and it has a slope rating of 147. Designed by Pete Dye, ASGCA, the Pete Dye golf course...
opened in 1993, rated the number one golf course in WV and number 99 on America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses by Golf DigestGolf DigestGolf Digest is a monthly golf magazine published by Condé Nast Publications in the United States. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. Condé Nast Publications also publishes the more specialized , and Golf World Business. The...
.
- Simpson Creek Baptist Church is recognized as the oldest BaptistBaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church in West Virginia by the West Virginia Baptist Convention and is also generally accepted as being the oldest Protestant church west of the Allegheny MountainsAllegheny MountainsThe Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
. The first formal records of the church are dated 1774.
- Simpson Creek Covered BridgeSimpson Creek Covered BridgeSimpson Creek Covered Bridge is located in Bridgeport, West Virginia, crossing Simpson Creek off Meadowbrook Road near the entrance to the Meadowbrook Mall. The , multiple-kingpost truss bridge was built in 1881 by Asa Hugill. The current location of the bridge is not the original location...
located off of Meadowbrook Rd. Built in 1881 by Asa Hugill. One of only two covered bridges that still stand today in Harrison County. This is said to be the namesake of Bridgeport.
- The Bridgeport Lamp Chimney Company Bowstring Concrete Arch BridgeBridgeport Lamp Chimney Company Bowstring Concrete Arch BridgeThe Bridgeport Lamp Chimney Company Bowstring Concrete Arch Bridge is located between Mechanic St. and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad tracks in Bridgeport, West Virginia The bridge was constructed in 1924, designed by Frank McEnteer...
- The Governor Joseph Johnson HouseGovernor Joseph Johnson HouseThe Governor Joseph Johnson House, also known as Oakdale, is located on a half-acre lot that is bordered on the north by Johnson Avenue , on the west by Oakdale Avenue , and on the south by Maple Street, in the town of Bridgeport, West Virginia. The house was constructed in 1818 for then...
, aka Oakdale.
Famous Bridgeporters
- Colonel Benjamin WilsonBenjamin Wilson (congressman)Benjamin Wilson was a Democratic politician who served as a United States Representative from West Virginia. He was born in Wilsonburg, Virginia in Harrison County...
- Governor Joseph JohnsonJoseph Johnson (Virginia politician)Joseph Johnson was a United States Representative and was the 32nd Governor of Virginia from 1852 to 1856. Born in Orange County, New York, he moved with his mother to Belvidere, New Jersey in 1791 and thence to Bridgeport, Virginia in 1801...
of Virginia - Senator Waldo Porter JohnsonWaldo P. JohnsonWaldo Porter Johnson was a United States Senator from Missouri, and later a member of the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War....
of Missouri - Clay "Doggy" Springer of Boothsville
Primary & Middle Schools
- Bridgeport Middle SchoolBridgeport High School (West Virginia)Bridgeport High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Bridgeport, West Virginia, in Harrison County that operates as part of the Harrison County School District....
- Johnson Elementary SchoolJohnson Elementary SchoolJohnson Elementary School is an elementary school in Johnson, Vermont. It is part of Lamoille Union North Supervisory. It has a playground in the front which children K-6 play in during recess....
- Simpson Elementary School
- Heritage Christian School
Geography
Bridgeport is located at 39°17′48"N 80°15′5"W (39.296544, -80.251305), along Simpson CreekSimpson Creek
Simpson Creek is a tributary of the West Fork River, long, in north-central West Virginia in the United States. Via the West Fork, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 8.3 square miles (21.6 km²), of which, 8.3 square miles (21.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.60%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 7,306 people, 2,988 households, and 2,103 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 880.4 people per square mile (339.9/km²). There were 3,190 housing units at an average density of 384.4 per square mile (148.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.93% White, 1.25% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.19% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.
There were 2,988 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $49,310, and the median income for a family was $58,825. Males had a median income of $46,590 versus $29,861 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $25,132. About 3.7% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.