Moundsville

Images of America: West Virginia

by Robert W. Schramm

From 250 to 150 B.C., the Adena people constructed a burial mound by moving 60,000 tons of earth. The resulting formation, the largest conical burial mound in the country, is located in the middle of the namesake town of Moundsville, West Virginia. Although the Grave Creek Mound, as it is now called, attracts spectators from miles around and is the showpiece of the locals, it is not the only noteworthy feature of the town. Fokker Aircraft Factory, the Fostoria Glass Company, United States Stamping Company, and the Marx Toy Company were all located in Moundsville and nearby Glen Dale, and many of the employees were town residents. The area is also home to the old West Virginia Penitentiary, which is now a national historical landmark, and the Daily Echo, a country newspaper that has been the voice of the community for more than 100 years. The county seat of Marshall County, Moundsville is a Southern town immersed in history and full of people dedicated to its preservation.

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2004

Reviews

[Paul Lunger · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who knew bits & pieces of the history of Moundsville, West Virginia growing up about half an hour north of there on the Ohio side of the river, this installment in the "Images of America" series reveals to this reader a bit more of what I'm starting to call the Hidden History of the Upper Ohio Valley. Robert Schramm starts off by dealing with the feature that gave this city its name and then goes down the history of it through the various industries and settlers that have made this place just as unique as any other town in the US. As a reader, I did pick up on a few industries that I wasn't aware of as well as bit more history of certain parts of that city that I need to visit again.