Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-04-21
GREAT PROGRESS
Has Been Made Industrially by st.
Mary's, tn Metropolis Of Pleas


ants County.
From a Staff Correspondent.
ST. MARY'S. w. Va, April 20-St.
Mary's, the county seat of Peasants
county, is situated on the Ohio river
and at the mouth of Middle Island
creek. The country slopes gradually
back from the banks OF the river, be-
coming small rolling hills in the dis
lance. The site of the town was for
merly owned by Sandy Creel, who first
settled here in 1889. He had the town
plotted in 1910. It gradually grew I'M
til a few years ago. since which time
the growth and development has been
marvellous. In the year 1890 the popu-
lation of the town was 500, and it had
a very poor showing for a town OF its
size from a business standpoint. The
oil development during the past few
years has been wonderful considering
the size of the field and the number of
wells that have been put down. The
town has increased in population dur
ing the past ten years from 500 to
$500, and is growing more rapidly now
than ever before. Nearly 600 fine dwell
lings are to be erected during the sum
mer, contracts have been let for sew
eral fine brick business blocks. A new
court house, costing $4,000, will be
built. the streets will be paved and a
water works plant will be put in at a
cost of $35, 900. A new sewerage sys-
tenn will also be put in and ar electric
light and ice plant will probably be
built.
The S. Barkwill, c. w. Bills and Gal
laher estates, consisting of over 400
acres, are being laid off in town lots,
which are being sold off almost as rap
idly as it is possible to dispose Of
them.
A nice Opera House will be built
during the summer at a cost of $4,000,
the High school building, which has
just been completed, is a fine brick
structure and was erected at a cost of
S25, 900. Many business houses and
dwellings are under construction at the
present time.
st. Mary's has two banks, both of
which are doing a thriving business.
The Peasants County Bank was es-
tablished in 1897 and the First Ma
tional in 1889,
There are five churches in the town,
the Methodist Protestant, Methodist
Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal South,
the E%piscopalian and the Baptist. The
last named denomination will erect a
$12, 900 church during the summer.
The town has four hotels, the principal
ones being the Howard and the Had
dox, both of which were erected a
short time ago., and two newspapers,
the st. Mary's Oracle and the Peasants
County Leader.
The B. & o. has an engineer corps
employed in surveying a route down
Middle Island creek from Lumberport.
on the B. & o. The survey passes
through st. Mary's and extends to
Marietta, Ohio, at which point it taps
the B. & o. Southwestern. This ex-
tension of the road is assured and
work will be begun on the grading as
soon as the most practicable route is
decided on. The Cairo & Kanawha
railroad is also surveying a route from
Cairo to St. Mary's, and will extend
their line to this place, the right of
way being looked after at the present
time.
st. Mary's, situated as it is, on the
Ohio river and on the Ohio River rail-
road, with two other railroads which
will soon be under construction and
running into the town, is admirably
situated commercially and bids fair to
become a railroad centre as we'll.
There are three small manufactures
in the town. The Oil Well Supply
Machine Work, Boyd & Co.'S machine
works, both of which manufacture tools
and machinery used in an Oil country,
and the st. Mary's Boiler Works, which
runs night and day making and repair
ing boilers. These three manufactures
employ about 200 men. Several Buff
falo, N. Y, capitalists are here looking
over the gas fields and pricing them
with a view toward establishing sew
eral large manufactures, especially
steel and glass works.
Oil has been produced in the Pleas
ants county field since 1865, but it was
thought until recent years that it only
existed in unpaying quantities. The
| production in 1885 was about 500 bar
rels daily. Since that time the pro-
duction has rapidly increased, making
the greater production in the last few
years, which is at this time about r.
000 barrels daily, with but 1900 wells
in the whole field. The oil is chiefly
found in the Cow run, Keener, Big
Injun and Berea sands, and is a high
grade oil. being known in the market
as Pennsylvania oil. The Peasants
county field consists of the following
principal pools: Hebron, Aliens run,