Some 225 years of local history to be highlighted at the Steubenville Visitor Center
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STEUBENVILLE -- For the next six weeks, the focus at the Steubenville Visitor Center will be on local history -- 225 years of local history, to be precise.
"The first sale of lots for the town of Steubenville was in 1797, and it was laid out that year, too," said Paul Zuros, executive director of the Visitor Center and Historic Fort Steuben. "Bezaleel Wells and his business partner, James Ross, were the two gentleman who are considered to be the founders of Steubenville -- they laid out the town in 1797."
Zuros said the exhibit offers a look at the city's history, as well as locals who made good on the national stage.
"This exhibit celebrates the history of the past 225 years," he said. "There are lots of displays and exhibits inside the exhibit hall -- lots of pictures, lots of display panels explaining the history of the town, a lot of Steubenville artifacts."
Zuros said the exhibit already is creating a buzz. One of the most popular -- and unique -- items on display is a water pipe that was found in downtown Steubenville, he said.
"It was wooden," he said, adding the earliest water pipes were made of wood, "logs that the insides were carved out. In this case, it was like a square beam hollowed out inside."
"We have it on display," Zuros said. "It goes back at least to the 19th century."
There's also a red ice bucket from the Steubenville Ice Co. and a banner from Steubenville's Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1947.
"It was a special event," he said, "not only to honor Steubenville's sesquicentennial, but also to welcome returning servicemen back home from World War II. It was a huge event with parades, a lot of festivities for that time."
There is a collection of old pictures that also is popular.
"People who have been coming down to see the exhibit are surprised to see how much Steubenville has changed in the past 225 years," Zuros said. "It's neat to see visitors' reactions to those pictures -- they remind them a lot about town and Steubenville in general. They get to see businesses that are no longer here in town and reminisce, like Kreskes, the Hub, Richmond Brothers and Denmark's.
"The display also looks at Steubenville's native sons -- residents who have become famous, well-known in national history, like Dean Martin. Of course, we're gearing up for the Dean Martin Hometown Celebration, but there's also Edwin Stanton, who was secretary of war under Abraham Lincoln, and Eliphalet Andrews, who painted so many important works of art. His painting of Martha Washington is in the White House, and it's considered the official portrait of her."
There's also Thomas Cole who, although he hailed from England, received most of his early training in art here in Steubenville, Zuros said.
"He was living here in the early 1820s and went on to found the Hudson River Valley School of Painting," he said.
Also of note is Moses Fleetwood Walker, the first African American to play major league baseball in the 19th century. While Jackie Robinson is credited with breaking racial barriers in baseball, the Society for Baseball Research says Moses Fleetwood Walker actually was the first openly Black man to play professional baseball, in 1884 with the Toledo Blue Stockings. Walker was born in Mount Pleasant, but his father, a physician and Methodist minister, moved the family to Steubenville.
Zuros said the exhibit is intended "to get people excited about Steubenville and educate them about the important history we have, right here."
"I think people always learn about the history nationally, outside of our area, but it's also really important to look at our own history -- the (things) that have gone on here in Steubenville at the local level. It's important to know something about that as well, and that gets overlooked a lot. This exhibit, with the 225th anniversary this year, is a great opportunity to showcase that history."
Zuros said the exhibit will be on display through July 25. The Visitor Center and Historic Fort Steuben are located at 120 S. Third St.