Gallipolis ( ) is a village in Gallia County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in Southeast Ohio along the Ohio River about southeast of Chillicothe and northwest of Charleston, West Virginia. The population was 3,313 at the 2020 census. Gallipolis is the second-largest community in the rural Point Pleasant micropolitan area, which includes all of Gallia County, Ohio, and Mason County, West Virginia.

History

Gallipolis was first settled by Europeans in 1790: "The French 500" were a group of French aristocrats, merchants, and artisans who were fleeing the violence and disruption of the French Revolution. They were led by Count Jean-Joseph de Barth, an Alsatian member of the French National Assembly. It was the second city to be founded in the newly organized Northwest Territory of the United States, after Marietta, Ohio. Its name comes from its Gallic heritage ("The city of the Gauls") and is known as "The Old French City" because of this beginning.

left|thumb|upright|The Gallipolis Epileptic Hospital Stone Water Towers, built in 1892, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This was a time of rampant land speculation in the Northwest Territory, recently opened for settlement after it was organized following the Northwest Indian Wars. The French had worked with the Scioto Company, a purported land development company registered in Paris in 1789, paying its agents for land along the Ohio River. They sailed to the United States on several ships, most to Alexandria, Virginia, outside Washington, DC. From there they traveled over land and by the Ohio River to reach Gallipolis. The French were city people and were taken aback by the undeveloped frontier they encountered. Most either sold their land in the French Grant or arranged to have tenants farm it.

The name Gallipolis is a construct of the Greek or Latin prefix "Galli-" and the Greek suffix "-polis", meaning "city of the French". A US post office called Gallipolis began operating there in 1794.

On November 30, 1893, the state-run Asylum for Epileptics and Epileptic Insane opened. Later it would become the Gallipolis Developmental Center, which is still operational today serving 52 patients with developmental disabilities in the Appalachian Ohio region.

On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge, connecting Gallipolis to Point Pleasant, West Virginia, across the Ohio River, collapsed under the weight of rush-hour traffic, resulting in the deaths of 46 people. It had been built in 1928, and analysis showed that the bridge was carrying much heavier loads than it had originally been designed for and had been poorly maintained. It was replaced by the Silver Memorial Bridge, completed in 1969. When the population dropped below 5,000, Gallipolis lost its city status and was classified as a village under state law. It continues to operate its government under its existing city charter.

Geography

thumb|View up the Ohio River towards the [[Silver Memorial Bridge]]

Gallipolis is located along the Ohio River in the Appalachia region.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Gallipolis is located in the unglaciated hills of southeastern Ohio.

Climate

Gallipolis, like most of the state of Ohio, has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) transitioning into the neighboring subtropical climate. The village experiences four distinct seasons, with hot, muggy summers, and cold, dry winters. The village is part of USDA Hardiness zone 6b. October is the driest month, with an average of of precipitation.

Winters are cold, with an average January temperature of . Snowfall is generally very light, with a mean average snowfall of . The village does not experience lake-effect snow, although the village's weather can be influenced by the Great Lakes and regional topography. On average, there are 109 nights per year when the temperature drops to or below freezing, and only 14 days when the temperature fails to rise above freezing. Perhaps the most notable tornado event was the 1968 Wheelersburg tornado outbreak.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Gallipolis had a population of 3,313. The median age was 43.0 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.2 males age 18 and over.

94.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,538 households in Gallipolis, of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 29.1% were married-couple households, 23.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 38.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 45.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 3,641 people, 1,576 households, and 854 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 1,869 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 89.7% White, 5.1% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.

There were 1,576 households, of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.9% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.8% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.81.

The median age in the village was 44.6 years. 18.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 28.7% were from 45 to 64; and 20.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census

Haskins Memorial Park is contiguous with the golf club. The Elizabeth L. Evans Waterfowl and Bird Sanctuary are adjacent to Memorial Field, which also features a skate park. The Texas Road Wildlife Area is located close by.

The village owns and operates the Pine Street and Mound Hill cemeteries. Mound Hill Park has picnic tables and is adjacent to the cemetery; both have a long view over the Ohio River, the village of Gallipolis, and the opposite shore. At least two persons of the founding French 500 are said to have been buried in Mound Hill cemetery. It was officially established in 1880 but had been used for burials before that.

Transportation

U.S. Route 35 traverses the community, and provides a link to West Virginia across the Ohio River. State routes include Ohio State Route 7, State Route 141, State Route 160, and State Route 588. Gallipolis is served by the Gallia-Meigs Regional Airport.

Education

There are four schools within the village. The public schools in the city limits are Gallia Academy Middle School and Washington Elementary, both of which belong to the Gallipolis City Schools. The public school district also controls Gallia Academy High School, Green Elementary and Rio Grande Elementary, which are located outside the village limits.

The noted scientist Edward Alexander Bouchet, the first African American to earn a doctorate from an American university, served as principal of the village's Lincoln High School from 1908 to 1913. Educator and amateur mycologist Miron Elisha Hard served as principal from 1873 to 1875.

On November 8, 2005, a bond issue was passed, allowing for both the construction of a new high school and the renovation of the three public elementary schools. The new Gallia Academy High School, which was completed in the summer of 2009, is located at 2855 Centenary Road, a few miles outside the village limits.

In addition there is a private school: Ohio Valley Christian School, which includes both elementary and secondary grades.

The village is served by the Dr. Samuel L. Bossard Memorial Library, the county's only public lending library.

Notable people

  • James B. Aleshire, U.S. Army major general
  • Jean-Joseph de Barth, leader of the "French 500" and as such one of the municipality's founders.
  • Skip Battin, musician and former member of the Byrds, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Flying Burrito Brothers
  • Richard H. Cain, minister, abolitionist and U.S. Representative of South Carolina
  • Lionel Cartwright, country music singer
  • Frank Cremeans, former U.S. Congressman
  • Madeleine Vinton Dahlgren, writer born in Gallipolis
  • Olivia A. Davidson, a future teacher and vice-principal at Tuskegee Institute, attended school here.
  • Alice S. Deletombe (1854–1929), published poet
  • Bob Evans, Bob Evans Restaurants founder, bought a small diner in Gallipolis in 1948
  • Jenny Holzer, public artist
  • Brereton Jones, former Governor of Kentucky
  • Jerry Lucas, basketball player
  • Loretta Cessor Manggrum, composer
  • O. O. McIntyre, syndicated columnist
  • Geoffrey D. Miller, retired U.S. Major General
  • William H. Nash (1834–1902), US Army brigadier general
  • Minnie E. Neal (1858–1945), photographer and temperance leader
  • Dave Roberts, former Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Nathaniel C. Sears (1854–1934), judge of the Illinois Appellate Court and Cook County Superior Court; 1897 Republican nominee for mayor of Chicago
  • Ryan Smith, former Speaker, Ohio House of Representatives
  • Marian Spencer, civil rights activist and former Vice-Mayor, Cincinnati,
  • Robert M. Switzer, former U.S. Congressman
  • Samuel Finley Vinton, former U.S. Congressman and Secretary of the Interior
  • Nancy L. Zimpher, former president, University of Cincinnati, chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY)

See also

  • List of cities and towns along the Ohio River
  • Gallipolis Island

References

  • Village website