Ravenswood, West Virginia

Ravenswood is a city in Jackson County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 3,865 at the 2020 census. The first town election was held in the home of Bartholomew Fleming in 1840. Ravenswood was incorporated in 1852.

During the American Civil War, the 1863 Battle of Buffington Island took place north of Ravenswood. In 1886, the Ohio River Rail Road reached Ravenswood.

Legend of the Devil’s Baby

In the local cemetery is a gravestone marking the grave of George Elwood Sharp, a two-year-old toddler who died 1917. The ceramic photo plate on the stone was said to be "of a demonical baby, complete with hollow eyes, fangs, and horns. What’s more, the claim is that at night the ceramic picture plate on this tombstone emits an eerie, iridescent glow. Not only that, but if you listen carefully, you may be able to hear the child’s disembodied cry drifting through the air across the cemetery lawn."

According to researcher Daniel Reed, the three claims made by the legend can easily be explained: the demonical baby depicted in the image plate is simply the result of years of deterioration; the eerie glow is nothing more than a reflection of the setting sun (or reflection from a security light); and the disembodied cry is likely sounds coming from the nearby residential area (along with psychological priming and confirmation bias of ghost hunters)." When Kaiser Aluminum planned a new facility with 12,000 workers, Bill Finley was hired to plan a "company town" of 25,000. He went on to become a planner with the National Capital Planning Commission, and develop the community of Columbia, Maryland, for the Rouse Company. Henry J. Kaiser opened what was then the world's largest aluminum refinery six miles south of Ravenswood in 1957. John F. Kennedy visited Ravenswood during the 1960 Democratic Party presidential primaries. The Ravenswood exit of Interstate 77 opened in 1964.

In February 2010, USA Today referred to Ravenswood as "teetering on a ghost town". Mayor Lucy Harbert responded by bringing in sponsorships from several Silicon Valley–based companies like ScanCafe.com and StartUps.com. On March 26, 2010, Mike Ruben, a reporter with the State Journal newspaper, announced that Ravenswood was "transforming" the town into "Aluminum City, U.S.A." to help attract local tourism revenue: "L.A. Promoter Plans to Market 'Aluminum City'." None of these developments came to fruition.

Geography

thumb|Aerial view of the city

Ravenswood is located at (38.952922, -81.761357), along the Ohio River at the mouth of Sandy Creek.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ravenswood has a Humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Ravenswood had a population of 3,865. The median age was 44.2 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.5 males age 18 and over.

There were 1,668 households in Ravenswood, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.5% were married-couple households, 16.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 3,582 || 92.7%

| Black or African American || 28 || 0.7%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 10 || 0.3%

| Asian || 19 || 0.5%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1 || 0.0%

| Some other race || 41 || 1.1%

| Two or more races || 184 || 4.8%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 72 || 1.9%

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,876 people, 1,657 households, and 1,061 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,807 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.4% White, 0.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 1,657 households, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.0% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.90.

The median age in the city was 42.4 years. 23% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 23.9% were from 45 to 64; and 23.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.

2000 census

As of the census Private school education is provided by the Heritage Christian Academy (Grades K-12).