Middleport, Ohio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Middleport is a village in Meigs County, Ohio, along the Ohio River. The population was 2,525 at the 2000 census.

Middleport was the home of Walter "Mother" Watson, a Major League Baseball pitcher.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Early history
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Middleport is located at 38°59′56″N, 82°3′26″W (38.998829, -82.057204)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.9 km² (1.9 mi²). 4.7 km² (1.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (4.74%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 2,525 people, 1,103 households, and 659 families residing in the village. The population density was 538.6/km² (1,396.1/mi²). There were 1,243 housing units at an average density of 265.2/km² (687.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.64% White, 2.38% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.55% of the population.

There were 1,103 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the village the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 81.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $22,532, and the median income for a family was $29,349. Males had a median income of $27,264 versus $21,875 for females. The per capita income for the village was $13,138. About 16.3% of families and 24.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.4% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Early history

An interesting history of the early years in Middleport has been kept in a letter written by Philip Jones' daughter, Mrs. Lora Weldon and which is owned by Mrs. James Harley, Middleport, one of the descendants of Lieutenant Smith.

Her explanation of why Middleport was so called is told in her words:

In the 1840's there grew up such a strife between the cities of Cincinnati and Pittburgh, as to which (city) could send out the finest boats and as which of these boats could make the shortest time between the two cities. To test the matter of speed, each city was to send out a boat daily at the same hour. It took a boat about three days to make a trip from one city to the other and among the boats were the Alliquippa, the Hiberna, the Pittsburgh, the Cincinnati, and the Virginia.

She explains that the coal yard of her father was the halfway point on this river route and would be the meeting point of the competing boats, each boat reaching the yard at about the middle of the day following its departure from its home port. In her words:

There was much cheering among the boat passengers and crew shouting, just halfway - middle port and the name was settled.