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Recently I was back in Steubenville doing more research for the buildings in the downtown area.  Afterwards, I drove back to the WV side and up Archer Heights.  Here are some photos from that vantage point.

 

First up is the Market Street bridge (automotive).  On the OH shore is the Steubenville water treatment plant and the Water Street slum.

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The large building in the foreground is the jail.  The tall building mid-photo at the left is former Ft. Steuben Hotel.  It is now an apartment / condo facility.

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The short white smokestack is all that remains of the Federal Paperboard facility along the Ohio River.  To its left is a Honda car dealership.  During my childhood, it was an A & P supermarket.

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Here's the required photo of the ex-PRR railroad bridge.

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Here's a look at downtown Steubenville.  At the bottom (foreground) is the upper part of the Jefferson County Court House.  Beyond that (on the same side of Market Street) is the Sinclair Building.  Note that it has beautiful stone facings on 3 of its 4 sides.  Also, it has that ugly steel "cigar band" around stories 2 & 3.  It was added in 1962 as part of the building's modernization.  Ugh.    Beyond the Sinclair on the north side of Market is the National Exchange Bank Building.

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Another look at the same area, a bit more southerly view.

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A closer look at the Ft. Steuben Hotel.  That's Washington Avenue to its right.

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This photo shows the area more broadly.

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The fronts of the National Exchange Bank Building, the Sinclair Building, and the Court House are shown here in this view of Market Street.

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This is historic Fort Steuben.

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To the right, is the rear of the Ft. Steuben Hotel.  The line of shops running right to left is on North 4th Street.

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South of Steubenville (just north of Follansbee, WV) is the La Belle railroad bridge.  It is an interesting, single track structure that passed over the Wheeling Steel plant on the Ohio side.

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Another look.

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Hope you enjoyed the photo tour.

George

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Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Mark Boyce posted:

George, You spent the day well.  Those are all good photography locations!  Thank you for sharing!

Thanks Mark.  I continue to learn more about the Steubenville area.  I am figuring out how to portray it on the layout.

At the upcoming York and O Scale National (August), I hope to find some larger building fronts that can be used to portray the larger Steubenville buildings.

George

Never actually was in Stuebenville but I drove through it many times on my way around the territory.  Of course, I remember Stuebenville's most famous ex-citizen, non other than Dean Martin.  My general impression is that, like so many communities in Eastern OH and Western PA that were once part of the mighty steel industries, "Stuebenville has suffered some severe economic losses and seems to be hanging on to it's very existence by just a thread.'

Very nice photos of what remains of it there.

Paul Fischer

Never actually was in Stuebenville but I drove through it many times on my way around the territory.  Of course, I remember Stuebenville's most famous ex-citizen, non other than Dean Martin.  My general impression is that, like so many communities in Eastern OH and Western PA that were once part of the mighty steel industries, "Stuebenville has suffered some severe economic losses and seems to be hanging on to it's very existence by just a thread.'

Very nice photos of what remains of it there.

Paul Fischer

Great pics George! My maternal grandmother's side of the family is from the Archer Heights area. My family calls it Anderson Hill. I have seen that view of the MSB many times and also walked along both riverside railroads on both the Ohio and West Virginia sides of the river. At that time, the Ohio side, was a double track line. Heck even the line that ran through town was a double track line but now only one. That massive ex PRR bridge looks kind of empty with only one track going through it. I still say Ohio and Pennsylvania have some of the most impressive railroad bridges in the country and I'm sticking to it!

I imagine you are trying to get as many historic buildings and structures as you can, at least what is left of them. It's amazing and somewhat sad to see how much the city has transformed even since my youth, in the 80's. I guess that's the demise of American Steel Mills and Factories.

None the less, thanks for posting.

Dave

fisch330 posted:

Never actually was in Stuebenville but I drove through it many times on my way around the territory.  Of course, I remember Stuebenville's most famous ex-citizen, non other than Dean Martin.  My general impression is that, like so many communities in Eastern OH and Western PA that were once part of the mighty steel industries, "Stuebenville has suffered some severe economic losses and seems to be hanging on to it's very existence by just a thread.'

Very nice photos of what remains of it there.

Paul Fischer

Hey Paul,

The way you spell the city helps one to say it correctly I think, as it looks more phonetically correct. However, the correct spelling is Steubenville.  The town was named after a Prussian General named Baron Von Steuben.

Dave

luvindemtrains posted:
fisch330 posted:

Never actually was in Stuebenville but I drove through it many times on my way around the territory.  Of course, I remember Stuebenville's most famous ex-citizen, non other than Dean Martin.  My general impression is that, like so many communities in Eastern OH and Western PA that were once part of the mighty steel industries, "Stuebenville has suffered some severe economic losses and seems to be hanging on to it's very existence by just a thread.'

Very nice photos of what remains of it there.

Paul Fischer

Hey Paul,

The way you spell the city helps one to say it correctly I think, as it looks more phonetically correct. However, the correct spelling is Steubenville.  The town was named after a Prussian General named Baron Von Steuben.

Dave

The General who trained Washington’s men at Valley Forge, I take it.

hokie71 posted:

George, what is the significance of the Sinclair building? don't know much about the oil empires back in the day but was that Sinclair Oil?

 

PS- Neat pictures... 

The building is named after its owner, Dohrman James Sinclair (1860-1915).  I don't know a lot about him, but he was a Steubenville businessman credited with persuading the Follansbee brothers to build a tin mill near the town that bears their name.  During my youth, that land was occupied by Koppers and Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel Company.  Sinclair lured the Follansbee brothers by offering to build the Market Street Bridge if they came.  He owned a trolley company, Tri-State Traction, that used that bridge to transport workers to their mill.  He was tragically killed by a train the day his new building opened.

I don't know if he was involved in the oil business.  He was the president and director of the bank that was opening in his building.

George

luvindemtrains posted:

Great pics George! My maternal grandmother's side of the family is from the Archer Heights area. My family calls it Anderson Hill. I have seen that view of the MSB many times and also walked along both riverside railroads on both the Ohio and West Virginia sides of the river. At that time, the Ohio side, was a double track line. Heck even the line that ran through town was a double track line but now only one. That massive ex PRR bridge looks kind of empty with only one track going through it. I still say Ohio and Pennsylvania have some of the most impressive railroad bridges in the country and I'm sticking to it!

I imagine you are trying to get as many historic buildings and structures as you can, at least what is left of them. It's amazing and somewhat sad to see how much the city has transformed even since my youth, in the 80's. I guess that's the demise of American Steel Mills and Factories.

None the less, thanks for posting.

Dave

Fortunately, some photos and records of these buildings have been preserved in the Steubenville Library.  It's hard work though, and many of the records include some really horrible multiply photocopied black and white shots.  They're bad.

George

Mark Boyce posted:
luvindemtrains posted:
fisch330 posted:

Never actually was in Stuebenville but I drove through it many times on my way around the territory.  Of course, I remember Stuebenville's most famous ex-citizen, non other than Dean Martin.  My general impression is that, like so many communities in Eastern OH and Western PA that were once part of the mighty steel industries, "Stuebenville has suffered some severe economic losses and seems to be hanging on to it's very existence by just a thread.'

Very nice photos of what remains of it there.

Paul Fischer

Hey Paul,

The way you spell the city helps one to say it correctly I think, as it looks more phonetically correct. However, the correct spelling is Steubenville.  The town was named after a Prussian General named Baron Von Steuben.

Dave

The General who trained Washington’s men at Valley Forge, I take it.

That is correct, Mark!

Besides Baron von Steuben and Dean Martin (Deano Crosetti), Steubenville was also the hometown of Jimmy Snider (aka Jimmy the Greek).  And Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton.  His statue stands in front of the court house.

George

Steinzeit posted:

Do you recall if the A&P market [ Photo 3 ] was rail served ?   I think those that were acted as distribution centers for surrounding ones not on a rail line, so their traffic would be heavier than just that one store would indicate.   A modelling possibility -- box cars and reefers.

Best regards, SZ

Wow, I hadn't thought of that.  There's no real way to know short of driving behind the Honda dealership (if the track even still exists).

We could certainly pretend, couldn't we? 

I'll try to check that out next time I am in Steubenville.

George

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