MARTINS FERRY

martins ferry, a city of belmont county, ohio, u.s.a., on the ohio river, nearly opposite wheeling, west virginia. pop. (1890), 6250; (1900), 7760, including 1033 foreign-born and 252 negroes; (1910), 9133. it is served by the pennsylvania (cleveland & pittsburg division), the baltimore & ohio, and the wheeling & lake erie (wabash system) railways, and by several steamboat lines. the city is situated on two plateaus; the lower is occupied chiefly by factories, the upper by dwellings. coal mining and manufacturing are the principal industries; among factory products are iron, steel, tin, stoves, machinery and glassware. the municipality owns and operates the waterworks and an electric-lighting plant. a settlement was attempted here in 1785, but was abandoned on account of trouble with the indians. in 1795 a town was laid out by absalom martin and was called jefferson, but this, too, was abandoned, on account of its not being made the county-seat. the town was laid out again in 1835 by ebenezer martin (son of absalom martin) and was called martinsville; the present name was substituted a few years later. the martins and other pioneers are buried in walnut grove cemetery within the city limits. martins ferry was incorporated as a town in 1865 and chartered as a city in 1885.