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Belleville is The Second Oldest Town, Wood County

Colonel George Washington Surveyed, With Chart and Compass, This Beautiful Valley.

Our last story dealt with the home of Colonel Tavenner, which called forth much interest, now let us turn our attention to the neighboring town of Belleville with its colorful early history.

Belleville — now a pretty town about sixteen miles below Parkersburg, enjoys the distinction of being the second oldest settlement of what is now Wood County – Williamstown having no contenders for first place.

Turning our eyes backwards to 1771, we see Colonel George Washington, with chart and compass, survey this beautiful valley, with the line of survey running through the central part of the bottom, which was patented to him.

But in 1782 when the firm of William Tilton & Company, of Philadelphia, located and made entries of 90,000 acres in Monongalia County, this bottom was included in a junior patent to that of George Washington’s – thus Washington’s titleship ended.

It was during the summer of 1783 that William Tilton, met Joseph Wood, at Fort Pitt – now Pittsburgh. Wood was a young surveyor and civil engineer, of New Jersey, who had come west for the purpose of joining a company of United States Surveyors, assembled at Fort Pitt, for the survey of lands northwest of Ohio, and southwest of the Pennsylvania line. But the hostility of the Indians had delayed their plans, and Joseph Wood was open for employment with his chart and compass. Mr. Tilton at once made him his land agent and surveyor; and the beautiful lands at Belleville were selected as the place to begin operation.

[While in Fort Pitt] Joseph Wood set about constructing a boat suitable for emigration in the autumn of 1785. Freighted with cattle, horses, farming utensils, and such other things as were essential for frontier life; and with a small colony of four substantial Scotch families, and several hired men, the vessel embarked. It was November 25, 1785, when it set sail from Fort Pitt down the Ohio; and it was December 16, not quite a month later, when it anchored at Belleville. It paused at Fort Harmar at the mouth of the Muskingum, which was then nearing completion with Major John Dougherty, of the United States Army, in charge. Fort Harmar was garrisoned on March 26, 1787.

However, Captain Tilton, on landing at Belleville, first secured the boat from danger; then set about selecting a site for permanent settlement. A blockhouse 40×20 feet, two stories in height soon took its place on the bank of the Ohio, and early in January, 1786, the entire company debarked and “took possession of the land.”

Joseph Wood surveyed and laid out the town, which he called Belleville – we have been wondering if he did not call it by this name because he was soon to claim one of the belles as his bride? Lots were donated to all actual settlers. About 100 acres were cleared for cultivation, the first year, and the colony was on with its history making.

During the spring of 1786 Mr. Tilton found it necessary to return to Philadelphia, and he left the settlement solely in the charge of Joseph Wood. Several log cabins sprang up in the blockhouse, which made individual homes for the families; out buildings took their places, all of which were enclosed by pickets eight or ten feet in height. It became a regular stockade garrison, which formed an oblong of about 300 feet along the river front, and back around 100 feet, with gates at each end for the admission of teams and wagons. There was a wicket gate in front, leading down to the river for water.

Among the list of Scotch settlers of that historic colony, we find the names of James Pewthewer, McDonald, Greathouse, Tabor, W. Ingals, Jemmerson, McCash; and two single men, F. Andrews and Thomas Gilrush.

To be continued….

The Parkersburg News,

July 9, 1939

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Bob Enoch is president of the Wood County Historical and Preservation Society. If you have comments or questions about Look Back items, please contact him at: roberteenoch@gmail.com, or by mail at WCHPS, PO Box 565, Parkersburg, WV 26102.