Fairmont, West Virginia

History

Early settlements

In the late 18th century, various subsistence farming settlements were established in the vicinity of the future Fairmont.

In 1789, Boaz Fleming, a Revolutionary War veteran, migrated to western Virginia and purchased a 254-acre farm from Jonathan Bozarth. In 1808, Fleming made his annual trek to Clarksburg to pay his brother's Harrison County taxes. While in Clarksburg, Fleming attended a social gathering that included his cousin Dolley Madison, wife of President James Madison. Fleming complained to Mrs. Madison about having to travel over a hundred miles each year from his home to pay his Monongalia County taxes and his brother's Harrison County taxes. Mrs. Madison supposedly suggested that he create his own county to save him all that travel. In 1814, Fleming circulated a petition to do precisely that, naming the proposed county Madison County in honor of Dolley and James Madison.

Milford, now Rivesville, was the only town within the borders of Fleming's proposed county, so Fleming decided to make Milford the seat of Madison County. However, Milford's citizens preferred to remain part of Monongalia County. As a result, Fleming's petition failed to gain sufficient support to be presented to the Virginia General Assembly. Fleming then focused on creating a new town near his farm, which was located on the west side of the Monongahela River. In 1817, Fleming's sons—William and David—began to clear land on a part of their father's farm to make way for the new town; this part of the farm would later become downtown Fairmont.

Modern history

In 1819, Fairmont was founded as Middletown, Virginia. It was named Middletown because either it was in the middle of two cities, Morgantown and Clarksburg, or Fleming's first wife, Elizabeth Hutchinson, was originally from Middletown, Delaware. That same year, a road was built between those two cities. Fleming's new town was about halfway between the two cities, which made it a resting point. The town was incorporated as Middletown on January 19, 1820.

The current borders of Marion County were established in 1842, and Middletown was named the county's seat. At that time, William Haymond Jr. suggested that the town's name be changed to Fairmont because the town had a beautiful overlook of the Monongahela River, giving it a "fair mount". The Borough of Fairmont was incorporated in 1843 by the Virginia General Assembly.

In 1863, during the American Civil War, Confederate General William E. Jones and his men raided Fairmont and cut the Union's supply lines to take food and horses. They also burned the books from the personal library of Governor Francis Harrison Pierpont.

Many of the first buildings in Fairmont were poorly constructed. By 1852—little more than 30 years after the city's founding—a large portion of Fairmont was reported to be run-down and dilapidated. Reports from 1873 indicate that these buildings had continued to fall into disrepair. On April 2, 1876, a fire destroyed a large portion of the city's business district, as well as many houses in the area. The continuing dilapidation of the city's buildings may have contributed to the fire; the large number of coal mines under Fairmont may have also played a role.

Between 1891 and 1901—in a span of only 10 years—Fairmont's population had increased from 1,000 to 7,000. The City of Fairmont was chartered in 1899; as a result of the charter, the city absorbed the surrounding towns of Palatine (also known as East Side) and West Fairmont. By 1901, Fairmont was an important commercial center. Many railroads—including the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on its way from Cumberland, Maryland to Wheeling—traveled through the city. By this time, Fairmont was also the leading center of the coal trade industry in northern West Virginia, employing some 10,000 workers in the coal mines around Fairmont.

By 1978, an issue with Fairmont's land experiencing subsidence appeared because the remains of Fairmont's 19th-century coal mines were crumbling. As a result, over the following years, the federal government along with other institutions spent money to fix the subsidence issue to prevent damage to the town.

Geography

The Tygart Valley River and the West Fork River join in Fairmont to form the Monongahela River. Buffalo Creek, a tributary of the Monongahela River, flows through the northern part of the city.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.00 sqmi, of which 8.62 sqmi is land and 0.38 sqmi is water.

Climate

Fairmont lies on the border between a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) and humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with very warm summers and freezing winters. However, it is not uncommon during winter for warm air from the Gulf of Mexico to raise temperatures above 50 F, which occurs on average six times each January and over eight in December and February. In contrast, when very cold air from Canada moves into West Virginia temperatures can go below 0 F, which can be expected during 3.2 mornings each winter, but which occurred on twelve mornings during the extremely cold January 1977, whose average temperature of 16.0 F was the coldest month on record by 4.0 F-change. Despite the abundant precipitation throughout the year, the relative dryness of cold air means that most precipitation is rain even during the winter: the most snowfall in a month being 46.5 in is November 1950, and the most in a season 77.4 in between July 1950 and June 1951. The least snow in a season has been 12.0 in between July 1918 and June 1919, whilst the wettest calendar year has been 1956 with 58.12 in and the driest – as with all of West Virginia – 1930 with 26.25 in. The hottest temperature has been 108 F on August 8, 1918, and the coldest -21 F on January 21, 1994.

| Jan record high F = 81 | Feb record high F = 79 | Mar record high F = 91 | Apr record high F = 95 | May record high F = 100 | Jun record high F = 103 | Jul record high F = 105 | Aug record high F = 108 | Sep record high F = 101 | Oct record high F = 93 | Nov record high F = 84 | Dec record high F = 75 | year record high F = 108 | Jan record low F = -21 | Feb record low F = -12 | Mar record low F = -10 | Apr record low F = 10 | May record low F = 24 | Jun record low F = 35 | Jul record low F = 42 | Aug record low F = 36 | Sep record low F = 29 | Oct record low F = 17 | Nov record low F = 1 | Dec record low F = -16 | year record low F = -21 | access-date = June 10, 2021 | archive-date = July 5, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120705132008/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=pbz | url-status = dead | access-date = June 10, 2021}}{{cite web | access-date = June 10, 2021}}

Demographics

| align-fn = center

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 18,416 people and 7,903 households residing in the city. There were 9,045 housing units in Fairmont. The racial makeup of the city was 84.2% White, 7.3% African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 0.5% from other races, and 7% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 7,903 households, of which 37.1% were married couples living together, 30.6% had a female householder with no spouse present, 23% had a male householder with no spouse present. The average household and family size was 2.83. The median age in the city was 34.4 years. With 18.3% of the city being under 18. The median household income in the city was $47,618 and the poverty rate was 19.9%.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 18,704 people, 8,133 households and 4,424 families living in the city. The population density was 2169.8 PD/sqmi. There were 9,200 housing units at an average density of 1067.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 88.9% White, 7.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 8,133 households, of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.6% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.83.

The median age was 36.8 years. 18% of residents were under the age of 18; 16.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 24.4% were from 45 to 64; and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 19,097 people, 8,447 households and 4,671 families living in the city. The population density was 2,438.5 per square mile (941.7/km2). There were 9,755 housing units at an average density of 1,245.6 per square mile (481.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.16% White, 7.26% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.

There were 8,447 households, of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.7% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.83.

18.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 14.9% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.

The median household income was $25,628 and the median family income was $37,126. Males had a median income of $27,944 and females $20,401. The per capita income was $16,062. About 12.6% of families and 20.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Fairmont is home to Country Club Bakery, which is where the pepperoni roll snack originates. The bakery continues to serve the roll along with their various other baked goods. Fairmont has considered itself to be the "pepperoni roll capital of the world".

The city is home to multiple offices for national agencies. Fairmont's National White Collar Crime Center provides nationwide support to law enforcement agencies involved in prevention, investigation, and prosecution of economic and high-tech crime. The NASA Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility, governed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, houses more than 150 full-time employees and more than 20 in-house partners and contractors. The NOAA Robert H. Mollohan Research Facility, which receives weather data from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, houses more than 100 full-time employees.

The International Thespian Society, originally called National Thespians, was founded in 1929 in Fairmont, West Virginia by Dr. Paul Opp, Earnest Bavely, and Harry T. Leeper. It honored high school theater students who participated in their school programs. The first troupe was started by Dr. Earl Blank at Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming.

In 2024, Fairmont hosted the inaugural Veggie Man Day, a one-day event in July to celebrate the Vegetable Man and West Virginia folklore.

Government

Fairmont has a Council-manager government, whereby the mayor serves as chairman of the city council and the city manager takes care of the day-to-day operations. The current mayor is Anne Bolyard and the current city manager is Travis L. Blosser.

Past mayors

• William Elza Arnett, 1906–1908
• Matthew M. Neely, 1908–1910
• William Conaway
• A.C. West
• Fred T. Wilson, 1935–1940
• Fred T. Wilson, 1944–1945
• Albert F. Robertson, 1947–1950
• James H. Hanway, 1951–1955
• William G. Meyer, 1959
• Forrest L. Springer
• Albert F. Robinson
• J. Richard Davis
• William M. Hawkins
• James L. Turner, 1979
• Robert K. Powell, 1980
• James L. Turner, 1981
• Robert K. Powell, 1982
• Gregory T. Hinton, 1982-1984
• Robert M. Drummond Sr., 1984–1985
• Carl J. Snyder, 1985–1986
• Robert M. Drummond Jr., 1986–1990
• Wayne A. Stutler, 1990–1994
• Charles G. Manly II, 1994–1996
• Nick L. Fantasia, 1996–2006
• S. Scott Sears, 2007–2009
• Matt Delligatti, 2009–2010
• Bill Burdick, 2011–2012
• Ronald J. Straight Sr. 2013–2016
• Thomas Mainella, 2017–2019, 2021–2023
• Brad Merrifield, 2019–2020
• Anne Bolyard, 2023–present

Past City Managers

• Richard J. Bowen, 1977–1979
• Edwin C. Daley, 1980–1986
• Michael E. Solomon, 1987–1988
• Edwin J. Thorne, 1988–1996
• E. Bruce McDaniel, 1997–2007
• James W. Snider, 2008–2009
• Jay I. Rogers III, 2009–2015
• Robin I. Gomez, 2015–2018
• Valerie A. Means, 2019–2023
• Travis L. Blosser, 2024–Present

Education

Fairmont Senior High School is a public high school that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The school was established in the late 1800s, and the school was relocated in 1905 and 1928. The current iteration of the school, which is located on Loop Park Dr, was designed by the architect William B. Ittner.

Fairmont State University is a public university with an approximate enrollment of 3,800 students. The institution offers master's degrees in business, education, teaching, criminal justice, and nursing, in addition to 90 baccalaureate and 50 associate degrees. Originally established as a school for teachers, the college was named Fairmont Normal School, and was located on the corner of Fairmont Avenue and Second Street and moved to its present location in 1917.

Dunbar School is a historic building in Fairmont, West Virginia, that used to be an all-black high school. The school was designed by the architect William B Ittner. The school was built in 1928.

Infrastructure

Highways

Fairmont is located in the North-Central region of the state, along West Virginia's I-79 High Tech Corridor. Major highways include:

• [[File:I-79.svg|20px]] Interstate 79
• [[File:US 19.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 19
• [[File:US 250.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 250
• [[File:WV-310.svg|20px]] West Virginia Route 310
• [[File:WV-273.svg|20px]] West Virginia Route 273

Airports

Fairmont Municipal Airport (Frankman Field) is a public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) southwest of the central business district of Fairmont. It is owned by the Fairmont-Marion County Regional Airport Authority.

Notable people

• Tony Adamle, football player
• Max Balchowsky, prominent 1950s and 1960s American race car builder and driver.
• Frank J. Breth, United States Marine Corps brigadier general
• David Carpenter, professional baseball player
• Joe Cerisano, singer, songwriter, musician ("Be All That You Can Be", "Hands Across America")
• Augusta Clark, librarian, politician and lawyer; second African-American woman on Philadelphia City Council (1980-2000)
• Ann K. Covington, former chief justice of Supreme Court of Missouri, first woman to hold that position
• Mike DeVault (born 1958), state legislator
• Frank Kendall Everest Jr., U.S. Air Force officer best remembered as aeroengineer and test pilot during 1950s; once known as "Fastest Man Alive"
• Ron Everhart, college basketball head coach
• Art Finley, North American television and radio personality, mostly in San Francisco and Vancouver, remembered by many as "Mayor Art", host of children's show aired on KRON-TV in San Francisco from 1959 to 1966
• Aretas B. Fleming, 8th Governor of West Virginia
• Carrie Watson Fleming, First Lady of West Virginia, 1890–1893
• Frank Cruise Haymond, Judge of West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, 1945-1972
• Thomas Haymond, 19th Century congressman and lawyer
• Philip C. Jimeno, member of Maryland State Legislature
• Johnnie Johnson, piano player and blues musician, member of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• Rashod Kent, professional football player in the National Football League (NFL)
• Fuzzy Knight, film and television actor, appeared in over 180 films between 1929 and 1967, usually as a cowboy hero's sidekick
• John Knowles, author of A Separate Peace
• Phil Mallow, West Virginia state delegate
• Alan Mollohan, U.S. Representative from West Virginia's 1st District
• Stephen Montague, classical composer, lived in Fairmont as a child from 1952 to 1957
• Luella Mundel, professor and McCarthyism victim
• Michael Oliverio II, member of state senate, representing 13th District
• Francis H. Pierpont, Governor of union controlled parts of Virginia during American Civil War, known as "father of West Virginia"
• Doris Piserchia, science fiction writer
• Raphiael Putney (born 1990), basketball player
• Mary Lou Retton, gymnast, 1984 Olympic gold medalist, member of President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
• George S. Roberts, combat fighter pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen
• Nick Saban, college football head coach and assistant coach in the NFL, born in Fairmont
• Dante Stills, football player
• Darius Stills, football player
• Charles W. Swisher, thirteenth Secretary of State of West Virginia
• Rosemary M. Thomas, academic administrator
• Robert Tinnell, screenwriter, director, producer, author of comic books and graphic novels
• Clarence Wayland Watson, founded several companies that became Consolidation Coal and Mining Companies, was U.S. Senator from West Virginia from 1911 to 1913
• Hershel W. Williams, awarded Medal of Honor during the Battle of Iwo Jima

References

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