Wellston High School - X Ray Yearbook (Wellston, OH)

Page 12 text:

A Need to Educate s the eit) of Vi elision grew in size, more sehool fueilities were needed. To handle the growing number of sehool students Harvey Wells and South Sehool were erected. Following the construction of these buildings, the present high school building was constructed in 1924. One of the earliest sehool buildings in W elision was a ten room wooden structure huili in 1878 where the present Central Sehool building is located. The original structure of this school still remains and is presently the beautiful home of l)r. and Mrs. Paul J. Essman. 8

Page 11 text:

Early Wellston Just about the time Harvey Wells’ new town began to prosper, a nationwide depression fell over the land bringing all business to a standstill. Harvey Wells lost his furnaces anil most of his fortune. However, because of his undying enthusiasm. Harvey Wells devised a brilliant plan to lift Wellston out of its state of depression and back into the light of prosperity. By obtaining support from Francis Hinckley, a Chicago capitalist, Harvey Wells created a boom town. As news spread rapidly in all the big city papers, speculators and promoters flocked to Wellston. Soon the small town was swarming with people. The Bundy House (which is pictured as the Hogan Hotel) could hardly find enough rooms to satisfy the influx. Numerbus business operations began developing, and Wells’ vision of a New Pittsburgh in the West” gradually began to take shape. 7

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Railroads—Wellston’s Link to Outside In the early years of VC elision’s good fortune, the importance of a railroad outlet to the West and North was recognized by several prominent leaders. To aid the existing Marietta and Cincinnati R. R., the Dayton and Southeastern R.R. was contracted to build a narrow gauge railroad from Dayton to VC elision. Gradually the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton R. R. (now B. O.) joined in and widened the narrow gauge to a standard gauge. Then a committee of town officials interested the Springfield, Jackson, and Pomeroy R.R. in tapping the rich territory of VC elision. When all was completed, Wellston had three railroads and was shipping millions of dollars of coal and iron to distant markets. VC ith the outset of an era in w hich electric traction lines were being built, Harvey VC ells charted the W elision and Haekson Belt Railway Company. As president of this corporation, Harvey VC el Is proposed to build a railroad from Wellston to Jackson and north of Wellston to McArthur. The Hocking Valley R. R. became interested in Wells' efforts and placed him on their payroll. About this lime Harvey Wells became ill and died, hut his ambitious plan was fulfilled and Wellston had four railroads. 9