by Henry Howe.

Bridgeport lies on the Ohio River, 135 miles east of Columbus, on the old National Road and exactly opposite Wheeling, West Virginia, with which it is connected by a bridge, and on the C.L.&W. and C.&P. Railroads. It joins the town of Martin's Ferry, forming the appearance of a single city. Back of it rises very high hills and the site is highly picturesque.

In 1840 Bridgeport had the following churches: 1 Presbyterian, 2 Methodist Episcopal, and 1 Colored Baptist. It had 1 bank: First National Bank, W.W. Holloway, president; J.J. Holloway, cashier.

In 1886, Bridgeport had the following manufactures, with the following number of employees: Standard Iron Co., corrugated iron, 205 employees; Bridgeport Glass Co., fruit jars, 80; Aetna Iron and Steel Co., 610; La Belle Glass Works, cut glass, etc., 335; L.C. Leech, barrels, etc.; Diamond Mills, flour, etc.; R.J. Baggs & Son, doors, sash, etc, 35; and the Bridgeport Machine Shop. -- State Report, 1887.

Population: in 1840, 329; in 1880, 2,390.

School census in 1886: 1,130; T.E. Orr, superintendent.

Bridgeport was laid out in 1806 by Ebenezer Zane, under the name of Canton. The locality had long been named Kirkwood after Capt. Joseph Kirkwood, who built a cabin on the south side of Indian Wheeling Creek in 1789.

This entry is adapted from Henry Howe's HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF OHIO (2 vols., 1907). The book has been reedited, updated, and restructured for inclusion in the Pierian Press Fulltext eBooks database, and is included on the Stratton House Inn Web site by special permission. This entry is licensed for use ONLY on this Web site. This entry may not be copied or downloaded, but may be used for educational purposes and personal pleasure under fair-use provisions via this Web site. Please note that the Stratton House Inn iteration of this entry does NOT include the subject headings assigned the entry for use in the Fulltext eBooks database.

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