Belpre

City · Washington County · 6,636 residents · 1% municipal income tax

Washington County

Local events in Belpre

Belpre itself has 2 events posted in the next 90 days; the others here are within 20 miles. All local events in Belpre

  1. Belpre Primary Care Clinic

    1 to 3:30 p.m. · Fruth Pharmacy · Paid · From Ohio University

  2. Belpre Primary Care Clinic

    9 to 11:30 a.m. · Fruth Pharmacy · Paid · From Ohio University

  3. Halloween Party with DJ Mixar & DJ Correct

    8 p.m. to midnight · The Adelphia Music Hall · Marietta · 12 mi · From Marietta-Washington County CVB

Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.

Lakes near Belpre

The history under the water: the valley before, the dam, the stories. All Ohio lakes

How Belpre began

Belpre was settled in 1788-1789 by a second wave of Ohio Company of Associates pioneers who moved downriver from Marietta to the fertile bottomland opposite the mouth of the Little Kanawha River. Its name comes from 'Belle Prairie,' French for 'beautiful meadow,' a name French traders had already given the valley. When the Northwest Indian War broke out, settlers built Farmer's Castle, a large defensive blockhouse, in January 1791, the same winter as the Big Bottom massacre upriver. Across the Ohio River, Blennerhassett Island became notorious in 1805-1806 as the staging ground for Aaron Burr's alleged conspiracy. Belpre grew as a river town and, after 1870, a rail junction once the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Parkersburg Bridge -- then the longest in the world -- connected it to West Virginia; the 2020 census recorded 6,728 residents.

Settled 1788-1789, by Ohio Company of Associates settlers moving downriver from Marietta.

Where the name comes from

From 'Belle Prairie,' French for 'beautiful meadow,' a name French trappers had given the valley before American settlement.

Before the town

No village, trail or mound site specific to the city of Belpre itself was found in the sources checked. The settlement's own founding is bound up with the region's Native conflict: when the Northwest Indian War broke out after the January 1791 Big Bottom massacre upriver (in what is now Morgan County), Belpre's settlers built a fortified blockhouse called Farmer's Castle to protect the community, a structure that stood through the war until the 1795 Treaty of Greenville brought peace. Downstream, Blennerhassett Island -- visible from Belpre across the Ohio River -- had earlier been the home of Nemacolin, a Lenape (Delaware) leader, who is recorded as having died there in 1767, before the island passed to European ownership.

Nations recorded here: Lenape (Delaware).

  • Farmer's Castle (other) — Belpre riverfront, Washington County, built January 1791, through the Northwest Indian War to 1795 (commons.wikimedia.org)

Timeline

  1. — Ohio Company of Associates pioneers move downriver from Marietta and settle the Belle Prairie bottomland opposite the Little Kanawha River.
  2. — In January, following the Big Bottom massacre and the outbreak of the Northwest Indian War, Belpre settlers build the Farmer's Castle blockhouse for defense.
  3. — Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett acquire the eastern part of the island opposite Belpre in the Ohio River, later known as Blennerhassett Island.
  4. — Aaron Burr and Harman Blennerhassett are alleged to have plotted the Burr Conspiracy at the Blennerhassett House on the island across from Belpre.
  5. — The Blennerhassett House on the island burns down.
  6. — The Charles Rice Ames House, later called the region's finest Greek Revival house, is built in Belpre.
  7. — The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad completes the Parkersburg Bridge, at 7,140 feet then the longest bridge in the world, linking Belpre to Parkersburg, West Virginia and opening the area to coal shipping.
  8. — The Charles Rice Ames House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Stories

A castle of logs against a war it did not start

Belpre's settlers had only been on the ground two or three years when, in January 1791, a war party struck the new Ohio Company settlement at Big Bottom upriver, killing fourteen people and opening four years of frontier warfare across the Ohio country. With no fort of their own, Belpre's families pooled their labor that same winter to raise Farmer's Castle, a large fortified blockhouse on the riverbank strong enough to shelter the whole community. The structure held through the Northwest Indian War until General Anthony Wayne's victory at Fallen Timbers and the 1795 Treaty of Greenville finally brought peace to the region, after which Belpre's farms and river trade could grow without the constant threat that had shaped its first years.

The island across the river

From Belpre's riverbank, settlers could see the wooded island where Harman Blennerhassett, an Irish aristocrat, and his wife Margaret built an elegant mansion beginning in 1798. It became, briefly, one of the most talked-about addresses on the frontier: in 1805 and 1806, former Vice President Aaron Burr is alleged to have used the island as a staging point for a conspiracy to carve out an independent territory in the West, a plan that collapsed when Burr was arrested and tried for treason. The Blennerhassett mansion burned in 1811 and was never rebuilt, but the episode left Belpre permanently tied, in the region's memory, to one of the strangest political intrigues of the early republic -- one that played out in plain sight of the Ohio farm town across the water.

Photographs

Farmer's Castle, the blockhouse built by Belpre's settlers in January 1791, from S. P. Hildreth's 'Pioneer History' (1848)
Farmer's Castle, the blockhouse built by Belpre's settlers in January 1791, from S. P. Hildreth's 'Pioneer History' (1848) (1848 (illustration, depicting 1791))
Photo: S. P. Hildreth, 'Pioneer History' (1848), public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org · en.wikipedia.org

Historic places

3 places in Belpre on the National Register of Historic Places. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.

  1. Ames, Charles Rice, HouseBuilding · Belpre · listed 1978
    Address
    2212 Miller Ave.
    Where
    Belpre, Washington County · ZIP 45714
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1978
    NRIS reference number
    78002208
    Coordinates
    39.28309, -81.60577
  2. Spencer's LandingBuilding · Belpre · listed 1992
    Address
    4 E. Fifth St.
    Where
    Belpre, Washington County · ZIP 45714
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1992
    NRIS reference number
    92001035
    Coordinates
    39.27689, -81.56653
  3. Stone, Capt. Jonathan, HouseBuilding · Belpre · listed 1978
    Address
    612 Blennerhassett Ave.
    Where
    Belpre, Washington County · ZIP 45714
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1978
    NRIS reference number
    78002209
    Coordinates
    39.27107, -81.57680

Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places point file. The listing year is shown where NPS's certification date agrees with the listing's reference number. Listing recognizes significance; it does not restrict a private owner.

Every historic place in Washington County on the full map

Water

Groundwater wells (5 wells) The water here

Hospitals, fire stations and more

Inside Belpre's boundary: 1 health center, 2 nursing homes, 2 fire and EMS stations, 3 public schools, 1 poor-rated bridge, 1 library, 1 police station, 1 public charging site, 1 Superfund site, 3 Toxics Release Inventory facilities and 5 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.

Community health centers (1)

  1. Hopewell Health Centers - BelpreHealth center · Belpre
    Run by
    a federally qualified health center
    Setting
    Clinic
    City
    Belpre
    Coordinates
    39.28547, -81.60963

Source: HRSA health center service delivery sites, active, September 2026 (school-based sites left out). Health centers see patients whether or not they have insurance, with fees on a sliding scale.

Nursing homes (2)

  1. Belpre Landing Nursing and Rehabilitation2 of 5 stars · Belpre
    Address
    1915 Hill Street, Belpre, OH 45714
    Certified beds
    62
    Residents on an average day
    49
    Medicare overall rating
    2 of 5 stars
    Health inspections
    2 of 5 stars
    Staffing
    2 of 5 stars
    Quality measures
    4 of 5 stars
    Penalties since 2023
    none
    Ownership
    For profit - Corporation
    Chain
    CONTINUING HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS
    Takes
    Medicare and Medicaid
    Phone
    (740) 350-9095
    Medicare ID
    366443
  2. Rockland Ridge Nursing & Rehabilitation Center5 of 5 stars · Belpre
    Address
    2511 Washington Blvd, Belpre, OH 45714
    Certified beds
    70
    Residents on an average day
    64
    Medicare overall rating
    5 of 5 stars
    Health inspections
    4 of 5 stars
    Staffing
    4 of 5 stars
    Quality measures
    5 of 5 stars
    Penalties since 2023
    none
    Ownership
    For profit - Corporation
    Chain
    FOUNDATIONS HEALTH SOLUTIONS
    Takes
    Medicare and Medicaid
    Phone
    (740) 780-6005
    Medicare ID
    366486

Source: CMS Care Compare nursing home provider and penalties files; Medicare star ratings run 1 to 5.

Fire and EMS stations (2)

  1. Belpre Volunteer Fire Department Station 1Belpre
    Address
    704 Washington Boulevard, Belpre, OH 45714
    Coordinates
    39.27354, -81.57799
  2. Belpre Volunteer Fire Department Station 2Belpre
    Address
    721 Farson Street, Belpre, OH 45714
    Coordinates
    39.28122, -81.61138

Source: USGS National Map structures (most Ohio records last updated 2019 to 2022), checked against the Columbus and Cleveland station lists. The department that answers a call is set by jurisdiction and mutual aid, not by distance.

Public schools (3)

  1. Belpre Blue Sky Academy2.5 of 5 stars · Belpre
    Address
    2014 Rockland Ave, Belpre, OH 45714
    School district
    Belpre City School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    14
    Report card, 2025-26
    2.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    43.7%
    Ohio building IRN
    019798
    NCES school ID
    390436106193
  2. Belpre Elementary School4 of 5 stars · Belpre
    Address
    2000 Rockland Ave, Belpre, OH 45714
    School district
    Belpre City School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    509
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    28
    Report card, 2025-26
    4 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    75.4%
    Ohio building IRN
    142240
    NCES school ID
    390436104194
  3. Belpre High School3 of 5 stars · Belpre
    Address
    300 Stone Rd, Belpre, OH 45714
    School district
    Belpre City School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    374
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    32
    Report card, 2025-26
    3 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    72.2%
    Four-year graduation rate
    89%
    Ohio building IRN
    002337
    NCES school ID
    390436100159

Source: NCES EDGE public school locations 2024-25 and Common Core of Data 2023-24 (type, students, teachers); Ohio School Report Cards 2025-26 (Department of Education and Workforce), matched by name within the district.

Bridges rated poor (1)

  1. Mr-476 Memorial To over Ohio R. Csx Keever St.Poor · built 1955
    Condition
    Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
    What it is
    Bridge
    Built
    1955
    Length
    779 ft
    Owner
    State
    Vehicles a day
    11,215
    Coordinates
    39.28352, -81.56698

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory 2025. "Poor" means one major part rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale; it calls for repair, not closing, unless the state posts or closes the bridge.

Public libraries (1)

  1. Belpre Branch LibraryBranch · Belpre
    Address
    2012 Washington Blvd., Belpre, OH 45714
    What it is
    Branch
    Library system
    Washington County Public Library
    Open
    2,288 hours a year, 52 weeks
    Building
    5,326 sq ft
    System's visits, FY2024
    113,464
    System's loans, FY2024
    555,089
    People the system serves
    59,711
    Phone
    (740) 423-8381

Source: IMLS Public Libraries Survey FY2024 (outlets and their systems). Any Ohio resident can get a free card at any Ohio public library.

Police stations (1)

  1. Belpre Police DepartmentBelpre
    Address
    715 Park Drive, Belpre, OH 45714
    Coordinates
    39.27769, -81.59420

Source: USGS National Map structures, police stations, corrected and completed by hand (September 2026). The department that answers a call is set by jurisdiction, not by distance.

Public EV charging (1)

  1. Civitan Park2 Level 2 · Belpre
    Address
    Civitan Park, Belpre, OH 45714
    Ports
    2 Level 2
    Plugs
    J1772
    Network
    Non-Networked
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Price
    Free
    Phone
    740-423-7592

Source: NREL Alternative Fuels Data Center station list (May 2026), public and open stations, the posts at one address counted as one site.

Superfund sites (1)

  1. Shell Chemical Company Marietta PlantSuperfund program · Belpre
    Address
    2982 Washington Blvd, Belpre, OH 45714
    County
    Washington County
    Status
    Superfund program site, not on the National Priorities List
    EPA program ID
    OHD004343117
    EPA registry ID
    110071101853

Source: EPA Facility Registry Service, Superfund (SEMS) and National Priorities List sites. Many program sites were assessed and needed no cleanup.

Facilities reporting toxic releases (3)

  1. Nova Chemicals IncToxics Release Inventory · Belpre
    Address
    Township Rd. 97, Belpre, OH 45714
    County
    Washington County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    45714HNTSMTOWNS
    EPA registry ID
    110000591912
  2. Raiser Aluminum & Chemical, CorporationToxics Release Inventory · Belpre
    Address
    Farson Street, Belpre, OH 45714
    County
    Washington County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    45714KSRLMFARSO
    EPA registry ID
    110007769986
  3. Toll Compaction Group LlcToxics Release Inventory · Belpre
    Address
    721 Farson Street, Belpre, OH 45714
    County
    Washington County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    45714NTRNT721FA
    EPA registry ID
    110008598286

Source: EPA Facility Registry Service, Toxics Release Inventory reporters. Reporting a release is required of large users of listed chemicals; it is not by itself a violation.

Spills reported since 2021 (5)

  1. Chemical(S) Unk2025-07-07 · Belpre
    Reported
    2025-07-07
    What spilled
    Chemical(S) Unk; Acid Nos (Not Specified)
    Where
    Belpre, Washington County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2507EPA0001122
  2. Asphalt / Bitumen2024-06-12 · Belpre
    Reported
    2024-06-12
    What spilled
    Asphalt / Bitumen
    Largest amount reported
    1,000 gallons
    Where
    Belpre, Washington County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2406EPA0000988
  3. Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle2024-05-03 · Belpre
    Reported
    2024-05-03
    What spilled
    Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle
    Where
    Belpre, Washington County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2405EPA0000735
  4. Cyclohexane (C6H12)2024-03-13 · Belpre
    Reported
    2024-03-13
    What spilled
    Cyclohexane (C6H12)
    Where
    Belpre, Washington County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2403EPA0000400
  5. Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle2021-02-18 · Belpre
    Reported
    2021-02-18
    What spilled
    Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle
    Where
    Belpre, Washington County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2102EPA0000217

Source: Ohio EPA emergency response spill reports, 2021 to September 2026, one point per case where Ohio EPA placed it. A report is what the caller or responder recorded; amounts are often blank or estimated.

Its ZIP codes

Each ZIP code that touches Belpre, with the share of its residents who live here and the same headline figures as the ZIP page.

Local government

Who holds office in Belpre, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.

Elections for office

DateOfficeCandidates and votes
2023-11-07 Third Ward Council Member Lyndsay Dennis (REP) 469, 100.0%
2023-11-07 Second Ward Council Member Write-In: Erica Campbell 26, 38.24%; Write-In: Richard Seebaugh 42, 61.76%
2023-11-07 Member of Council at Large David E. Ferguson (REP) 1,075, 27.31%; Nathaniel S. Godfrey (REP) 1,057, 26.85%; Michael L. Lorentz (DEM) 835, 21.21%; Penne L. Riffle (REP) 969, 24.62%
2023-11-07 Member of Board of Education Larry Lorentz 1,401, 37.09%; Frank Meredith IV 1,022, 27.06%; Cathy O'Donnell 1,354, 35.85%
2023-11-07 Mayor Romel Henderson (DEM) 384, 18.85%; Alan Millhone 188, 9.23%; James E. Nelson 519, 25.48%; Susan J. Abdella (REP) 946, 46.44%
2023-11-07 Fourth Ward Council Member John J. Ambrozy (REP) 451, 100.0%
2023-11-07 First Ward Council Member William W. Locke (REP) 343, 100.0%
2023-11-07 Director of Law Thomas P. Webster (DEM) 1,396, 100.0%
2023-05-02 Member of Council, Third Ward (REP primary) Lyndsay Dennis 238, 100.0%
2023-05-02 Member of Council, Fourth Ward (REP primary) John J. Ambrozy 201, 67.0%; Steve Null 99, 33.0%
2023-05-02 Member of Council, First Ward (REP primary) William W. Locke 189, 100.0%
2023-05-02 Member of Council At-Large (REP primary) David E. Ferguson 686, 37.55%; Nathaniel S. Godfrey 586, 32.07%; Penne L. Riffle 555, 30.38%
2023-05-02 Mayor (REP primary) Susan J. Abdella 804, 100.0%
2021-05-04 Member of Council At Large (REP primary) (unofficial count) David E. Ferguson 331, 56.1%; John W. Ruth 259, 43.9%
2019-11-05 Treasurer Write-In: Linda Copeland 52, 100.0%
2019-11-05 Third Ward Council Member Timothy Gant (REP) 244, 100.0%
2019-11-05 Second Ward Council Member Elmer Lee Shutts (REP) 167, 100.0%
2019-11-05 Member of Council at Large David E. Ferguson (REP) 839, 31.58%; Larry K. Martin (REP) 660, 24.84%; Donna L. Miller (REP) 704, 26.5%; Paul A. Wallace 454, 17.09%
2019-11-05 Member of Board of Education Brenda Church 969, 51.41%; Cathy O'Donnell 916, 48.59%
2019-11-05 Member of Board of Education Michael L. Miller 1,087, 100.0%
2019-11-05 Mayor Judy Drake (REP) 405, 31.86%; Romel Henderson 210, 16.52%; Michael L. Lorentz (DEM) 656, 51.61%
2019-11-05 Fourth Ward Council Member Penne L. Riffle (REP) 305, 100.0%
2019-11-05 First Ward Council Member Joshua I. Campbell (REP) 159, 100.0%
2019-11-05 Director of Law Thomas P. Webster (DEM) 923, 100.0%

Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.

Auditor of State record

The county

Washington County: 17 ZIP codes, 33 cities, villages and townships, 61,140 people.

Nearby places

Rain and snow

How much has actually fallen on Belpre, day by day, from 1893 to now. Daily totals, not averages.

rain, last 30 days
2.68 in
2026-09-29 to 2026-10-28
rain so far in 2026
46.8 in
9.0 in above normal for the date
snow so far in 2026
12.8 in
a normal year brings 13.7 in
a normal year
44.5 in
average of 30 years, 1991-2020
The last twelve months
MonthRain (in)Snow (in)Days counted
October 2026 2.68 — 28
September 2026 7.84 — 30
August 2026 9.31 — 31
July 2026 4.67 — 31
June 2026 4.95 — 30
May 2026 6.56 — 31
April 2026 2.87 — 30
March 2026 4.94 3.1 31
February 2026 0.88 3.0 28
January 2026 2.13 6.7 31
December 2025 1.79 6.6 31
November 2025 2.66 1.5 30
On the record, 1893–2026
Wettest year2011 — 61.7 in
Driest year1930 — 20.3 in
Snowiest year1910 — 46.8 in
Wettest day on record28 June 1998 — 4.08 in
Heaviest snowfall in a day18 January 1994 — 16.56 in
Deepest snow on the ground27 November 1950 — 26.50 in

Mostly estimated. Only 1% of these days come from a gauge standing inside Belpre - the rest are worked out from the nearest gauges around it, so read them as close estimates rather than readings.

48,839 days of records, 1893-01-01 to 2026-10-28. Source: NOAA NCEI GHCN-Daily, 3,240 gauges in and around Ohio. A day is "gauged" when a gauge standing inside the boundary reported it, and the value is the mean of those gauges. Otherwise it is interpolated by inverse distance from every gauge reporting within 50 miles. Nothing is carried forward, back-filled or smoothed. Against NOAA nClimDiv county monthly precipitation over 136,848 complete county-months (checked 2026-10-31): correlation 0.9515, median absolute difference 0.217 in a month. Built 2026-10-31 from the Cracked Buckeye precipitation archive. Snow is the softer number — snowfall is measured by hand with a ruler, no agency publishes a gridded county snowfall series, and blowing snow defeats every observer.

Environmental permits and filings

What Ohio EPA has on file for Belpre: permits, inspections, violations, cleanups and the state loans behind sewer and water work. Every line links to the agency's own document.

facilities and sites on file
34
those placed on the map inside Belpre
What kind of permits
ProgramFacilities and sites
Hazardous waste21
State water loans3
Air pollution2
Wastewater and stormwater discharge2
Brownfield1
Cessation Of Regulated Operations1
Contaminated-site cleanup1
Public drinking water1
Source-water protection1
Voluntary cleanup1
The latest filings
DateFacility or siteWhat
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water report
BELPRE CITY PWS Source-water protection report
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water report
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water report
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water compliance letter
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water report
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water violation resolved
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water report
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water report
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water report
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water plan
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water inspection
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water report
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water report
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water inspection
SPEEDWAY 9743 Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
SPEEDWAY 9743 Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water report
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water warning letter
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water report
MARIETTA MEMORIAL W&C HOSPITAL Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
MARIETTA MEMORIAL W&C HOSPITAL Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
MARIETTA MEMORIAL W&C HOSPITAL Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
MARIETTA MEMORIAL W&C HOSPITAL Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
BELPRE CITY PWS Public drinking water report

Source: Ohio EPA eDocument portal (edocpub.epa.ohio.gov), indexed 2026-10-14. Facilities are placed on the map from Ohio EPA's own map layers, EPA's Facility Registry, coordinates written in the filings, or a geocoded street address. A permit filed under a private person's name (most are household septic systems) is counted but never named, placed or linked; licenses for individual workers and open-burning notices are left out entirely.

Quick answers

What county is Belpre, Ohio in?

Belpre is a city in Washington County, Ohio, with 6,636 residents.

When was Belpre, Ohio founded?

Belpre was settled 1788-1789. Founders on record: Ohio Company of Associates settlers moving downriver from Marietta. Source

How did Belpre, Ohio get its name?

From 'Belle Prairie,' French for 'beautiful meadow,' a name French trappers had given the valley before American settlement. Source

What ZIP code is Belpre, Ohio?

Most of Belpre is in ZIP code 45714.

Where does Belpre, Ohio get its water?

The main water source for Belpre (Belpre City): Groundwater wells (5 wells).

Cite this page

Cite this page as:

Cracked Buckeye, "Belpre, Washington County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/belpre/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].

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