Steubenville, Ohio

Steubenville is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Ohio River, it had a population of 18,659 at the 2010 census.

The city's name is derived from Fort Steuben, a 1786 fort that sat within the city's current limits and was named for German-Prussian military officer Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. Today, a replica of the fort is open to the public.

Steubenville is known as the "City of Murals", after its more than 25 downtown murals. It is home to Franciscan University of Steubenville and Eastern Gateway Community College (formerly Jefferson Community College).

History

In 1786-87, the soldiers of the 1st American Regiment built Fort Steuben to protect the government surveyors mapping the land west of the Ohio River, and named the fort in honor of Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. When the surveyors completed their task a few years later, the fort was abandoned. In the meantime, settlers had built homes around the fort; they named their settlement Steubenville. The name Steubenville was derived from Fort Steuben to honor Baron von Steuben (the fort was named for the Baron). The town was sometimes referred to as La Belle City, a franglais interpretation of "The Beautiful City."