Huntington's History

The city of Huntington was founded in 1871 by railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington who was looking to build a western terminus for his fledgling Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. By February 1871, he had found the perfect location in a cornfield on the banks of the Ohio River.

For more than a century, the C&O was the region’s largest employer. The next century and a quarter witnessed many changes to the city that extends for some 15 miles along the river’s flood plane. Three bridges now span the beautiful Ohio and a major interstate runs south of town.

Between the river and the highway stands the Huntington region, home to more than 315,000 residents, a beautiful park system, factories, businesses, hotels, theaters, an art museum and, of course, Marshall University. Over the last 137 years, the city has seen many exciting changes and dramatic events.

Electric lights first shone on Huntington streets on November 12, 1886. This led city fathers to decide to add the new technological marvel called the electric street car to city transportation.

September 1913, Ritter Park, located on the city’s southside on land once considered the outskirts of town, opened to the public. Ritter Park, named for Charles Lloyd Ritter in honor of his gift of several acres of land, has been dubbed the “Jewel of Huntington.”

In 1926, the Sixth Street Bridge, Huntington’s first span across the Ohio River, opened to traffic. Two years later, the city celebrated the opening of the opulent Keith-Albee Theatre, the city’s largest movie theater and then one of the largest in the country outside of New York City.

The winter of 1937 brought a terrible flood as water from the swollen Ohio River inundated most of the region testing the endurance of the residents. The entire city was paralyzed by the far-reaching waters. Six thousand people were left homeless. Later, a 15-mile long flood wall was built to protect the city by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

In 1961, a long sought-after event took place as Marshall College became a university. After a decade of growth, tragedy struck on November 14, 1970, when a chartered airliner crashed on its approach to the Tri-State Airport, claiming the lives of 75 passengers and crew including almost all of the Marshall football team.

Today Marshall University is the state’s fastest growing institution for higher learning with an enrollment in excess of 16,000 students. Downtown also is making a comeback with new businesses, specialty shops, restaurants and various activities.