Mount Pleasant, Ohio facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mount Pleasant, Ohio
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Village
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Union Street, Mount Pleasant Historic District
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Location of Mount Pleasant in Jefferson County and the state of Ohio
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| Country | United States |
| State | Ohio |
| County | Jefferson |
| Township | Mount Pleasant |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.26 sq mi (0.66 km2) |
| • Land | 0.26 sq mi (0.66 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,217 ft (371 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 394 |
| • Density | 1,545.10/sq mi (596.85/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
43939
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| Area code(s) | 740 |
| FIPS code | 39-52976 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2399415 |
Mount Pleasant is a small village in southern Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. In 2020, about 394 people lived there. It is part of the Weirton–Steubenville metropolitan area.
Mount Pleasant was started in 1803 by a group of people called Quakers. These Quakers were strongly against slavery. Because of this, the village became an important place for people who wanted to end slavery. It was also a well-known safe place for enslaved people escaping to freedom on the Underground Railroad.
Contents
History of Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant was founded in 1803. Its name comes from the beautiful views of the land around it. For a short time, it was also called Jesse-Bobtown. In 1802, a Quaker named Nathan Updegraff moved to Mount Pleasant from Pennsylvania. His family was very important among the Quakers in Ohio. Many of them became Quaker ministers and leaders.
Fighting Against Slavery
Mount Pleasant played a big role in the fight against slavery. In 1817, a Quaker named Charles Osborn started a newspaper called The Philanthropist in the village. This was the first newspaper in the entire country that openly called for the end of slavery. Later, another person who fought against slavery, James G. Birney, used the same name for his own anti-slavery newspaper. He published it in Cincinnati starting in 1836.
In 1821, another Quaker who was against slavery, Benjamin Lundy, also began publishing a newspaper in Mount Pleasant. It was called The Genius of Universal Emancipation. This newspaper later moved to Baltimore, Maryland. Lundy's house in Mount Pleasant is now a special historical site called a National Historic Landmark.
Nathan Updegraff's son, David Benjamin Updegraff (1789–1864), was also very active in the anti-slavery movement. He was a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad in Mount Pleasant. This meant he helped guide and hide enslaved people as they traveled to freedom.
Today, most of the village is part of a special area called the Mount Pleasant Historic District. This district is also a National Historic Landmark because of its important history.
Geography
Mount Pleasant is a small village. The United States Census Bureau says that the village covers about 0.66 square kilometers (0.26 square miles) of land. There is no water area within the village limits.
Population Information
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1810 | 246 | — | |
| 1820 | 421 | 71.1% | |
| 1830 | 554 | 31.6% | |
| 1850 | 755 | — | |
| 1870 | 563 | — | |
| 1880 | 693 | 23.1% | |
| 1890 | 644 | −7.1% | |
| 1900 | 626 | −2.8% | |
| 1910 | 701 | 12.0% | |
| 1920 | 635 | −9.4% | |
| 1930 | 674 | 6.1% | |
| 1940 | 717 | 6.4% | |
| 1950 | 760 | 6.0% | |
| 1960 | 656 | −13.7% | |
| 1970 | 635 | −3.2% | |
| 1980 | 616 | −3.0% | |
| 1990 | 498 | −19.2% | |
| 2000 | 535 | 7.4% | |
| 2010 | 478 | −10.7% | |
| 2020 | 394 | −17.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
The population of Mount Pleasant has changed over many years. In 1810, there were 246 people. The population grew to 755 by 1850. By the 2020 census, the population was 394 people.
2010 Census Details
In 2010, there were 478 people living in Mount Pleasant. These people lived in 192 households, and 143 of these were families. Most of the people living there were White (97.7%). A small number were African American, Native American, or Asian.
The average age of people in the village was about 44.5 years old. About 20.9% of the people were under 18 years old.
Education
Children in Mount Pleasant attend public schools run by the Buckeye Local School District.
Notable People
Many interesting people have connections to Mount Pleasant:
- William Lawrence – A Republican politician.
- Benjamin Lundy – An important person who worked to end slavery.
- Stephen Mason Merrill – A clergyman in the Methodist church.
- Benjamin Stanton – He served as the sixth lieutenant governor of Ohio.
- David Benjamin Updegraff (1789–1864) – A Quaker minister who helped enslaved people escape on the Underground Railroad.
- Jonathan T. Updegraff (1822–1882) – A doctor and politician who represented Ohio in the U.S. Congress.
- Moses Fleetwood Walker – The first African-American professional baseball player.
