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Charles Wells settled in the area that would
eventually be known as Sistersville in 1802,giving his new home the name "Well's
Landing." Wells founded a number of towns along the Ohio River in addition to
siring 22 children over the course of his lifetime.
When he died in 1815, all of his land was divided among his children. Two of the
daughters, Sarah and Delilah Wells, combined their property in what had been
Well's Landing and laid it out in lots to found the new village of Sistersville.
The town was subsequently incorporated in 1839.
Sistersville was home to just around 300 inhabitants for much of its early
existence. That all changed in 1884 when the railroad came through town. The
influx of settlers led to the first attempt to drill for oil in the great
Sistersville oil field in 1891. Oil-related business made our town boom from a
rural village to a small, bustling metropolis of roughly 15,000 almost
overnight. Housing could not be built fast enough to accommodate the arrival of
new residents, so strings of houseboats became a common sight along the river.
These boats provided not only a place to sleep but also a variety of
entertainment and businesses.
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