The Landing of the Welsh in Gallipolis

The Landing of the Welsh in Gallipolis. . , On April 1, 1818, six families from the Cilcennin area of Mid-Wales sailed from Aberaeron, Wales to Baltimore. The group of 36 people was led by John Jones Tirbach. From Baltimore they traveled to Pittsburgh and then by flatboats down the Ohio River toward their destination-Paddy's Run in Butler County in the southwest corner of Ohio. They stopped in Gallipolis for provisions where their boats were cut loose by either travel-weary women or citizens of Gallipolis who wanted them to stay. The men found work on the Gallipolis to Chillicothe road that was under construction. The terrain reminded them of Mid-Wales, so they purchased land near Centerville and remained. These Welsh prospered and wrote home to Wales with news of their success, prompting others to come, In the 1830s and 1840s, several hundred Welsh families followed the first group to Gallia and Jackson counties. This mass exodus was due to the economic stress and oppressive government at the time, and lack of religious freedom. Farming, iron production, manufacturing of clay products, banking, politics, and the professions became the leading occupations of the Welsh and their descendants. Evidence of their successful industries still exists in Oak Hill and Jackson. The Welsh Scenic Byway includes many of the original 22 Welsh churches and cemeteries and is marked with Red Dragon signs. As the Welsh said in 1839, "Bydd melys lanio draw ‘Rol bod o don o don. Ac mi rof ffarwel maes o law i'r ddaear hon," meaning "It will be sweet landing yonder, After sailing wave to wave, The last Farewell is hard to bear, As we leave our dear Wales."