About

St. Marys, the Pleasants County seat, is located on the banks of the Ohio. The town was founded by Alexander Creel in 1849. According to legend, Creel was traveling by steamboat down the Ohio when he beheld a vision of the Virgin Mary who told him that a city founded at the joining of the Ohio River and Middle Island Creek would be happy and prosperous. Creel bought the land, marked off the streets for his city, and named it in honor of the Virgin Mary.