Editing Chester, West Virginia (section)

==History==
[[File:Chester municipal building.jpg|thumb|left|The Chester Municipal Building, originally Chester High School]]

Chester was established in 1896, but not incorporated until 1907.<ref name="West Virginia Blue Book">{{cite book|last=[[West Virginia Legislature]]|first=|title=West Virginia Blue Book, 2017-2018|url= https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/publications/bluebook/2017-2018/0943_WVS_BlueBook.pdf|chapter=Section Ten: Municipalities|year=2018|publisher=West Virginia Legislature|location=Charleston, West Virginia|page=963}}</ref> The town was established by [[East Liverpool, Ohio]] lawyer J.E. McDonald, and the name may be a transfer from [[Chester County, Pennsylvania]] or [[Chester, England]], although its true origin is unknown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rockspringspark.blogspot.com/2012/04/who-named-chester-and-when-was-it.html |title=Who Named Chester and When Was It Founded? |author=Joseph A. Comm |date=April 9, 2012 |accessdate=September 16, 2022 }}</ref> It was the home of [[Rock Springs Park]], a small [[amusement park]] founded in 1897 by McDonald, home to various rides, a swimming pool, a lake, a small zoo, and live performances.<ref name="Cashdollar">{{cite web|url=http://files.usgwarchives.net/wv/hancock/history/chester.txt |title=Historical Chester: Historical Compilation by Roy Cashdollar |author=Roy Cashdollar |date=October 30, 1997 |accessdate=September 16, 2022 }}</ref> It closed in 1970 for the expansion of [[U.S. Route 30]] through the area.

The town grew in the early 20th century, led primarily by the pottery industry founded in nearby East Liverpool. The Taylor, Smith & Taylor Company was the leading manufacturer in Chester, employing over 800 people at one time.<ref name="Cashdollar" /> Another large employer was the steel-manufacturing Chester Rolling Mill Company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.laurelhollowpark.net/chester/chesterrollingmill.html |title=Chester Rolling Mill Co. |author=LaurelHollowPark.net |accessdate=September 16, 2022 }}</ref>

The [[Chester teapot]], the town's main attraction, was purchased by Wilford Devon in 1938 and moved to Chester from [[Carnegie, Pennsylvania]]. It served as a barrel-shaped food stand with soft serve ice cream, hot dogs, and soft drinks until it was moved and remodeled to its current location in 1990 and has been featured in depictions of West Virginia, such as in the video game [[Fallout 76]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://chester.lib.wv.us/teapot.html |title=History of "The World's Largest Teapot" |author=Lynn Murray Memorial Public Library |accessdate=September 16, 2022 }}</ref>