Middleport

He and his wife were raising five children on two acres of land, and their large garden proved helpful in feeding the family.

While working in his garden, Gravely was discontent with the plows afforded the everyday gardener, so he worked in the machine shop of his friend F.W. Wilcox in nearby Middleport, Ohio, where he combined a hand push plow with an auxiliary Indian motorcycle engine, the first Gravely tractor, and the first of 65 patents he would have in his lifetime.

The Gravely Company was incorporated in 1922, and investor interest was so great that the company acquired a former tire factory in Dunbar to manufacture their products.

Ben Gravely traveled the country selling them, building a reputation so strong that he soon had sales outlets all over the nation, as well as France, Germany, and Switzerland.

So are you noticing a pretty good response?

Yeah, I mean, I've got for that private event, I invited the City Council, the Chamber of Commerce, the Middleport Business Alliance, Kevin Ritter from the State Senate.

And they've all, I think all but one has told me they'll be here.

So that's, you know, on the official side, that's good.

us and Charleston.

It's in the middle.

That's why I call it Middleport.

Meet y'all in the