The Rising Tides of Ravenswood

This small Jackson County city is experiencing a new age of growth and innovation.

written by SUSAN JOHNSON
photographed by NIKKI BOWMAN MILLS

It’s 7 a.m. when Steve and Sabrina Cogar arrive at The Ravenswood Inn to start cooking. For eight years, the couple has operated a bed and breakfast in the charming Victorian home Sabrina inherited from her parents.

By 7:30, the aromas of coffee, bacon, and fresh-baked buttermilk biscuits are reaching the guests upstairs. Sabrina sets the table with vintage green and white Trenle Blake china manufactured in Ravenswood and West Virginia’s own Fiesta tableware. Even the mattresses in the guest rooms were made in the Mountain State.

Steve announces that the eggs are done, and Sabrina rings a little red bell to summon the guests. They are greeted by a full country breakfast, complete with local peaches, blueberries, and honey.

By living a version of the American dream that is hard to find in today’s world, the Cogars easily answer the question, “Why Ravenswood?” The couple is deeply rooted in the town’s past, surrounded by antiques and family relics. The very streets and landmarks around town allude to George Washington, who had local land surveyed in the early 1770s and whose family members settled here.

But Ravenswood is also a vibrant modern city, reinventing itself with new industry, infrastructure, and innovation. What’s more, the Cogars enjoy the rare gift of seeing two of their four children put down roots right in town. Son Max owns a high-tech machine shop in Ravenswood, and daughter Natalee works remotely as a book editor in a home across the street from her parents.

For Ravenswood mayor Josh Miller, this is the vision he’s been working toward for the past nine years: a city with a rich past and a bright future.

What’s (Growing) Here

Founded on the banks of the Ohio River in 1852, Ravenswood became a stately farming town. For a century, the population hovered around 1,000. That changed dramatically in the 1950s, when Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Company opened a sheet metal plant. Over the following two decades, Ravenswood’s population would quadruple. The plant went through various ups and downs and owners, and it is owned today by Constellium, a manufacturer of aluminum products. Ravenswood is synonymous with aluminum, and most families in town have been impacted by the industry in some way.

American manufacturing waned and Ravenswood’s population dwindled until 2016, when a mayor came along who had the energy and drive to meet the moment. 39-year-old Josh Miller is in his fourth term, and the challenges he faces are not unlike those of the 1960s: An explosion of industry is poised to dramatically transform Jackson County. A titanium plant developed by TIMET has settled into the former Century Aluminum site—and soon it will use 100% renewable energy to manufacture titanium products for industries including aerospace and defense, joining two other plants in Ravenswood that make plastics: Niche Polymer and Star Plastics.

“Our biggest challenge is housing,” Mayor Miller says, and he has orchestrated a dynamic group of developers and investors to meet it. Philanthropists and developers Judy and Doug Ritchie are spearheading projects—RRES and RCOM, residential and commercial development companies doing business as Renewable Ravenswood—that will help to address the housing issue and to bring local businesses downtown. Currently, RRES owns 15 residential lots, and three homes have been built to date. Commercial and apartment rentals are being planned through RCOM. Plans to refurbish the century-old downtown Ritchie Building feature five one-bedroom apartments on the second floor and storefronts on the first floor.

Miller has used his political skills to lead city investment to the tourism sector. He oversaw improvements of the Great Bend Museum and built Great Bend Campground, an RV camp with boat slips and bathhouses. When nearby Cedar Lakes Convention Center in Ripley discontinued its drive-through Christmas light show, Miller moved it to the riverfront. Upwards of 10,000 people visit the show each season.

He’s not afraid to be bold. Some people bucked him on installing infrastructure for food trucks, until one of those food trucks moved into a bricks-and-mortar building on Main Street. Now Las Fajitas is the centerpiece of the downtown commercial district. Soon the town will break ground on a pedestrian bridge that will allow easy access to the charming riverfront area. Also in the works are plans for a high-tech welcome center with the potential for riverfront dining.

Why Stay

Ravenswood is the quintessential family town. At just under two square miles in size, the town is easily walkable. There’s a church on every corner, and the crime rate is low. Citizens still enjoy having their high school and middle school within the city limits, complete with all-American traditions like Friday night lights and homecoming parades. Antique stores abound, and the Steaming Cup Cafe is always brewing up something good. Santee Sweets and Eats serves up tasty home cooking and sugary treats for every palate, or you can grab a meal at the popular Dawg Pound or the recentlyopened Butcher Block. The county seat of Ripley is just 11 miles away, so the amenities Ravenswood doesn’t have—like a hospital and a college—are close by. “Our two towns work closely together,” Miller says. “In Jackson County, we believe a rising tide lifts all boats.”

The Cogars are as committed as ever to keeping the charms of Ravenswood alive. Steve works hand in hand with Mayor Miller as the city attorney. The couple operates a frame shop, various rentals, a property management business, and a woodworking shop, all while supporting their children in their careers.

All around the Ravenswood Inn Bed & Breakfast are the artifacts of a rich family history. In the cozy kitchen hangs Steve’s mother’s apron and a cast iron skillet she used “to keep my dad in line.” Sabrina beams as she clears the breakfast table. “We love doing this.”

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