The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Brilliant was laid out in 1819 by western Virginia statesman Philip Doddridge under the name "Philipsburgh". The location was considered significant to commerce as it was the convergence of many roads in close proximity to the Ohio River and parallel to the Wellsburg wharf. A new addition was laid out in 1836 named "La Grange", a name also adopted by the railway station in 1856. In 1880, the Brilliant Glass Company was established and a glass factory was built at La Grange. The town later adopted the name of the glass company and was incorporated as "Brilliant", changing the titles of the railway station and post office.
The Cardinal Power Plant is located south of Brilliant. It commenced operations in 1967.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Start Brilliant’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Brilliant’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Brilliant, decade by decade
2000
Nothing in Brilliant is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Brilliant has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Wellsburg Wharf in Wellsburg, 1.2 miles away.
Brilliant and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.
Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.