Below is a complete listing of all Ohio Historical Markers. To find a detailed marker listing including text, photographs, and locations, click on a county below. Our listing is updated by the markers program as new markers are installed and older markers are reported damaged or missing.
148-25 Robert W. Johnson Creates A Neighborhood / Flint Ridge Terrace, An Intentional Neighborhood
Side A: Robert (1923-1992) and Vera (1921-2026) Johnson purchased twelve acres of land along Flint Road between 1957 and 1960. A Black entrepreneur with an electric business, Mr. Johnson advocated for equal housing by investing personal resources to create a neighborhood for Black homeowners. Despite the 1948 Fair Housing Act, Black buyers were denied mortgages while neighborhoods applied restrictive covenants that discouraged their ability to purchase in predominantly white suburbs. Having learned from Alexander and Leona Wheatley that they could buy property in Sharon Township, the Johnsons took action. In 1960, they built a house on Flint Road. In 1962 they developed two roads, subdivided acreage, and opened Flint Ridge Terrace. The Johnsons’ intentional development of a welcoming and diverse neighborhood opened Sharon Township and the Worthington School District to Black homeowners.
Side B: The Johnsons dedicated Melyers Court and Bertson Place to Sharon Township in 1961. They platted Flint Ridge Terrace into half-acre sites to be built to owners’ specifications. Restrictive covenants were created comparable to Sharon Township and Worthington deeds, except for the phrase “the undersigned contemplates the future sale of said parcels in said Flint Ridge Terrace to many and divers[e] persons.” In 1964, the Wheatleys added 6 lots, platting Flint Ridge Terrace No. 2. Residents successfully thwarted efforts to rezone surrounding lands for non-residential use during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1965, the Sharon Flint Residents’ Association organized to retain legal assistance and exert political clout. Twenty-five Black families built homes in Flint Ridge Terrace. Children of those original homeowners credit the idyllic neighborhood with helping them forge successful and fulfilling adulthoods.
