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Front Text: Worthington (1773-1827), land developer as well as statesman, laid out the village of Logan, beginning on June 27, 1816, while he was Governor of Ohio. This lot was set aside by him to be used as a public market place. Worthington became a member of the Masonic Lodge in Cincinnati in 1799. He later helped to organize the first Masonic Lodge in Chillicothe. [Masonic Emblem] Back Text: Same
Address: SW Corner of Main and Market Strets, Logan
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Front Text: The twelfth lock on the Hocking Canal, the Sheep Pen lock underscores Southeast Ohioans' efforts to open their region to the world during the mid-nineteenth century. Built as a guard lock, it was intended to permit slackwater navigation of the Hocking River by regulating water depths where river and canal met. Those plans were later abandoned and the mechanism was converted to a lift lock, which raised and lowered boats as required by changes in the canal's elevation. (Continued on other side) Back Text: (Continued from other side) Stretching from Carroll to Athens, the Hocking Canal opened in 1843. The canal stimulated the growth of Lancaster, Logan, and Nelsonville, and opened the Hocking Valley to trade. Its major exports were salt, coal, and iron. Imports included goods from the East, such as cloth, shoes, and dishes. The advent of railroads in the 1850s meant the beginning of the end for canals. In 1894, the Hocking Canal was abandoned.
Address: Dupler Road/Twp Road 119, Rockbridge
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Front Text: Modern roads often have their precedents in much older thoroughfares. Two ancient paths once converged near this point. As late as the 1700s, the Salt Trail guided Native Americans from the upper Scioto Valley plains past Cantwell Cliffs, Cedar Falls, and Ash Cave to the salt springs in present-day Jackson County to obtain this precious commodity. The alignment of this path parallels State Route 56 from South Bloomingville and then turns southward along Narrows Road through the Salt Creek valley. An important Shawnee hunting trail extended from the Chillicothe area to the wooded hills in this region, which abounded in elk, buffalo, black bear, deer, and wild turkey. Route 56 from Ash Cave to Laurelville closely follows this trail. Back Text: Same
Location: Junction of SR 56 & Narrows Road
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Front Text: Originally known as Hocking Furnace, Haydenville was founded by and named for Columbus industrialist Peter Hayden (1806-1888), who energetically developed the coal, iron, sandstone, and fire clay deposits found in abundance in this area. Here he operated an iron furnace, coal mines and sandstone quarries, shipping products on the Hocking Canal and, later, the Hocking Valley Railroad he helped build. The incorporation of the Haydenville Mining and Manufacturing Company in 1882 initiated the manufacture of brick and ceramic tile from fire clay. Business boomed in the late 19th century as cities paved their streets with brick and fireproof construction became popular in the wake of widely publicized and tragic fires. Back Text: Architecturally unique in Ohio, Haydenville was built in several phases using its own readily available clay products. The buildings and houses incorporate a variety of different bricks, blocks, and tiles, making the entire town a catalog of the company's products. The brick homes on the east side of town date to the 1870s, while most the tile block homes were built in the 1880s and 1890s. Many boast imaginative details using sewer pipe, silo tiles, and paving blocks. Haydenville was sold to the National Fireproofing Company (Natco) in 1906 and remained company-owned until 1964, making it the last company town in Ohio. The Haydenville Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Address: Haydenville Road/Twp Road 25, Haydenville
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Front Text: This recess cave was named for the "old man" Richard Rowe, a recluse who made the cave his home in the 1800s and is a part of scenic Hocking Hills State Park. Hocking comes from the Wyandot Indian word "hockinghocking," referring to the Hocking River's bottle-shaped gorge near Lancaster. Streams and percolating groundwater carved the hollows and caves in this area from layers of sandstone bedrock that vary in hardness. The hollow's moist, cool climate preserves more typically northern tree species such as eastern hemlock trees and Canada yew, which have persisted since the glaciers retreated 15,000 years ago. Back Text: Same
Address: Hocking Hills State Park, 20160 State Route 664, Logan
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Front Text: Born in 1886 on a farm near Logan, Tessa Sweazy Webb was a teacher at the Hocking County Children's Home where she began writing poetry. By 1924 she had become well known across the state and nation for her published works. Under Webb's successful leadership and effort, the Ohio legislature passed a resolution in 1938 calling for an annual state observance of Ohio Poetry Day. Webb's work in Ohio was responsible for all fifty states observing Poetry Day. She received the Ohioana Award in 1942 for Window by the Sea, chosen as the best book of verse by an Ohio poet. In 1961, the Ohioana Library issued a citation citing her devotion to making Ohioans aware of Ohio Poetry Day. Webb died in 1979 in Logan at the age of 93. Back Text: Same
Address: Just N of 64 N Culver Street, Logan
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Front Text: Known as the Norwegian Count, Nils Louis Christian Kachelmacher was born in Oslo, Norway of wealthy parentage. He immigrated to the United States at age 21 and was responsible for industrial growth in the Hocking Valley and expansion of the town of Logan. As president of the Columbus and Hocking Coal & Iron Company, Kachelmacher pioneered oil fields and developed holdings in iron, natural gas, and coal. He also directed the construction of the Greendale Brick plant, once considered the world's largest brick producer. He died in 1917, bequeathing 10 acres of land to be used solely as a public park. He also established a trust to create an institution "solely to research the cure, prevention, and relief of varicose veins." He once said, "It is my belief that each person should endeavor to make the world a little better because he lived and worked in it." Back Text: Same
Address: S, Falls Street/OH 93, Logan