Remarkable Ohio

Results for: social-welfare-services
1749 10th Street Northeast
Canton

, OH

Greek Christian refugees from Asia Minor migrated to Canton in the early 1900s settling in the industrial area known as “Carnahan.” Erected in 1917, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church was chartered by Elies Korosedes, Nick Kessenides, Alex Heropoulos, Harry Achilles, and Paul Paulidis. It cost $50,000 to build and was repaid within 3 years by parishioners, mostly laborers earning 30 cents an hour. In 1927, a separate building Koraes Hall was added as a social and cultural center. It was later connected to the church in 1934. The property was sold in 1976 and subsequently changed ownership many times. On September 2, 2020, a devastating fire destroyed the former Koraes Hall, rendering the remaining structure unsafe. City officials condemned the buildings for demolition and buried the remnants beneath the ground.

224 Division Street
Kelleys Island

, OH

The German Reformed Church was organized on Kelleys Island in 1865. The congregation built this church from island stone in 1866 on 1/2 acre of land purchased from Alfred S. and Hannah Kelley. By 1871, the congregation, one of five on the island, heard services in German and had 25 families as members, including those of Baumler, Beatty, Becker, Boker, Burger, Cattenach, Dodge, Elfers, Fischer, Gerlach, Hess, Huber, Jordon, Keifer, Lange, Nowalk, Pringnitz, Renter, Schaedler, Scheele, Smith, Stoll, Suhr, and Trieschman. Rev. A. William Von Kaske was the congregation’s last resident minister, leaving in 1915. The church’s final service, a funeral for William Burger, was held in 1942. The church’s Ladies Aid Society was able to maintain the building until 1957, after which it was left vacant. The Kelleys Island Historical Association leased the church in 1981 and was granted the deed in 1986.

1855 Greenville Rd / OH 88
Bristolville

, OH

In 1912, an endowment of $6,000 from Andrew Carnegie made it possible for the Bristol Public Library to become a reality. Four years earlier, the newly organized Bristol Library Association, headed and promoted by retired Judge Norman A. Gilbert, had established a subscription book service at the Congregational Church in Bristolville with books loaned from the state library. The Bristol Board of Education appointed a six-member Library Board of Trustees and a one mill levy provided financial support. Charles C. Thayer and Son designed the building in accordance with Carnegie’s recommendations and the local trustees’ suggestions. With Judge Gilbert’s unexpected death in November 1911, Board Secretary Dr. Edward Brinkerhoff was elected president to complete the vision of Judge N. A. and Mrs. Anna Gilbert for the library. (Continued on other side)

2999 S. Clayton Road
Farmersville

, OH

Slifers Presbyterian Church is on land deeded to the local faith community by Philip and Elizabeth Slifer on December 2, 1816. Rev. Thomas Winters of the German Reformed Church and Rev. John C. Dill of the Evangelical Lutheran Church ministered to people of German descent who settled in the area. During the “cold plague” (a malaria-like malady) of 1819, they ministered to the sick and grieving, renewing the faith of many. The community pooled their limited resources and began building their first log church in 1819. It was completed in 1825 and expanded later that year as the congregations grew. They erected their first brick church in 1858 for a cost of $500. Pastors conducted services for both Lutheran and Reformed congregations in German.

70 14th Street NW
Barberton

, OH

In 1918, early Slovene immigrants organized the Slovenian Independent Society Home and later constructed this hall, which became the center for Barberton Slovene cultural, social, and recreational activities. They formed dramatic and singing clubs, conducting performances in their native language. In the early twentieth century, prior to employers providing insurance or health care for their workers, the society acted to ensure sick and death benefits for its members. It also prepared members for citizenship in their newly chosen country. First generation Slovenes provided the labor that helped spur the growth of local industries while succeeding generations have continued to contribute to the community in various business, industrial, professional, and governmental capacities.

428 Tiffan Ave
Sandusky

, OH

Holy Angels Catholic Church is the mother church of Sandusky. Reverend Joseph P. Machebeuf, a French Missionary, began ministering to Catholics in the Sandusky area in late 1839. Soon after, William H. Mills offered five lots, $530, and the materials needed to build a church. Father Machebeuf laid the cornerstone on October 13, 1841, and services were held in 1842. By Christmas of 1845, the building was complete, the steeple added, and the bell installed. The congregation was mostly Irish emigrants. In 1855, as more Germans settled nearby, they built St. Mary’s Mother of Sorrows Church. The city’s expansion prompted the building of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in 1871. Holy Angels became a mission church of Sts. Peter and Paul until 1875 when Holy Angels was assigned its own pastor and reopened.

6 Federal Plaza E
Youngstown

, OH

John Young included a public square in his town plan of 1798. A one-room log schoolhouse opened in 1803. In the decades that followed, the Market and Federal Street intersection became the social center of Youngstown with wood-frame houses, churches, and an opera house surrounding the square. Horse-drawn streetcars, running from Brier Hill through the square, became the first form of public transportation in 1875. From 1869 to 1969 the nationally known Tod Hotel dominated the southeast corner of the square. Guests included seven U.S. presidents. Federal Street was paved in 1882, and electric street lights were installed in 1886. The “Diamond,” as the square was sometimes called, became the transportation hub of the city, especially after the Market Street Bridge opened in 1899. Marker for “Central Square (1900-2004)” across the street.

1234 Bolivar Road
Cleveland

, OH

The Cleveland Grays were organized by statute in 1837 as an independent volunteer militia company. The Grays were the first company to leave Cleveland for service during the Civil War. In April 1861, they were designated Company E, 1st Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI). They saw action at Vienna Station and First Manassas and also served in the 84th OVI and were on duty with the 150th OVI at Fort Stephens when Confederate General Jubal Early attacked Washington in the summer of 1864. During the Spanish-American War the Grays volunteered for service and were admitted to the National Guard as the 1st Battalion of Engineers, 10th OVI. In 1916, they joined General John J. Pershing’s Punitive Expedition against Mexico. After service on the Mexican border, the Grays became part of the 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment, 37th “Buckeye” Division. (continued on other side)