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Captain Gordon C. Greene, a veteran riverman, was born in Newport, Ohio, on September 8, 1862. In 1890 he started the “Greene Line” with the “Henry K. Bedford,” a small shallow draft steamer; he owned twenty-five packets in his lifetime. The “Greene Line” later became the “Greene Steamboat Line” then the “Delta Queen Steamboat Company,” with the original port at the Newport Landing. The Greene family launched packets for tours on the Ohio River and its tributaries. Captain Greene died in 1927 at Hyde Park, Cincinnati, and is buried in Newport Cemetery. (continued on other side)
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In recognition of its noteworthy representation of the history, culture, and architecture of the Western Reserve, Burton Village’s Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The Historic District, an area of approximately 20 acres surrounding the Village Green and along streets at the north end of the Green, includes 15 buildings of historical significance built between 1815 and 1891. Preserved within the District are commercial and public buildings and private dwellings that reflect the cultural and architectural development of a village of the Western Reserve of Ohio during the 19th century. Buildings in the predominant architectural styles of the 19th century are all represented in the Historic District, including Western Reserve, Greek Revival, Second Empire, Italianate, and Queen Anne. [Continued on other side]
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In 1784, the state of Virginia ceded all of its Northwest Territory to the federal government except for this tract to satisfy the land bounties owed to its Revolutionary War soldiers. The Virginia Military District extended from the Scioto River in the east to the Little Miami River in the west, and from the Ohio River on the south to the town of Kenton in the north. The District contained over 4 million acres of land. Nathaniel Massie founded Manchester, which is the fourth oldest settlement in Ohio, as a base for his surveying operations. Manchester, sometimes called Massie’s Station, was founded in 1791, populated largely by settlers coming from Kentucky and Virginia.
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The Seneca County Museum is the former home of local businessman Rezin W. Shawhan. Born in 1811, Shawhan arrived in Tiffin in 1832 and opened a store with his brother Lorenzo. The store’s success enabled Rezin to expand his interests into real estate and banking. Upon his death in 1887, his estate was valued in excess of $1 million. Much of it was bequeathed to his second wife, Della Watson Shawhan. He also left bequests to Heidelberg College, the library, and Tiffin’s churches. The Greek Revival-style house, built in 1853, was passed down through the family, ending with Lynn Troxel who, in 1941, donated it to the county for use as a museum. The house is a part of the Fort Ball-Railroad Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
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Pioneer Pavilion, one of the oldest structures in Youngstown, is a rare surviving example of early nineteenth-century industry. James Heaton constructed this sandstone building in 1821 as a mill for carding and fulling wool. A millrace from Mill Creek and a waterwheel on the west side supplied the power. In the 1830s and 1840s, the woolen mill was converted to a storage facility for the nearby Mill Creek Furnace and later served as a cattle barn. In 1891, Youngstown attorney Volney Rogers purchased the property for Mill Creek Park, renovating the building in 1893 as a dining and dancing facility, and naming it Pioneer Pavilion. Generations of area residents spanning three centuries have celebrated social events in this historic landmark.
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Generations of the Barker family lived in the house that stood at 89 Wood Street from 1875 to 1973. George W. Barker (1836-1913) was born enslaved in Virginia, emancipated age 13, and settled in Mansfield by 1870. He worked as a well-known chef in downtown hotels. In December 1873, Barker married Dayton-native Harriet J. Hurley (1840-1925). The next April, he purchased a corner plot in Snyder’s Subdivision for $450. Completed by 1875, his original brick house sheltered Barker, his wife, and his mother-in-law, Eliza Hurley (1815-1885). The Barker’s children — Sumner (1875-1890) and Sarah Daisy (1877-1973) — were born there. The Barker family were one of Mansfield’s historic Black families and members of the First Congregational Church. Their house once included a decorative wooden porch, numerous outbuildings, and served as an important community gathering place.
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One of the few remaining covered bridges in southwestern Ohio and the only one in Butler County on its original site, this bridge was built in 1868-1869 to give access to a saw and grist mill owned by James B. Pugh on Four Mile (Tallawanda) Creek. The wooden frame three-story mill had a 16-foot overshot water wheel to power it. Pugh’s Mill ceased operation after two decades. The name of the span gradually changed to Black Bridge, likely because there was a white covered bridge downstream near present State Route 73. The Oxford Museum Association assumed stewardship of the Black Bridge in 1976 as part of the American Bicentennial celebration. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, it was restored and rededicated in 2000.
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The Infirmary, also known as the poorhouse or simply “The Home,” is one of the last county poorhouse sites in Ohio where nearly all of the original structures still stand. The main building, constructed in 1868 with outbuildings added over the years, served as home for the county’s poor, sick, orphaned, elderly, and mentally ill. The Lunatic House was added in 1885 as a facility for the violently insane. The Infirmary operated as a self-sufficient farm where residents contributed according to their ability. Throughout its 102 years of service, the Infirmary had an average population of eighty residents, swelling to over 140 during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The site closed as a poorhouse in 1971 but reopened in 1975 as the Wood County Historical Center and Museum. The Wood County Infirmary was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.