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Dr. Wilbur Henry Siebert (1866-1961) organized one of the most extensive historical collections on the Underground Railroad in the United States. Siebert served as a professor of history at the Ohio State University, 1893-1935. His collection on the Underground Railroad, housed in the Archives/Library of the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, contains diaries, books, letters, and newspaper accounts of the day, as well as reminiscences from the dwindling population of abolitionists and their families throughout the northern states. It also includes Siebert’s own manuscripts, images, notes, and correspondence relating to his research. Siebert published The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom (1898), an enduring classic on the subject, as well as numerous other books on the Underground Railroad in Ohio and elsewhere. His extensive research earned him recognition as the world’s foremost authority on the Underground Railroad.
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Seven original members, who were staunch abolitionists, organized the First Congregational Church of Berea in the nearby Union School House on June 9, 1855. These members publicly articulated opposition to slavery and their desire for a church with full local autonomy. The church purchased this property and erected this sanctuary in 1869, the oldest still standing structure used as a church in Berea and the original Middleburg Township. It is constructed of locally manufactured brick with a foundation from the Berea sandstone quarries. The 100-foot spire was added in 1954 to celebrate its 100th anniversary since the founding of the church in 1855. The church joined the newly formed United Church of Christ in 1961. During its long history, the church has developed many programs to assist persons in need in the Berea area and developed collaborative ventures with other churches and civic groups.
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The town of Bedford was settled in 1837. Early residents, Hezekiah and Clarissa Dunham donated the land that serves as Bedford Public Square. The Dunhams built one of the area’s first homes in 1832, which stands at 729 Broadway with the letters H & D above the doorway. Early settlers were attracted to the area by the abundance of natural resources and a large waterfall for mill sites. Bedford also served as a stagecoach stop on the route from Cleveland to Pittsburgh. The road or Turnpike Road as it was called was originally part of the Mahoning Indian Trail. By 1895 the road was renamed Main Street (and later Broadway) when the Akron, Bedford, and Cleveland Railway Company (ABC) traversed the middle of the street carrying passengers. The interurban is called “America’s first high speed long distance electric interurban” with speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour. [continued on other side]
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Over his 28-year coaching career, Woody Hayes (1913-1987) cemented The Ohio State University’s tradition of football excellence while amassing one of the most impressive records in college football. Wayne Woodrow Hayes grew up in Newcomerstown and graduated from Denison University in 1935; after coaching two years at Denison and three at Miami, he began coaching at Ohio State in 1951. He led the Buckeyes to 205 wins, thirteen Big Ten titles, and five national championships. Passionate and committed to victory, Hayes fielded highly disciplined teams, characterized by his trademark “three yards and a cloud of dust” running offense and staunch defense. Off the field, he stressed academic achievement and taught history during the off-season.
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At 2:30 p.m. on Friday, October 20, 1944, an above ground storage tank that held liquefied natural gas in the East Ohio Gas Company’s tank farm began to emit vapor from a seam on the side of the tank that dropped into nearby sewer lines. It mixed with air and sewer gas and ignited, resulting in explosions and fires that brought damage to nearly one square mile of Cleveland neighborhoods. With 79 homes and two factories destroyed, nearly 700 people were left homeless, 131 killed, and 225 injured. The East Ohio Gas Company took responsibility for this tragedy to aid those in need through direct financial assistance and by rebuilding the community. The disaster also led to a movement by public utilities and communities across America to store natural gas below ground without tanks.
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Daniel Drake, M.D.. Daniel Drake (1785-1852) was an influential figure in 19th century American medicine, gaining fame as physician, scientist, author, educator, and ardent champion for the City of Cincinnati. In 1819, Drake was the founding president of the Medical College of Ohio, which eventually became the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine, and a founder of Cincinnati College. Among Drake’s contributions, he argued for raising standards of medical education by having students study at patient bedsides and work in hospitals. A history of medicine from 1921 hailed Drake’s Practical Essays on Medical Education in the United States (1832) as one of “the most important contributions ever made to the subject in this country.”
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The North Olmsted Historical Society was founded in 1953 and became incorporated as a non-profit association in 1961. A year later, Frostville Museum opened in the Prechtel House. The society took on the challenge of preserving the history of the entire original township and became the Olmsted Historical Society in 1969. The Frostville Museum has grown from one house to a small village. Volunteers are dedicated to preserving the past and the present for the future. In August 2010, First Lady Michelle Obama designated the society as a Preserve America Steward. Frostville is an affiliate of the Cleveland Metroparks.
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On April 29, 1879, using arc carbons from the forerunner of The National Carbon Company, the City of Cleveland was illuminated by the world’s first practical electric street lamp. The National Carbon Company was established in Cleveland, Ohio in 1886 by Brush Electric Company executive W.H. Lawrence in association with future Ohio Governor Myron T. Herrick, James Parmelee, and Webb Hayes, son of United States President Rutherford B. Hayes. Well known for its batteries, The National Carbon Company also earned recognition for breakthrough research and products, including lifesaving carbon-filtered gas masks used by soldiers in World War I and reentry parts on the spacecraft that captivated the nation in the 1960s.
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