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Built in 1819, this classic Greek Revival style colonial is attributed to the works of master builder and architect Jonathon Goldsmith. Goldsmith is known for his simple, yet elegant craftsmanship and architectural designs, especially the unique front doorways that are signatures of his creations. The house reveals original detailed woodwork and a functional floor plan. It was constructed for Uri Seeley, one of the earliest settlers of Lake County. Seeley and his family were dedicated to the anti-slavery movement and used this residence as a stop for travelers on the Underground Railroad. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
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The Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad Company was chartered by the State of Ohio in January 1832 to connect west central Ohio with northern Ohio and Lake Erie. It was the first company to be incorporated for railroad purposes in the state. Construction started in Sandusky in 1835. By June 1849, the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad was completed to Springfield. Through a series of mergers, the railroad became known as the Big Four Railroad in 1890. It came under control of the New York Central Railroad in 1905. As the railroad industry consolidated, ownership transferred from New York Central to Penn Central and then to Conrail. In 1994, the West Central Ohio Port Authority, a special purpose district established by the boards of county commissioners of Champaign, Clark, and Fayette counties, acquired the railroad track to ensure that freight service would continue.
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The coming of the railroads to Alliance is an important event in Stark County’s history. In 1851, the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad (running SE to NW) and the Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad (E to W) intersected at this location. It was known as “the crossing” and became the Village of Alliance. William Robinson, Jr., the president of the Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad, is credited with applying the name “Alliance” to the crossing, dating to when the railroads bought rights-of-way in 1849 and anticipated the intersection of the lines. A plat named “Alliance” was recorded September 26, 1850. The Village of Alliance was established in 1854, when 100 citizens of the communities of Williamsport, Freedom, and Alliance (also known as Liberty), signed a petition to incorporate on March 15. The petition was accepted and recorded in June.
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The Cincinnati Union Terminal opened in March 1933 and integrated rail travel in the city, which previously operated from five separate passenger terminals. Built when rail travel was already in decline, Union Terminal stopped operating as a passenger railroad station in 1972. Only during WWII was the terminal used to capacity with as many as 34,000 people travelling through the building daily in 1944. As part of preservation efforts, 14 mosaics depicting Cincinnati industry of the 1930s by Winold Reiss were saved from the concourse and moved to the Greater Cincinnati Airport. The restored Union Terminal became a Museum Center in November 1990 with the opening of the renovated Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and new Cincinnati History Museum. Cincinnati Union Terminal has been described as one of the most outstanding examples of Art Deco train stations in the nation and was listed on National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
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The decision to build the P&O Canal resulted from several canal conventions at Warren’s first courthouse in 1833. Canal advocates from Warren included Simon Perkins, Leicester King, David Tod, and Calvin Pease. Finished in 1840, this 82 mile canal linked two north-south canals, the Beaver Canal and the Ohio and Erie Canal, via an east-west route for passengers and commerce. By 1856, the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal was replaced by the railroad and the entire route was abandoned by 1872. (Continued on other side)
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You are standing on the site of Ohio and Erie Canal. The canal helped to open the interior of Ohio to trade and settlement and played a part in Winchester’s prosperity during the mid-1800s. Local farmers exported grain from the village via the canal while local merchants imported such items as coffee, dishes, and tools for sale. Winchester was later named Canal Winchester to distinguish it from other “Winchesters” and to honor the role the canal played in its development. (Continued on side two)
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Activity of the Underground Railroad is believed to have begun in Brookfield Township around 1838 with the first known runaway slaves, two women, to pass through in 1843. Freedom seekers moved north using a system of routes known by operators, or “conductors”. Trumbull County reputedly had over 150 miles of Underground Railroad routes, which would have made it the largest network in Ohio. The slaves that passed through Brookfield Township came mostly from the Youngstown, Poland, and the Canfield areas. From Brookfield they were sent north to Hartford, Kinsman, Burghill, and Vienna ultimately headed to Canada.
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Champaign County residents Joseph Vance (1786-1852) and John H. James (1800-1881) were among the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad’s first officers, serving as president and treasurer, respectively. Vance emerged as a leader in the War of 1812 and, in the same year, was elected to public office. In 1836, Vance resigned as president of the railroad to become the twelfth governor of Ohio. Finances for the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad were obtained in large measure through the efforts of Urbana resident John H. James, a prominent attorney, politician, and banker. As treasurer, James managed a grant of $200,000 provided by the state with the 1832 charter and other state loans of credit. James became president of the railroad in 1836, serving in a dual capacity of president and treasurer until 1842, when James Vance again became president.
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