, OH
Nathanial Sackett (1768-1854) and John H. Piatt (1781-1820) platted Monroe in 1817, naming it for President James Monroe. Monroe was a stagecoach stop between Cincinnati and Dayton and grew to be a rural village surrounded by farms and dotted with small factories, incorporating in 1907. Beginning in the mid-1950s and coinciding with the construction of Interstate 75, the village expanded geographically, through the annexation of surrounding farmland, and continued to grow in population. Monroe officially became a city in 1995, when its population exceeded 5,000 people (5,380). As of its bicentennial year of 2017, Monroe was home to more than 13,000.
, OH
When radio station WJW disc jockey Alan Freed (1921-1965) used the term “rock and roll” to describe the uptempo black rhythm and blues records he played beginning in 1951, he named a new genre of popular music that appealed to audiences on both sides of 1950s American racial boundaries–and dominated American culture for the rest of the 20th century. The popularity of Freed’s nightly “Moon Dog House Rock and Roll Party” radio show encouraged him to organize the Moondog Coronation Ball–the first rock concert. Held at the Cleveland Arena on March 21, 1952, the oversold show was beset by a riot during the first set. Freed, a charter inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, moved to WINS in New York City in 1954 and continued to promote rock music through radio, television, movies, and live performances.
, OH
Considered the first citizen of the East Side, Peter Navarre, along with his brother Robert, first settled the land east of the Maumee River in 1807. A fur trader by profession, Navarre was experienced in wilderness survival and had a deep understanding of Native American life. He died on March 20, 1874, and was buried at Mt. Carmel Cemetery across the river from his beloved East Toledo. In 1922, the City of Toledo declared September 9th Peter Navarre Day, an official city holiday. This marker commemorates the 200th anniversary of the founding of East Toledo.
, OH
The Lincoln School building stood at 2402 Central Avenue for almost a century. In 1919, a twenty-year bond levy provided for the construction of five schools, including the “new east school” Lincoln Elementary. Construction began in 1921 on the eight-acre site while students attended classes in temporary structures. Lincoln School opened in 1923 with 500 students enrolled. Lincoln Field, football grounds for McKinley High School’s “Middies,” stood behind Lincoln from 1930 until 1950 when Barnitz Field Stadium was built on South Main Street. Additions to the original Lincoln building included a maintenance annex in 1935 and a gymnasium in 1959. Lincoln School closed in November 1980 during a 1980-1981 Middletown City School District reorganization. Students from Lincoln and Sherman schools moved to the refurbished Roosevelt School at 2701 Central Avenue.
, OH
Spring Grove received its charter by an act of the Ohio Legislature in January 1845. Motivated by crowded conditions of small cemeteries created by the cholera epidemics of the 1830s and 1840s, the Cincinnati Horticultural Society formed a cemetery association in 1844 to find a location for a rural cemetery. Under the guidance of Robert Buchanan, local attorney Salmon P. Chase drafted the charter that was granted, and Spring Grove, consisting of 166 acres designed with a natural setting embellished with shrubbery, flowers, trees, and walks, was dedicated on August 28, 1845. A leader in cemetery design and the landscape “lawn plan” concept, Spring Grove officially changed its name to Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum in 1987.
, OH
The Upper Arlington Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, is an important example of the “Garden City” model of early 20th century suburban development. Based on English precedents, the “Garden City” movement promoted the ideals of rustic beauty, health and comfort in an era when urban areas were becoming increasingly industrialized and congested. Local entrepreneurs King and Ben Thompson purchased 840 acres of farmland northwest of Columbus from James T. Miller for the creation of their “Country Club District” in 1913. The Upper Arlington Company, incorporated in 1917, built its field office in the building now used as Miller Park Library. Noted landscape architect William Pitkin, Jr. designed the curvilinear streets, spacious lots with generous setbacks, and permanent open spaces that characterize the district. Residential, civic, and commercial designs in the romantic Period Revival architectural styles popular between 1915 and 1940 contribute to the charm and character of the area known as Old Arlington.
, OH
John Malvin (1795-1880) was an operative on the Underground Railroad and an ardent member of anti-slavery and abolitionist causes. Born in Dumfries, Virginia of a free mother and enslaved father, Malvin was apprenticed at an early age to learn carpentry and taught himself to read and write. In 1827, he moved to Cincinnati where he became an ordained preacher and an activist in the cause of freedom. In 1831, with his wife Harriet, he moved to Cleveland where he became a charter member of the First Baptist Church, a sawmill operator, and captain and owner of the canal boat Auburn. (continued on other side)
, OH
Following the success of Confederate forces in eastern Kentucky and General John Hunt Morgan’s raids there in 1862, Cincinnatians believed that Southern invasion was imminent. Anxious officials ordered Cincinnati citizens to form home guards, but black men willing to volunteer were rebuffed when they attempted to join a defense force. Instead, police serving as provost guards rounded up many and marched them by bayonet to build fortifications in Kentucky. Reacting to the shameful treatment of the blacks eager to support the Union, the commander of the Department of Ohio dispatched Major General Lewis Wallace to command the civilians and to liberate black men forced into service. (continued on other side)