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Waterloo was home to the legendary Waterloo Wonders. Coach Magellan Hariston and his Wonder Five captured consecutive Ohio state high school Class B basketball championships in 1934 & 1935, winning 94 out of 97 games, and defeating many Class A and college teams. The 91st Ohio House of Representatives honored the Waterloo Wonders with a resolution following their second Class B State Championship win. The Wonders, known for their colorful passing show, entertained fans with their scoring ability, defense, trick passes, and hardwood antics. Hailing from a small village with a school male enrollment of only 26, the Waterloo Wonders were considered one of the greatest basketball teams ever assembled on the Ohio high school athletic scene. After high school, four of the Wonder Five played professionally as the Waterloo Wonders, ranking among the best basketball squads in the country.
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The Sisters of the Precious Blood, founded in Switzerland by Maria Anna Brunner in 1834, began their ministry of prayer and education in Mercer County here at Maria Stein (Our Lady of the Rock). Father Francis de Sales Brunner, a Missionary of the Precious Blood, brought the Sisters to America in 1844, and in 1846 established the foundation at Maria Stein, named after a Benedictine Abbey in Switzerland. The convent was the Motherhouse of the Sisters of the Precious Blood until 1923. Relics of the saints were brought to this site from Italy in 1875. The present convent and relic chapel (National Marian Shrine of the Holy Relics), built during 1890-1902, were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
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These structures stand as an exception to the usual wood frame or brick construction of farm buildings in this region in the late nineteenth century. The house and barn, built circa 1871 and 1883-1885 respectively, reflect Frederick Kindelberger’s (1835-1911) creativity and vision to instill a responsibility to the land. The Kindelberger family purchased the farm in 1846, after they had emigrated from Alsace-Lorraine. The walls of the barn were created using a distinct architectural design, whereas they taper from 25 inches thick at the base to 12 inches thick at the top. Stonemasons and family members labored using sandstone, which was quarried on the eighty-acre farm, to construct the buildings. Due to their stone construction, the house and barn were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
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In 1912, the president of the Public Library Association in Paulding requested funding from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to build a library in Paulding. At first the Carnegie Corporation of New York refused, stating that it only provided funding to communities with larger populations, but when the Library Association said it would serve the entire county, which had a larger population, the request was granted. As a result Paulding became the site for the first “county” Carnegie library in the United States, built for a total cost of $40,000. Carnegie provided funding for 2,811 libraries, of which 1,946 were built in the United States. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, the Paulding County Carnegie Library continues to service the needs of all citizens of Paulding County.
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Johann Mischler (changed to John Mishler), 1852-1930, and his wife Rosina Beyeler Mischler, 1852-1927, were born in Switzerland and came to the United States in 1882. They moved to Smithville in 1887 where John, a weaver by trade, built a mill to produce rugs and carpets on a hand operated timber framed barn beam loom. Three belt driven looms were added in the early 1900s powered by steam and later diesel. About 1915, the weaving mill became the first business in Smithville to be operated by electricity. The mill wove cloth for fruit presses and dishcloths and towels and was the only producer of cheesecloth in the United States for the Swiss cheese industry. It produced 40,000 pounds of cloth per year. John’s son Daniel took over the mill in 1930 and moved it a block away to its present location. Charles Norris purchased the mill in 1983. Ten years later, it was purchased and restored by the Smithville Community Historical Society.
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Replacing an earlier bridge that was carried away in a spring flood, the Harpersfield Covered Bridge was built in 1868 and spans the Grand River, a state-designated wild, and scenic river. This bridge, which currently carries County Road #154 (Harpersfield Road), is a two-span wooden Howe truss bridge, with center pier. The great flood of 1913 washed away the northern approach and it was at this time that the additional 140 foot steel truss was added. Extensive rehabilitation in 1992 included strengthening the lower chords, lowering and replacing the floor, and adding a cantilevered walkway. The 228-foot-long Harpersfield Bridge is the longest covered bridge in Ohio and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
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This historic inn began serving travelers on the old Portage-Columbiana stage road (now Tallmadge Road) in 1832. Two major stage lines, one from Cleveland to Wellsville (the closest Ohio River port) and the other from Cleveland to Pittsburgh, passed through Palmyra in the early 1800s. Originally a simple two-story Greek Revival-style building, it had its third story added in 1888 when it became a lodge for the Knights of Pythias fraternal organization. It served as a private residence and store for most of the 20th century. The Palmyra Center Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
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The Bunker Hill House, previously the Bunker Hill Tavern, was built in stages between 1834 and 1862. The building is one of Ohio’s best representations of Federal-Greek Revival style “pike town” architecture. This architectural style is closely associated with pre-Civil War horse-powered turnpike transportation and lodging. The building was a way station for pioneers heading west and for drovers driving their animals to Cincinnati stockyards. It was also a stagecoach stop on Eastern Stage Coach Company’s Cincinnati Omnibus Line that operated daily between Cincinnati and Richmond, Indiana. Tavern operations ceased in 1858 due to decreased turnpike travel resulting from the newly completed railroad through nearby Camden. In 1862, a general store was established to supply the growing population in the area. The store closed in the early 1900s with the advent of the automobile, which made travel to larger, more distant stores viable. The Bunker Hill House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. (continued on other side)
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