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The Madisonville site is the largest and most thoroughly studied village of the late Fort Ancient culture (AD 1450 – 1670). Artifacts were so abundant here that local residents called this site the “pottery field.” Between 1879 and 1911, a generation of Harvard archaeologists trained at this site. Dr. Charles Metz, assisted by Harvard University’s Frederic Ward Putnam, excavated the remains of numerous houses, storage pits, and burials. The presence of glass beads and bits from iron kettles indicates these villagers may have been among the first native Ohioans to learn of the coming of Europeans to America. Mariemont street names Cachepit, Midden, Flintpoint, and Hammerstone, are reminders of these earlier residents. The pavilion was designed by the noted town planner John Nolen in 1921, but not constructed and dedicated until 2001.
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In the late nineteenth century, a movement to improve inadequate plank and dirt roads was brought on by the popularity of bicycling, the introduction of the automobile, and the need to improve travel to and from rural areas. Ohio, as a leader in the manufacture of brick paving blocks, was quick to upgrade roads. Toll roads were waning in popularity and the need for free roads was recognized. An act passed in 1892 authorized Cuyahoga County to levy a road tax. With funds levied, the Commissioners selected the Wooster Pike as one of three road improvement projects.
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The Village of Collinwood was originally a part of Euclid Township of the Western Reserve and named after the death of railroad chief engineer Charles Collins in 1876. Originally known as “Frogsville,” the population of Collinwood dramatically increased in the 1870s, due partly to repair roundhouses of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad. By 1901, the Village has grown to 7,500, and as a result, the schoolhouse, which once housed 200 students and four classrooms, had been enlarged twice to house 350 students in eight classrooms. Constructed in 1901, the Lakeview School was the site of a tragedy that reverberated across the nation and around the world. (Continued on other side)
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Here in the Oak Openings Region of northwest Ohio, some of the last Ottawa villages in Ohio lined the banks of Swan Creek during the 1830s. These Native Americans were led by Chief Ottokee (Autokee), a descendant of Pontiac, and half brother to another Ottawa Chief named Wauseon. Known for being honest and friendly, Ottokee was the last Ottawa chief in the Maumee Valley, for years refusing to go when the last of his people were removed to lands west of the Mississippi River.
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In 1972, Urbancrest’s Ellen Walker Craig-Jones became the first African-American woman to be elected mayor, by popular vote, of a United States municipality. During her term as mayor (1972-1975), Craig-Jones oversaw the modernization of Urbancrest’s various programs and the village rebuilt three main streets, installed streetlights and street signs, and received approval to start a $3 million housing project. Craig-Jones had many years of experience in service to her community, serving twelve years on the Urbancrest Village Council. She was the recipient of dozens of awards and honors, including Who’s Who Among Black Americans.
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In October of 1803, members of The Scioto Company, led by James Kilbourne, came from Connecticut and founded Worthington. On February 6, 1804, the Articles of Agreement establishing St. John’s Church of Worthington were executed. St. John’s, which had been planned in Connecticut prior to the Company’s departure, became the first Episcopal church established in the Northwest Territory and served as the founding church for several Episcopal churches in Ohio. James Kilbourne served as the church’s first Deacon. Reverend Philander Chase, the first Rector of St. John’s, became the first Episcopal Bishop of Ohio and founded Kenyon College. St. John’s Church and graveyard are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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A network of Native American trails, usually following waterways, traversed Ohio and often determined the routes of military roads and improved highways. U.S. Route 33 follows the route of the Scioto Trail from the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers to State Route 161, where U.S. Route 33 becomes State Route 257. The Scioto Trail extended from the mouth of the Scioto River at Portsmouth (also known as Shawnee Town) to Sandusky Bay and connected the Shawnee’s hunting grounds in Kentucky with Lake Erie. The trail ran along the Scioto River, the Little Scioto River, and the Sandusky River with a portage between the Little Scioto and Sandusky rivers in Crawford County. The Scioto Trail, used for warfare, trade, and migration, was one of the most important trails in the Old Northwest.
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A tavern and inn, for which Noble Landon (1783-1866) obtained a liquor license in 1835, formerly occupied the southeast corner of High and Main streets. In 1837 Landon and William Yantis laid out the town of New Albany in 50-by-100-foot lots, with Landon’s lots lying on the east side and Yantis’ on the west side of High Street. Landon was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, lived as a young man in St. Albans, Vermont, and migrated to Licking County, Ohio, in 1810. He was the first clerk and first Justice of the Peace in St. Albans Township and first postmaster in Johnstown and later in New Albany. In addition to contributions as a builder-developer, Landon gave to the village lore the story of a remarkable conversion. Long known as a heavy drinker, he suddenly ordered kegs of whiskey he owned to be carried into the street and broken. He then attended church regularly. (continued on other side)
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