, OH
(Stout Post Office) A thriving riverport in the 19th Century, founded in 1835 by William Stout. Elisha Stout, son of William, born and raised here, was one of the founding fathers of Omaha, Nebraska, and Denver, Colorado. Former site of Adamsville which served as the county seat of Adams County from Dec., 1797, to Dec., 1798. A log courthouse and jail were erected here to serve the public.
, OH
Nicknamed “Ohio’s Million Dollar Playground” or “Atlantic City of the Midwest,” Sandy Beach Amusement Park opened here on May 29, 1924. The park at Indian Lake featured a 2,000-foot long roller coaster and other popular rides, a boardwalk, and the Minnewawa Dance Hall. The Minnewawa and its succeeding dance pavilions hosted the greatest names of the Big Band era, and thousands of people came from all over Ohio to listen and dance to these popular entertainers. Societal turmoil and rioting in the 1960s affected the popularity of the park. Diminishing crowds, plus competition from larger theme parks such as Cedar Point and Kings Island, led to the park closing in the early 1970s. The lone remnant of the park is the steel arch bridge that spans the harbor.
, OH
Jonathan Wright (1782-1855) and his wife Mary Bateman Wright (1787-1866) moved with their five children from Menallen, Adams County, Pennsylvania, in 1814 and built this Federal style house. Using skills acquired from his father, Joel Wright, a surveyor who platted the city of Columbus, Jonathan platted the village of “Springborough,” named for the many springs in the vicinity. The Wright family established and operated a woolen factory, two flour mills, a general store, and a 320-acre farm in the Springboro area. The Wrights were active members of the Society of Friends (Quakers) and strongly opposed slavery. The house was a station on the Underground Railroad, offering assistance to runaway slaves during their flight to freedom. Many members of the Wright family, including Jonathan, Mary, and four of their children, are buried in the Friends Cemetery on nearby Factory Road.
, OH
Acclaimed author, conservationist, and farmer Louis Bromfield was born in Mansfield in 1896. A graduate of the city’s schools, he went on to study agriculture at Cornell University in 1914, but left in 1915 to help run his family’s farm. In 1916, Bromfield enrolled in Columbia University to study journalism. As America entered World War I, he enlisted in United States Army Ambulance Service and saw action in seven major European battles. Determined to become a writer, Bromfield finished his education after the war and became a reporter. In 1921, he married Mary Appleton Wood and they would have three daughters. Bromfield’s first published novel, the Green Bay Tree (1924), was a critical and commercial success; his third novel, Early Autumn, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1927. The Bromfields moved to France in 1925 where they lived until 1938. In all, he published thirty books and authored numerous stories, articles, and screenplays during his writing career.
, OH
Just after 5:00 P.M on June 28, 1924, a tornado swept off Lake Erie directly into downtown Lorain. Within five minutes, seventy-eight people lost their lives. Fifteen died in the old State Theatre that stood upon this site, as an audience of two hundred watched a Saturday afternoon musical performance. More than one thousand suffered injuries. The tornado did extensive damage to the business district, destroyed 500 homes, and damaged a thousand more. The city’s largest industry, the American Shipbuilding yards, was severely damaged. The tornado, which had hit Sandusky before striking Lorain, continued along the shoreline and struck Sheffield and Avon minutes later. Contemporary accounts listed eighty-two deaths resulting from the deadliest tornado in Ohio’s history.
, OH
The Good Hope Cemetery is the final resting place for veterans of many of America’s wars, including David Jones. Jones earned the Medal of Honor as a member of Company I of the 54th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Union Army. During Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s Vicksburg Campaign, Jones volunteered for a mission known as the “Forlorn Hope.” It was the lead assault of a major attack and meant certain death or wounding for soldiers in the attacking party. Jones’ Forlorn Hope was part of Grant’s attempt on May 22, 1863 to storm Vicksburg’s defenses and take the city, avoiding a siege. The attack did not succeed. Of the 150 soldiers who volunteered for the assault, many were killed or wounded, including Jones. After a 47 day siege, Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863—the same day as the Union’s victory at Gettysburg.
, OH
Built in 1833 as a health resort named the Mansion House Hotel, Elliott Hall is noted as Ohio’s oldest collegiate Greek Revival building. The closure of the Bank of the United States and an economic panic in 1837 created nation-wide financial difficulties, which led to the decline of the luxury resort. Under the leadership of Reverend Adam Poe, minister of William Street Methodist Church, the citizens of Delaware purchased the building for the establishment of a Methodist college for men. Ohio Wesleyan University was chartered on March 7, 1842, and the founding building was named for Dr. Charles Elliott, Ohio Conference leader who helped examine the site and establish the university. In 1877, Ohio Wesleyan University and the Ohio Wesleyan Female College merged into a co-educational institution. Elliott Hall was moved to its present location in 1892 when University Hall was built.
, OH
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, the span is the oldest in Clark County a traveler can cross. It is also one of the oldest stone bridges in use in Ohio. Stone mason Samuel S. Taylor (1837-1930) built the culvert from locally quarried limestone in 1871, his first public works project. A Civil War veteran, Taylor worked on several projects, including the Mill Run underground sewer (1877), Champion’s East Street shops (1883), and the foundation for Springfield’s city hall (1890).