Remarkable Ohio

Counties

Below is a complete listing of all Ohio Historical Markers. To find a detailed marker listing including text, photographs, and locations, click on a county below. Our listing is updated by the markers program as new markers are installed and older markers are reported damaged or missing.

18-67 Cleveland & Mahoning Railroad Randall Secondary / Aurora Train Station

Side A: The Randall Secondary rail line dates to the 1850s when the independent Cleveland & Mahoning Railroad (C&M) laid tracks through Aurora, Ohio. C&M, chartered in 1848, linked the Mahoning Valley coal and iron ore fields to the industries and lake port at Cleveland. For over a century, the Randall Secondary contributed to Aurora’s economic life ? fueling the region’s rapid growth during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In its heyday, the line was an important route for commuter transport and freight service along the 67 miles between Cleveland and Youngstown. Although passenger service into Aurora Train Station stopped in the 1960s, freight service continued into the 1990s. The last remaining track of the Randall Secondary in Aurora stands near the station it served.
Side B: The Aurora Train Station was built in 1904 as a combination railroad station by the Erie Railroad. It replaced 2 prior stations that were destroyed by fires in 1870 and 1904. The station served as the hub to Aurora’s thriving cheese and tourist industries. By 1904, Aurora’s cheese factories annually shipped 4 million pounds of cheese from this depot. Passenger service brought tourists to the area and inns, liveries, and other amenities were built within walking distance of the stop. After commuter service discontinued in the 1970s, the station fell into disrepair. The building was purchased from the railroad in 1984, and the exterior restored. The interior was renovated to create office spaces in the former unfinished freight area. Aurora Train Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
Sponsors: Norfolk Southern Corporation, Ohio History Connection
Address: 320 Portage Road, 
Aurora, 
OH, 
44202
Location: RR right-of-way adjacent to East Garfield Road
Latitude: 41.3173506
Longitude: -81.3338067