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.

19-43 Rose Capital of The Nation

Side A: From the 1920s through the 1970s, Mentor was recognized as the Rose Capital of the Nation. Lake effect climate, a variety of soils, and abundant water made Mentor ideal for growing roses. Over a dozen growers produced about five million plants a year from their fields in Mentor. The Civic Center Complex was once a massive field of roses, and streets such as Tea Rose, Wyant, and Rosebud were named in honor of the blossoms that grew so abundantly here. Notable growers include Gerard K. Klyn, the largest rose grower in the Midwest; Joseph Kallay, who in 1932 received U.S. patent No. 10 for “Blaze;” Melvin E. Wyant, accredited rose grower, judge, and lecturer; Joseph J. Kern, nationally recognized expert on old fashioned roses; and Paul R. Bosley, who specialized in hybrid tea roses. By the 1970s, increased land values and development led to depletion of much of Mentor’s nursery lands.
Side B: Same
Sponsors: Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, City of Mentor, and The Ohio Historical Society
Address: 8537 Mentor Avenue, 
Mentor, 
OH, 
44060
Location: Commemorative Rose Garden, 8537 Mentor Ave.
Latitude: 41.6686590
Longitude: -81.3346174