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.

20-18 The Berea Triangle

Side A: The Triangle, one of the most historic places in Berea, has been the center of the city’s civic life since the mid-19th century. Just beneath lie the solid layers of the famous Berea Sandstone that brought prosperity to Berea during its early years. Quarry owner and Berea Seminary founder John Baldwin obtained much of what is now Berea from Gideon Granger, Postmaster General under President Thomas Jefferson and original owner of Township 6, Range 14 (later Middleburg Township) of the Western Reserve. When the seminary trustees transferred the Triangle tract to the people of Berea in 1847, they designated it by deed as a public promenade. This farsighted stipulation preserved it from commercial development during the 20th century. (continued on other side)
Side B: (continued from other side) The Triangle has served many purposes over the years, and its appearance changed frequently as Berea’s business district grew around it. Through the 1800s it served as a market for area farmers, and a bandstand (removed in 1931) hosted politicians, brass bands, and Civil War recruiters. The town pump and watering trough stood on the southeast angle of the Triangle until 1924. The monuments honor the sacrifices of Bereans who served in the nation’s wars. As interurban trolley lines and, later, automobiles brought commerce to downtown Berea from outlying areas, the Triangle’s landscape reflected the social changes in the city surrounding it. Beautification and urban renewal initiatives resulted in major projects here in 1954, 1968, and 2000, helping it to continue to fulfill its original purpose.
Sponsors: The Berea Garden Club, Bud ‘N’ Bloom Garden Club, The City of Berea, Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs of Berea, Berea Historical Society and The Ohio Historical Society
Address: E. Bridge Street, 
Berea, 
OH, 
44017
Location: Between Riverside Drive and Front Street
Latitude: 41.3663775
Longitude: -81.8533532