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Medina County - A Brief HistoryLong before the first pioneer ventured into the Ohio country, Native Americans occupied the land. For thousands of years, different cultures used this area for hunting, traveling by canoe and walking the trails until they reached their favorite spot. By the eighteenth century, the Chippewa, Wyandotte, Delaware and Ottawa all roamed the forests and camped along the streams. And they left their mark on county history. Chippewa Lake was named after the tribe that frequented its shores. Arrowheads and tools still surface in the spring plowing proof of their presence. Many of the county's current roads originally were trails, including Smith Road, which was the Watershed Trail, a major east-west trail from Pittsburgh. At one time there were mounds and earthen forts, but continuous farming has leveled them. The Mound Hill Cemetery in Seville, however still stands as a testament to Native American engineering. In 1787, the new United States government passed the Northwest Ordinance, which established the Northwest Territory and made provisions for its organization and settlement. From that date, the future of the Native Americans was in question. Before settlement could proceed, the Native Americans had to be driven west. A number of expeditions failed, including one lead by General Martin Smith who marched along the Watershed Trail, widening it as he went so that his men and wagons could pass. Thus, the trail became Smith Road. In 1794, "Mad" Anthony Wayne finally subdued the Native Americans and the Treaty of Greenville moved them west of the Cuyahoga River. At the some time, the state of Connecticut settled its claims for land in the Northwest Territory and received the northeast portion as a reserve. The state then sold the land to the Connecticut Land Company in 1796 and the surveying began. But there were still Native Americans west of the Cuyahoga River. The investors solved that problem in 1805 when the Connecticut Land Company bought the land west of the river for $20,000. The way was clear. Even the Native Americans knew the writing was on the wall and they moved west except for small bands that chose to live peacefully with the pioneers. In 1807, the Connecticut Land Company held a lottery for lands in the Western Reserve and each investor drew parcels out of a hat, according to how much they had invested. For example, Elijah Boardman invested $60,000 and drew Medina Township and Boardman Township near Youngstown. After the land was allotted and surveyed, the first settlers came to Harrisville and Liverpool Townships in 1811. When the early pioneers arrived, they found they were not the first white men in the area. Squatters had preceded them. Once described as "wild-harum-scarum fellows", these men took on the ways of the Native Americans. Oliver Durham and Benjamin Dean found such a character living near Wadsworth when they arrived in 1814. John Holmes lived on Holmes Creek and traded with the Native Americans. He helped the men build their homes then disappeared further into the woods. Also, when the early pioneers arrived, the land was quite different then we know it today. Formed by glaciers millions of years ago, the county had valleys, streams and swamps created by this massive ice flow. From the ledges and caves of the northwest, to the steamy swamps of the southwest, the land was diverse. Generally hilly, the eastern portion had highlands at Hinckley and Wadsworth, divided by a massive swamp in Granger. The center of the county was less rugged, but also had its marches where Rocky River and River Styx began. In the west, natural salt springs attracted the game that made that area prime hunting ground for Native Americans and the early settlers. In the southwest, valleys and swamps led to Chippewa Lake. The Continental Divide added another interesting element to the land. It divided the county below Medina and sent waters flowing south to the Gulf of Mexico or north to Lake Erie. This land, covered with an unbroken forest was not totally secure for settlement until after America's victory in the War of 1812. The few who did come in 1811, left temperately until the British were defeated and the threat of a Native American uprising was removed. After 1812, the rush was on. In that year, the Ohio State Legislature formed Medina County but attached it to Portage County until the county government was organized in 1818. Elijah Boardman made certain the county seat would rest on his lands. He donated the land for county building and a public square. There was no distinct pattern to Medina County's growth. Different men owned each township and it was up to them to provide for the survey and send out a land agent to represent them. Joseph Harris arrived in Harrisville Township in 1811 as a land agent. Up in Liverpool, Justus Warner came also in 1811. In Litchfield, Judge Holmes, the original investor, arrived in 1812 and cleared one acre of land. But his township ended back on the market when he ran into financial trouble and further settlement was delayed. In 1814, the first parties came to Medina and Wadsworth Townships. Then came Brunswick and Sharon in 1816, and Guilford and Westfield in 1817. Both Montville and Chatham opened up for settlement in 1819. The owner of Granger Township sold the first parcel in 1820, but kept the western part, or the Remsen Tract, a dense forest until the 1840's. The first settler in Spencer arrived in 1823. Samuel Hinckley was slow to develop his land because he had more valuable land elsewhere. Hinckley was not organized until 1825. Lafayette and York were organized in 1830 and finally, Homer Township in 1831. When Medina County was first planned in 1818, it contained Norton, Copley, Bath, Richfield, Wadsworth, Granger, Hinckley, Guilford, Montville, Medina, Brunswick, Westfield, Liverpool, Harrisville, Grafton, Sullivan, Penfield and Huntington Townships. Later, the western townships were taken to form Lorain and four eastern townships went over to Summit County. By 1840, the county, as we know it today, was organized and intact, leaving Medina with its familiar stepping-stone borders. Since easterners purchased most of this land, many of the early pioneers were from the New England states. However, there was also a strong contingent of Germans both from Pennsylvania and the "old country" that settled in the western and southern portions of the county. The way was not easy for any of these hardy souls. They came in the fall with enough food to get them through the winter, along with an axe, a blanket and a bell. The axe was to fell the trees, the blanket for warmth and the bell to find their wandering oxen. By the spring, they had a rude cabin and an acre or two cleared for the first crop. Often, they would return to their homes and collect their families or find a wife to bring out west. Then there was more land to clear and a road to open to the next clearing or trail. Today's county map reflects their hard work - Nettleton, Hamilton, Fenn - these are roads named after the men who first made them. In spite of the difficulties there was time for fun and community actives. One of the pioneers' first tasks was to build a "meeting house" or simple log building that was used as a school and a church for all denominations. In 1818, over 400 men gathered in Hinckley to kill the bear and wolves that menaced their livestock. They formed a large circle and slowly moved forward, shooting every animal in sight. The Great Hinckley Hunt was on the night before Christmas. The men spent the evening dressing the animals. On Christmas Day they divided the booty and went home. On July 4, 1819, all settlers in the county gathered in Medina for a major Independence Day celebration. Only the square was cleared of trees and a simple log cabin served as the court House. But the people sang and raised the first flag in the square. Nobody had an official American flag so they hoisted a red, white and blue bandana on a pole and drank to their new land. Probably Medina County's most notable social gathering occurred in 1856. At that time, area counties had an ongoing contest to see which county could muster the most four-horse-team sleighs for an afternoon of fun. The winner took home a flag, which had the standard stars and strips, but also a figure with his finger to his nose. It was called the "Take Me if You Can Flag". On March 18, Medina County took the prize with a party of 182 teams, plus one team of mules that was disqualified. Each sleigh held at least fourteen people and there were numerous bands. It is said to be the largest sleigh ride in the history and the flag never left Medina. By the time of the sleigh ride and the advent of the Civil War, Medina County was fully developed. It was agricultural with an emphasis on dairy farms, cheese factories and will growers. Transportation was still by horse and buggy or stagecoach. In 1818, a road was opened from Medina to Seville and in 1820, was extended south to Wooster and north to Cleveland. "The Pike" was the main road with stagecoach stops in Seville, Medina and Brunswick. Another stage line carried mail and people to Akron on the old Smith Road or Akron Medina Road. Even though the citizens were somewhat isolated, they were concerned with the major issues of the day. The Underground Railroad was in full operation in the 1850's and Medina County took part. There are a number of documented stations where the residents risked everything to take in run-away slaves and led them to safety. The H. G. Blake House on East Washington Street in Medina and the Halsey Hulburt house on Seville Road are just two examples. Hinckley also had its own abolitionist. Hiram Miller harbored slaves and traveled throughout the area preaching abolition wherever he could. When the call came to fight in the Civil War, the men of Medina County answered. They fought in the "Bloody Eighth" at Antietam and marched with Sherman to the sea. The county's cemeteries are full of stones and monuments that are witness to their sacrifice. After the Civil War, railroads woke Medina County from its agricultural slumber, Wadsworth had the first line in 1863, and then the Lake Shore Railroad came to Medina in 1871, followed by the Northern Ohio in 1890. The new transportation opened up new markets for the country's goods and produce. A. I. Root took advantage of this link and moved his bee keeping industry to West Liberty in Medina. There were setbacks to this progress. On April 14, 1870, the fire bell rang in Medina. A fire started on South Court Street raged north and east, wiping out both sides of South Court and the south and west side of Public Square. It stopped at the 1820's courthouse on the corner of Liberty and Court Streets. In spite of the major loss, the village businessmen rallied and began to rebuild. The Old Phoenix Bank was the first to emerge from the ashes, which explains its namesake - the mythical phoenix bird that rose from ashes. The village of Litchfield had a similar fire when the northwest side of its square burned in 1871. Through the last decades of the nineteenth century, the county grew and prospered. Agriculture was still the main industry, but there were new crops, tobacco grew in Guilford and Westfield Townships and Seville had cigar factories. In Harrisville Township, celery and other products flourished in the muck land near Lodi. In terms of manufacturing, Wadsworth led the way. In the 1870's and 1880's miners worked the coalmines until they played out. The Ohio companies took their place. In 1893, the Ohio Injector Company made cast steel valves and the Wadsworth Salt Company in 1898. The third Ohio Company was the Ohio Match Company, which began in 1896. For years, these industries formed the backbone of Wadsworth's economy. In Medina, it was the A. I. Root Company and the Hollowware Foundry, which eventually evolved into the Henry Furnace Company. At the same time a new type of business began to the southwest. At Chippewa Lake, Ed Andrews opened his pleasure resort in 1870, and it continued to grow and prosper for over one hundred years. The new century brought some changes but agriculture was still king in the county. The coming of the Cleveland Southwestern Railroad in 1901 did bring more opportunities. Now the county's citizens could easily board an electric-power train and ride south to Chippewa Lake or north to Cleveland for a few cents. The people in Wadsworth had the same service through the Northern Ohio Traction and Light Company. However, by 1912, the automobile appeared on Medina County roads and a new era began. By the 1920's the automobile replaced the interurban and horse and buggy as the major means of transportation. In the twentieth century, the people of Medina County answered the call again in two World Wars. In 1918, they sent their men "over there" to fight in the trenches of France. And in the 1940's hundreds of Medina County homes displayed a blue star in their window, indicating they had a family member in the service. Communities throughout the county rallied to buy war bonds to support the war effort. And Medina welcomed Permold, a company that brought many jobs to the village while making molds for the government. After World War II, the character of Medina County began to change. Brunswick. Medina and Wadsworth developed housing tracts to meet the high demand for post-war housing. Then in the 1960's, Interstate 71 opened a main artery to Cleveland and transformed the northwest portion of the county into communities and rural developments that housed people who worked in Akron and Cleveland. Medina County became one of the fastest growing counties in the state. The southwest part maintained its rural character, but even there road frontage was developed for home sites. In spite of this rush of growth, Medina County managed to maintain much of its historic character. In Medina, the Community Design Committee encouraged the city and private businesses to restore the building around the Public Square and brought back a strong sense of community history and pride. Wadsworth and Lodi also restored and improved their town centers with the same results. And throughout the county, special festivals and historic organizations continue to perpetuate Medina County's history within the framework of twentieth century change. Medina County Historical Society |
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Medina County Historical Society |
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