Description: This photograph shows a section of the Miami and Erie Canal in Auglaize County, Ohio, that still remained in 1964. The Miami and Erie Canal was one of Ohio's most important canals during the mid-nineteenth century. During the late 1810s, Governor Thomas Worthington and Governor Ethan Allen Brown both supported the development of canals. They believed that Ohioans needed quick and easy access to the Ohio River and to Lake Erie if they were to profit financially. Farmers and business owners would be able to transport their products much more easily and cheaply with canals rather than turnpikes. Canals would also possibly open up new markets for Ohio goods. In 1822 the Ohio legislature created a new Ohio Canal Commission, which eventually recommended two routes: a western route along the Miami and Maumee Valleys (Miami and Erie Canal) and a route that started at Lake Erie, passing through the Cuyahoga Valley, the Muskingum Valley, the Licking Valley, and then to the Ohio River along the Scioto Valley (Ohio and Erie Canal). In 1825 the Ohio legislature approved both routes, and on July 21, 1825, work began at Middletown on the Miami and Erie Canal. To finance the canals, the Ohio government relied on loans. Ohio received an initial loan of $400,000 from bankers and businessmen living along the East Coast. The canal commissioners estimated that the Miami and Erie Canal would cost $ 2.9 million, but it actually cost roughly $12,000 per mile to finish. Although the construction of both canals nearly bankrupted the state government, the canals allowed Ohioans to prosper, beginning in the 1830s all the way to the Civil War. Once completed, however, the canals still faced numerous difficulties. The effects of flooding and freezing could and often did seriously damage the canals. Usually canals in the northern half of the state were drained dry from November to April. These difficulties paled in comparison to the advantages of having the canals. The cost to ship goods from the East Coast to Ohio and vice versa declined steeply, from $125 per ton of goods to $25 per ton of goods. Travelers who were willing to trade time for economy could save considerable money by taking a canal boat. Most canals remained in operation in Ohio until the late 1800s. By the 1850s canals were losing business to the railroads, which offered several advantages. Railroads delivered passengers and goods more quickly, and they were not limited by a water source as canals were. Because of these advantages, railroads quickly supplanted the canals. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06107
Subjects: Canals--Ohio--History--19th century; Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio)--History; Auglaize County (Ohio); Ohio Economy--Transportation and Development
Places: Auglaize County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of the home and barn of Thomas McKeever, a noted abolitionist and an operator on the Underground Railroad in West Middletown, Washington County, Pennsylvania. He concealed fugitive slaves in the barn. This photograph was taken by Earle R. Forrest. It was collected by Ohio State University professor Wilbur H. Siebert (1866-1961). Siebert began researching the Underground Railroad in the 1890s as a way to interest his students in history. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03227
Subjects: Underground Railroad--Pennsylvania; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Barns
Places: West Middletown (Pennsylvania); Washington County (Pennsylvania)
 

Description: This image shows the exterior of the courthouse in Somerset, Ohio. In 1807, John Finck erected the first log cabin in what would become Somerset. Several years later, Jacob Miller arrived, becoming the second settler in this community. The men named the town Middletown, since it was approximately equal distant to Lancaster to the west and Zanesville to the east. Soon residents changed the town's name to Somerset, as most early residents were from Somerset, Pennsylvania. In the 1810s, Somerset grew quickly and, in 1817, became the Perry County seat of government. In 1846, Somerset boasted a population of nearly 1,400 residents. That same year, the community included four churches, three newspapers, sixteen stores, an iron foundry, and a tobacco warehouse. The town also claimed a Catholic nunnery and St. Mary's Seminary, a school for young women. Two miles south of Somerset was also located St. Joseph's Church, the first documented Catholic Church in Ohio. During the remainder of the nineteenth and the first portion of the twentieth centuries, Somerset's population remained stable at approximately 1,200 residents. Many residents earned their livings in the surrounding iron and coalmines. As iron and coal deposits began to decline, residents began to find employment in other industries principally in the nearby cities of Lancaster and Zanesville. In 2000, Somerset's population had reached 1,500 people. Civil War General Philip Sheridan spent much of his youth in Somerset. Although not open to the public, his home remains standing today. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06530
Subjects: Courthouses; Buildings; Law & legal affairs
Places: Somerset (Ohio); Perry County (Ohio)
 

Description: Positive photostatic reproduction of a sectional and topographical map of Holmes County Ohio from surveys by E. H. Burlingame. The map is divided into four sections of 44 x 57 cm each, and includes a business directory and ten insets of Holmes County cities. Cities include Benton, Weinsberg, New Carlisle, Berlin, Holmesville, Middletown, Oxford, Nashville, Napoleon and Millersburg. Also included is a table of distances among these and other cities. On January 20, 1824, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Holmes County, named by its residents in honor of a hero from the War of 1812. Holmes County is located in northeastern Ohio, and is predominantly rural, with less than one percent of the county's 423 square miles consisting of urban areas. The county seat is Millersburg. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MAP_VFM264_2_001
Subjects: Maps--Ohio; Rural Life; Ohio--History--19th century; Cities and towns--Ohio;
Places: Holmes County (Ohio)
 

Description: Canal plat map showing a section of the Miami and Erie Canal through Warren and Butler Counties between stations 10373 and 10602, as well as the Middletown Feeder. Roads, properties, bridges, locks, railways and other landmarks along the route are noted, including the Miami River, Clear Creek and the Franklin Paper Company pond. The map was created under the direction of the members of the Canal Commission of the state of Ohio and approved by the Chief Engineer of the Department of Public Works (variously referred to as the Board of Public Works and the Division of Public Works). Construction on the Miami and Erie Canal took place between 1825 and 1845, and the finished route connected Cincinnati and Toledo, as well as the Ohio River with Lake Erie. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: BV4928_012
Subjects: Miami and Erie Canal (Ohio); Transportation; Canals -- Ohio; Bridges; Railroads; Rivers--Ohio
Places: Warren County (Ohio); Butler County (Ohio)