
Marker #10-67 : Mantua Center Historic District
N 41° 18.578 W 081° 14.638
17T E 479578 N 4573158
Quick Description: Found on the square of Mantua Center township along Route 82. Just east of the howitzer. Brand new marker in great shape.
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 6/28/2009 7:05:51 PM
Waymark Code: WM6NXM
Views: 1
Long Description:Two sided marker, Side A reads: "Mantua Center Historic
District"
The most notable feature of Mantua Center is the "Village Green,"
which harkens back to the New England heritage of Mantua Center's
early settlers. The Green sets upon land donated by Hezekiah Nooney
Sr. and was important to both the social and commercial interests
of the town. The businesses located here were a furniture and
cabinet maker's shop, harness shop, blacksmith shop, post office,
tannery, ashery, dry goods store, and distillery. The Methodist
Episcopal Church, now the Mantua Civic Center, stands at the
southwest corner of the green. Eastlawn cemetery, with a burial
that dates to 1816, sits along the south border. The cemetery
serves as the final resting place for soldiers of several wars,
including the American Revolution, as well as many other early
citizens. In 1835 Horace Sizer constructed the stone wall around
the cemetery adjacent to Mantua Center Road. [continued on other
side]
Side B: Side B : "Same"
[continued from other side] The 1840 Town Hall features an
octagonal dome and sits on the northeast corner of the green. It
was later adapted for school use, replacing an "1861 one-room
schoolhouse" that stands on Mantua Center Road as a private
residence. Later adapted for use as a Grange Hall, it now serves as
the Township Hall and home to the Mantua Historical Society. By
1907 a growing school population led to construction of 2
"12-holer" outhouses. The boy's outhouse has been preserved and is
behind the building. Along the southeast corner of the green lies
Mantua Center Christian Church, with its prominent steeple and
distinctive New England-style design. Built in 1840, it is the
oldest Disciples of Christ Church in Ohio. James A. Garfield,
future president of the United States, frequently preached here
between 1855 and 1860, while serving as president of nearby Hiram
College (formerly Hiram Eclectic Institute).