Ohio bears a special relationship to the original thirteen American colonies, as the settlement of Ohio was spurred by the arrival of two primary groups of settlers from the East. The Ohio Company arrived in the late 1780s, securing a grant of some 5 million acres of land in what is now Southeast Ohio, and establishing their first permanent settlement in Marietta. Another wave of settlers arrived in what is now Northeast Ohio in the 1790s to settle in lands claimed by Connecticut in the years following the American Revolutionary War. This area, known as the “Connecticut Western Reserve,” and later referred to as simply the “Western Reserve,” was surveyed and developed by the Connecticut Land Company.

The New England heritage of the Western Reserve has always distinguished that part of the state, from patterns of town development to the architecture of churches, homes and civic buildings. The hallmarks of generations of New England craftsmen and their strong traditions of Greek Revival, Federal and Georgian architectural styles are evident in Northeast Ohio. A community like Tallmadge in Summit County is a good example; the center of town is marked by a commons area surrounded by a roundabout, while the landmark white frame Historic Tallmadge Church in its center looks remarkably like its New England counterparts.

Highlighting the heritage of the Western Reserve is the subject of recent efforts for a collection of organizations and individuals including local county commissioners, historical societies and others, and led by the office of US Representative Tim Ryan. The initial goal is a grant from the National Park Service to study the possibility of creating a National Historic Area for Ohio’s Western Reserve, a designation that would bring further funds for education and heritage tourism promotion. Click here for coverage.

For more information on National Historic Areas, click here to visit the National Park Service website.

Photo:  Map, Ohio's Western Reserve, circa 1826 - Public Domain