Long before settlers moved into the Western Reserve, Seneca
Indians roamed this land known as Streetsboro. They used Old Portage Trail,
which crosses the southwest corner of the city, to go from Lake Erie to the Ohio
River basin.
The founder of Streetsboro Township was Titus Street from Connecticut, in 1798. He was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, on June 4, 1758. Titus
married Amaryllis Atwater. Titus and Amaryllis had a son together, named
Augustus
Russell Street in 1792. Titus died on December 4, 1842. Augustus founded Yale
School of Fine Arts, the first art school connected to a University in America.
Augustus died in 1866, before the school was completed.
Streetsboro Township contained 15,279 acres. The land was surveyed by Ralph Cowles and Lemuel Punderson in the summer of 1822 and divided into lots of 100 acres. They were appointed agents by Titus Street. Street had fixed the price of $6 an acre, higher then the average price for wild land. Lemuel Punderson died in September 1823. Amzi Atwater was appointed in November 1824 to be the new agent. The price of the land was lowered to $2-$5 an acre.
The first settler in Streetsboro was Stephen Myers, Jr. Myers was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania in1798. He married Rebecca Walker. They moved to Streetsboro in 1822 where he built a log cabin in the southwest corner of Lot 82 for himself, his wife and their first child, Lucinda. In the fall of 1822, Myers and George Walker purchased 60 acres in the Southwest corner of Lot 82 for a distillery. The following summer, they erected a building to distill whiskey. Myers and Walker conducted it for 5-6 years and then converted it to an ashery. Rebecca Myers died at the age of 83. Stephen Myers, Jr. died at the age of 90. Both are buried at Darrowville Cemetery. They had 6 children together; Lucinda, Belinda, Catherine, Elizabeth, John and Hannah.
In 1823, the second settler in Streetsboro was Samuel Walker and his wife, Sarah, who moved from Hudson and settled in Lot 82. In the fall of 1823, Samuel and Sarah, had a child, whom only lived a few hours and then died. This was the first birth and death in Streetsboro township. Sarah Walker died on March 2, 1856 and Samuel died on February 21, 1874.
In 1825, a turnpike from Cleveland to Wellsville (better known as State Route 14) was laid by Frederick Wadsworth, Samuel Cowles, John Strauyhen and Titus Street. Street agreed to give enough land to make it through the township. In 1827, the turnpike was completed.
In 1825, Street gave an acre from the corner of each center lot, exclusively for a public square. In the center square is a stone, deeply set in the ground, with a hole drilled in the top, to designate the exact center of the township. Street also gave 2 acres - 8 rods south of the center as a burial ground and donated $60 for clearing off the public square and cemetery. The first person buried in the cemetery was Mrs. Carlton, wife of Solomon Carlton, who came to town in 1824.
In the summer of 1825, the first log cabin house was built at the center by Levi M. Cochran, in the Southeast center Lot 55. Cochran sold it to David Lane in 1828.
Colonel John C. Singletary built the first frame house at center square, in February 1828. Singletary's frame house was completed and moved into it and commenced keeping tavern. Singletary lived there until he died in 1851, at the age of 65. The first frame house built in the township was by David Johnson at Johnson's Corners in Spring 1827.
Benjamin Doolittle moved into the township in the fall of 1825, built a log cabin on Lot 50. He is originally from Connecticut. Doolittle was elected Justice of the Peace in 1827. Doolittle and his sons cleared several farms to lay out many of the early roads. Doolittle died in September 1849, at the age of 78.
The first couple married in the Southwest part of the township
was Parmelia Van and Frederick Nighman both from Streetsboro by Squire Mills of
Hudson on November 9, 1826.
The first couple married in the Northern part of the township was Susan Streator
of Streetsboro and Alonzo Root of Shalersville on February 1, 1826.
The first school in the township was taught in the summer of 1826 by Clarinda Case in the Northwest corner. David Johnson owned a saw-mill, he put up a slab school house, which taught 8 scholars, 5 Johnsons and 3 Cases. In the winter of 1829, the first district school at the center of town was by Almira Taylor of Aurora and was kept in Singletary's cabin, which composed of 12 scholars. The first school house at center was called "The Village School". Fred Thomas and Miss Laura Barton were the teachers. Rev. Ithamar Chapman was the teacher of a select school conducted in the old Baptist church. In the early 1860's the school room financed by Ladies Aid Society call Progress Hall was built. It was a two-story, two-room school house on public square. The first teacher was Mr. Chester. In 1902 the first high school commencement was held in the Presbyterian Church. In 1905 a three-room school house was built on the old Alden Pease residence, the first high school got too small.
The regular Baptist church was formed on January 24, 1833 at the home of Noah W. Cole, 13 delegates assisted in its organization.
The first stage coach passed through the township on the turnpike in 1829.
The first lawsuit in the township was between George Powers (plaintiff) and Alvin Loomis (defendant). Powers took a job on the turnpike on Loomis and didn't do it according to contract and Loomis would not accept it. Powers sued for his pay before Esquire Doolittle and got beaten. He appealed to the common pleas and got beaten again.
The first election was held on April 2, 1827. Elected Judges of Election: Levi M. Cochran, Chancey Case, Jr., and Alvin Loomis. Elected Clerks: Ephram Wood, Jr., and George Powers. Elected Justices: Benjamin Doolittle and Daniel H. Johnson. Elected Town Clerk: Alpheus Streeter. Elected Treasurer: Chancey Case, Jr.. Elected as the Overseers of the Poor: Alvin Loomis and Levi Cochran. Elected as the Constables were Gideon H. Mills and Heman Thomas. Elected as the Fence Viewers were Riley Miller and Alonzo Root.
Major growth occurred in Streetsboro with the opening of the Ohio Turnpike on October 1, 1955, with Exit 13 being the only interchange in Portage County. By 1957, with the growth of the automobile industry, Streetsboro experienced a population explosion.
The principle industry of Streetsboro was cheese. Cheese
houses dotted Streetsboro, putting it on the map in 1873 as being one of the
major cheese producers in the United States. In 1873 there was six
hundred thirty-six thousand, one hundred fifty pounds of cheese produced in
Streetsboro. In 1885, five factories were in
operation, producing over 600,000 pounds of cheese.
In 1968, voters decided to merge the township and the village to become one city
consisting of 25 square miles. Streetsboro was primarily a farming community
until 1970.
(Jack Burger Estate, Historical Farm House)
Resources:
1874-1978 - Bicentennial Atlas of
Portage County, Ohio -
Published by The Portage County
Historical Society
A Brief History of the Pioneers and Early Settlers of Streetsboro, Ohio -
Compiled by Emma
McGrew Root - September 1922
Economic Development Profile-
Streetsboro Chamber of Commerce - February 6, 2001