Rawson and the Railroads /

Rawson and the Railroads / (HM1A02)

Location: Rawson, OH 45881 Hancock County
Buy Ohio State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 40° 57.183', W 83° 47.017'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 441 views
Inscription

The Rawson Heritage

Front Side:

Rawson and the Railroads

The original town plat of Rawson was filed on February 3, 1855, consisting of fifty-five lots in sections 13 and 14 of Union Township, Hancock County on the Frederick Keller and George J. Kelly farms. Several residential and business structures were built in anticipation of completion of a railroad rumored to pass from Fremont through the "Rawson" area on its way to the western boundary of Ohio. Farmers Keller and Kelly named their village Rawson after L.Q. Rawson, President of the railroad company, hoping that the name would encourage him to build through their area. Financial troubles delayed construction causing a standstill in Rawson. Seventeen years later the first locomotive arrived in Rawson, spurring new construction. At that time the railroad was called the Lake Erie and Louisville; in 1879 it was changed to the Lake Erie and Western and in 1922 became part of the Nickel Plate Railroad.

Reverse Side:

The Rawson Heritage

When local residents heard the shrill blast of the steam whistle sounding from the first locomotive to arrive in Rawson in 1872, they thought that their small hamlet was finally assured of growth and prosperity. Fire, however, the plague of towns everywhere, almost destroyed Rawson in 1887. In a matter of hours nearly every building, especially those in the business district, was consumed by flames. Without the aid of the Lake Erie and Western Railroad, which transported a hose cart and men from Findlay, the town would have burned to the ground. Determined towns people rebuilt Rawson adding new features. The Depot was built in 1898, and the Western Ohio Electric Railroad, an interurban line, connected Rawson to major urban centers from 1906 to 1932. In 1937 wells in Stringfellow's Grove began supplying water to the town. This site later became a park, and on June 11, 1951, the Nickel Plate Depot was relocated here.
Details
HM NumberHM1A02
Series This marker is part of the Ohio: Ohio Historical Society series
Tags
Marker Number18-32
Year Placed1993
Placed ByVillage of Rawson-Historic Preservation Guild-Hancock Park District and the Ohio Historical Society
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014 at 9:45am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17T E 265714 N 4537277
Decimal Degrees40.95305000, -83.78361667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 57.183', W 83° 47.017'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 57' 10.98" N, 83° 47' 1.02" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)419
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 75 East St, Rawson OH 45881, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. This marker needs at least one picture.
  7. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  8. Is the marker in the median?