Independence in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Industrial Cleveland

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 9, 2019

1. Industrial Cleveland Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

By the late 1800s, Cleveland became part of the industrial revolution. Petroleum refining, steel making, chemical processing, and machine-tool production made the city a thriving economic center, as did its location in a national railroad network. An efficient and cost-effective transportation system was essential for the supply of raw materials needed for industry and the export of products produced in Cleveland.

Some of the founders of the Valley Railway were leading men in Cleveland's success. No strangers to industrial development and its lucrative benefits, they sensed the potential of a direct rail route between new sources of coal and their city. These corporate leaders also had the experience to make the railroad a successful venture. Businessmen like Andros B. Stone of the steel-producing Cleveland Rolling Mill, Henry Flagler of Standard Oil, and Stillman Witt, a partner in a railroad construction company, served on the Valley Railway's board of directors and committed to raise $500,000 by selling stock. Their investment paid off when the Valley Railway began operations in January of 1880.

[Photo captions, clockwise from top right, read]

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

• Standard Oil

• Cleveland, 1894.

• Stillman Witt

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1880.

Location. 41° 23.568′ N, 81° 37.855′ W. Marker is in Independence, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. It can be reached from Old Rockside Road. Marker is on the wall of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad's Rockside Station. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7900 Old Rockside Road, Independence OH 44131, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cleveland, on the Lake Erie Shore, and in the Western Reserve. It is also in the American Midwest. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Route to the Coalfields (here,

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 9, 2019

2. Industrial Cleveland Marker

next to this marker); Ride the Rails (within shouting distance of this marker); Growing the community (approx. 0.4 miles away); Late Prehistoric Period (approx. ¾ mile away); South Park Village and the Whittlesley Tradition (approx. ¾ mile away); The Quarry Era (approx. 0.9 miles away); Old Stone Church of Independence Sesquicentennial (approx. 0.9 miles away); "Veterans Plaza" (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Independence.

Also see . . .
1. Valley Railway at Wikipedia. (Submitted on August 15, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
2. Cuyahoga Valley National Park. (Submitted on August 15, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 15, 2019. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 508 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 15, 2019, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.