Downtown in Cleveland in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Hardware Industry
Warehouse District Anthology
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2021
1. Hardware Industry Marker
The decision to locate the northern terminus of the Ohio and Erie Canal on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland's Flats laid the groundwork for Cleveland's rise as an industrial powerhouse. The calling card for what would become the large commercial area west of Public Square — today's Warehouse District — was the hardware industry.
Most notably, the George Worthington Company, founded in 1829, made its initial fortune selling tools for the construction of the canal, which was completed to its full 308-mile extent in 1832. Worthington began his firm soon after riding into Cleveland on horseback at the age of 16 and surveying the work being done on the Ohio and Erie Canal. He was struck by the lack of proper tools being used in the canal's construction. Borrowing $500 from his brother, he rode back to New York, where he purchased tools and implements for shipment back to Cleveland, and the Worthington Company was born. The company's first store was at what is today Superior Avenue and West 10th Street.
By the 1870s, Worthington Hardware owned and occupied 14 buildings in the Warehouse District. In 1984, the company moved from its Warehouse District buildings to a single modern plant in Mentor. At that time, as part of a national affiliation of hardware wholesalers known as Sentry Hardware, it was supplying more than 1,500
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Erected by The Warehouse District Development Corporation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1829.
Location. 41° 29.946′ N, 81° 42.049′ W. Marker is in Cleveland, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. It is in Downtown. Marker is on West 9th Street just north of West St. Clair Avenue, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1300 West 9th Street, Cleveland OH 44113, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. William Bingham (here, next to this marker); Liberty Enlightening the World (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Architectural Styles & Architects (about 600 feet away); The Warehouse District (about 600 feet away); The Early Years (about 600 feet away); Peter Weddell / Levi Johnson / Charles Otis (about 600 feet away); Rockefeller Building (about 700 feet away); Industrialists & Early Skyscrapers (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cleveland.
More about this marker. Warehouse District Anthology is a collection of stories that tell the history of Cleveland's first neighborhood.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 2021
2. Hardware Industry Marker
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Cleveland Warehouse District Anthology
Also see . . . George Worthington Company.
In 1835 George Worthington acquired a competitor, McCurdy & Conklin, and relocated the store to Superior and Water (West 9th) streets. The advent of the railroad and the Civil War stimulated the company's growth, and by 1868 Worthington built a new store and warehouse at 802 West St. Clair Avenue. By 1870 the firm began issuing yearly catalogs as sales reached $1.5 million. Under president James Barnett the George Worthington Co. incorporated in 1887. With a sales territory extending through 10 northeastern and midwestern states by 1920, Worthington discontinued its retail business and devoted the firm's resources to the wholesale trade.(Submitted on February 22, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 22, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 174 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 22, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
