Milan in Erie County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Port Of Milan

— Erie MetroParks —

Photographed by Craig Doda, November 28, 2024

1. The Port Of Milan Marker

Inscription. In the mid 1830's the Milan Canal Basin was excavated at the site of "Merry's Mill Pond" which was in a "U" shaped bend in the Huron River below the village and near this site. A new river channel, with a dam and a covered bridge, was then constructed to bypass the Basin. Fourteen warehouses were eventually erected on the Basin's south bank. Most of these warehouses had offices which were built midway up on the hill and were connected to the warehouses by railcar trestles.

When grain wagons left the square in Milan they descended only partway down the hill to the level of the offices. Here the grain was weighed and then sent by the railcar to the upper story of a warehouse on the Basin. From there the grain would be loaded onto lake schooners which had been towed up the canal into the Basin. This unique use of the hill was devised by George Lockwood, one of the principle investors in the Canal. After the decline of grain exports the basin was an active ship building center. The last ship was built here in 1868.

Erected by Friends Of The Hogback.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas • Railroads & Streetcars • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.

Location.

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41° 18.103′ N, 82° 36.334′ W. Marker is in Milan, Ohio, in Erie County. It can be reached from North Main Street, on the right when traveling north. This marker is along the Milan Towpath MetroParks Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 30 N Edison Dr, Milan OH 44846, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Ohio’s Lake Erie Shore

and in the Western Reserve.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and 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: The Milan Canal (here, next to this marker); Milan's Hogback (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Milan Canal Basin (about 600 feet away); Edison Recalls Milan / Birthplace of Thomas A. Edison (about 600 feet away); Historical Sites Milan Canal Era (about 700 feet away); Thomas A. Edison Birthplace (about 700 feet away); Edison Statue On Bench (about 700 feet away); Two Smaller Homes (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milan.

Photographed by Craig Doda, November 28, 2024

2. The Port Of Milan Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 30, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2024, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 131 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 5, 2024, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.