Providence Township near Grand Rapids in Lucas County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Providence Historical District

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, March 6, 2010

1. Providence Historical District Marker

Inscription. The town of Providence was born, thrived and died with the Miami & Erie Canal. It was platted in 1835 by French trader Peter Manor, swept by fire in 1846, ravaged by cholera in 1854, and finally unincorporated in 1928. Today, only the Irish builders' St. Patrick's Church (1845), the oldest in the Toledo Diocese; the cemetery; and Peter Manor's house (1845) remain. The Providence Dam, built in 1838 to create a water supply for the canal's remaining 25 miles to Toledo, was rebuilt in 1908. Peter Manor's mill stands downstream one-half mile at Canal Lock #9, where it was built in 1822, rebuilt in 1846, and operates today as the Isaac Ludwig Historic Mill. The National Historic Register of Historic Places listed this district in 1975, the mill in 1974.

Erected 1980 by Grand Rapids Historical Society and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 4-87.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection, and the The Miami & Erie Canal series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1835.

Location. 41° 25.098′ N,

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83° 52.384′ W. Marker is near Grand Rapids, Ohio, in Lucas County. It is in Providence Township. It is at the intersection of South River Road (County Route 53/424) and Providence Neapolis Swanton Road (County Road 109), on the right when traveling west on South River Road. This historical marker is located in the front yard of St. Patrick's Church and across the street from Peter Manor's house (1845). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 13905 S River Rd, Grand Rapids OH 43522, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Lake Erie Shore

and in the Toledo Metropolitan Area.

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 Viceroyalty of New France,

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: St. Patrick Church

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, March 6, 2010

2. Providence Historical District Marker

View of historical marker in the front yard of St. Patrick's Church.

(about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The 150th Anniversary of the Great Starvation (about 400 feet away); Tempers Explode As Dams Get Built (approx. 0.2 miles away); Water's Ways: Flood And Ice (approx. 0.2 miles away); Foundations From The Past (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Towpath Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away); Sugar Maple (approx. 0.4 miles away); Grand Rapids Town Hall (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grand Rapids.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, March 6, 2010

3. Providence Historical District Marker

View looking northeast of the historical marker in the left foreground and to the right of River Road (US 24) heading towards Waterville, Maumee, and Toledo.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, March 6, 2010

4. Providence Historical District Marker

View looking across the street (River Road) from the historical marker at the Peter Manor house, which is situated on the high ridge overlooking the Maumee River.

Providence Dam image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, March 6, 2010

5. Providence Dam

View of the nearby Providence Dam that was built to supply the canal with the water needed for its operations from Providence all the way to the end of the line in Toledo.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, March 6, 2010

6. Providence Dam

View of the name of the contractor, John Weckerly, written in the dam's cement 1908 renovation, on the west side of the Maumee River.

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, March 6, 2010

7. Providence Dam

View from the western bank of the Maumee River of the Providence Dam that was originally built in 1838 as part of the canal system.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 27, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 9, 2010, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,093 times since then and 65 times this year. Last updated on June 13, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 9, 2010, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 5, 6, 7. submitted on May 2, 2010, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.