Lanier Township near Gratis in Preble County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Sherwood Anderson

1876 - 1941

— Hall of Honor —

Sherwood Anderson Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, June 28, 2025

1. Sherwood Anderson Marker

Inscription. Born in Camden, Anderson led an itinerant life of a house painter and served in the US Army in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Eventually he arrived in Chicago and began writing. His famous novel, Winesburg, Ohio, was an interrelated collection of short stories and novel that served as a stylistic touchpoint for his and later generations of American writers. He wrote a total of nine novels, four short, story collections, and two books of poetry during his short career.

Inducted into the Hall of Honor July 1, 2018

As recorders of Preble County history, PCHS and The Register-Herald are natural partners in co-sponsoring the Hall of Honor

Erected 2018 by Preble County Historical Society - The Register-Herald. (Marker Number 32.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical date for this entry is September 13, 1876.

Location. 39° 39.495′ N, 84° 32.848′ W. Marker is near Gratis, Ohio, in Preble County. It is in Lanier Township. It is at the intersection of Swartsel Road and Ohio Route 122, on the right when traveling south on Swartsel Road.

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Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7693 Swartsel Road, Eaton OH 45320, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Till Plains.

It is also in the American Midwest

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: Alfa Lloyd Hayes (here, next to this marker); Sarah Elizabeth Daugherty Reynolds (here, next to this marker); Clarence Irvin Kesler (here, next to this marker); Billy J. "Bill" Sewert (here, next to this marker); Timothy H. Miller (here, next to this marker); Laura A. Hawes (here, next to this marker); Irene Hardy (here, next to this marker); Chester "Chet" (1908-1970) & Mary Palmer Wagner (1913-1985) (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gratis.

Related markers. Click here for a list

Preble County Historical Society & Nature Reserve - Hall of Honor image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, June 28, 2025

2. Preble County Historical Society & Nature Reserve - Hall of Honor

of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . . Sherwood Anderson (Wikipedia). Overview:

Sherwood Anderson (September 13, 1876 – March 8, 1941) was an American novelist and short story writer, known for subjective and self-revealing works. Self-educated, he rose to become a successful copywriter and business owner in Cleveland and Elyria, Ohio. In 1912, Anderson had a nervous breakdown that led him to abandon his business and family to become a writer.

At the time, he moved to Chicago and was eventually married three additional times. His most enduring work is the short-story sequence Winesburg, Ohio, which launched his career. Throughout the 1920s, Anderson published several short story collections, novels, memoirs, books of essays, and a book of poetry. Though his books sold reasonably well, his only bestseller was Dark Laughter (1925), a novel inspired by Anderson's time in New Orleans during the 1920s.

(Submitted on July 22, 2025.)

Portrait of Sherwood Anderson image. Click for full size.

Carl van Vechten (courtesy Library of Congress), November 29, 1933

3. Portrait of Sherwood Anderson

Credits. This page was last revised on July 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 2, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 84 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 2, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. 3. submitted on July 22, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.