Bope Warehouse Park

Bope Warehouse Park. On The Ohio And Erie Canal. , On this spot in 1848, Jacob Bope constructed one of the largest warehouses on the Ohio and Erie Canal. Bope, a Virginia native who came to Ohio as a child, was a well-noted carpenter and craftsman in the Fairfield County area. He was known locally as "The Colonel," a name earned for his service with the Ohio Militia., Bope's warehouse was dubbed the Bope-Gierhart Warehouse to mark Bope's contribution as well as to honor the work of John "The Ice Man" Gierhart, a local landowner and butcher, and one of the warehouse's main proprietors. He earned his frosty nickname in the winters when, as the ice in the nearby canal basin froze, he'd organize teams to collect the ice to keep his products fresh during the long summers before the advent of modern refrigeration., The work that brought these two men together created a great deal of opportunity in the Baltimore area. Local famers would line up for nearly half a mile for the chance to ship their goods on the canal from the Bope-Gierhart Warehouse. In the days when the canals formed the region's major commercial network, the population of Ohio was surging, and projects like this warehouse helped create and sustain the economic boom that cemented the state's reputation as a regional and national power in agriculture and business. Thanks to the Bope-Gierhart Warehouse, local farmers gained access to markets that their goods could never before have reached., Aside from creating a major commercial hub for area agriculture, the canal basin from which Gierhart harvested his ice was a major social hub for local youths. In the winters, skating was popular as long as the Ice Man hadn't come through too recently, and bonfires would keep skaters and spectators warm. In the summers, fishing for catfish and carp, swimming, and mud fights were favorite pastimes., After the canal was abandoned in the late 19th century in favor of railroads, upkeep of this spot was neglected. Eventually the old warehouse was sold as scrap lumber, and all visible traces of it vanished. The remnant canal basin became known as the old mill pond, and remained a popular skating and recreational hub well into the 1960s. However, sediment slowly filled it and mosquitoes infested it, and the pond was ultimately filled in 1966 for the construction of aptly named Water Street., Recent efforts by the Village and local volunteers have turned this overlooked landmark of commerce and transportation into the welcoming public park that it is today. Thanks to the generosity and work of many people, this historic location along the banks of Paw Paw Creek is once again a place to make Baltimore proud.,