Anna in Shelby County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
John W. Carey
Founder of Anna, Ohio
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., March 7, 2010
1. John W. Carey Marker
John W. Carey was born in 1805 in West Virginia [sic - Virginia] and came to Shelby County with his parents, Cephas and Jane Williamson Carey. Around 1833, J.W. Carey bought a thousand acres in Dinsmore Township, west of the present railroad in what is now the village of Anna.
J.W. Carey was a contractor by trade, having built the Montgomery County Courthouse in Dayton, Ohio, in 1845. In 1856, he helped build the Dayton and Michigan Railroad that was to run through Anna. He was instrumental in building the railroad station here and established a post office in the station. He named it Carey's Station, but later changed it to Anna in honor of his daughter. It was Carey who saw the need for the railroad in order to bring lasting prosperity to Anna.
The village of Anna, consisting of 16 lots east of the railroad, was platted by Carey in 1858. It was surveyed and recorded by John L. and Fletcher Thirkield, owners of that land. The town was incorporated on September 3, 1878.
In Sidney, he built the Shelby County Jail, Carey's Hall on the corner of Poplar Street and Ohio Avenue, and contracted to build part of the old Big Four Railroad bridge.
Carey died in 1877 at 72 years of age. He is buried in Graceland Cemetery, Sidney, Ohio, in an unmarked grave in the Thirkield plot.
Erected
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Man-Made Features • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1802.
Location. 40° 23.701′ N, 84° 10.564′ W. Marker is in Anna, Ohio, in Shelby County. It is on Main Street (Ohio Route 119), on the left when traveling west. Marker is at the flagpole immediately west of the Anna Village Hall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 209 W Main Street, Anna OH 45302, 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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Anna Town Hall (here, next to this marker); The Old Anna School Bell (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); SP 4 Lawrence D. Rickey (approx. Ό mile away); Lois Lenski (approx. Ό mile away); The Site of the St. Jacob Lutheran Church and Cemetery (approx. 1.6 miles away); Wenger One Room School (approx. 2.8 miles away); Village of Rumley (approx. 3.8 miles away); Shelby County Veterans Who Died While Serving Their Country (approx. 4.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Anna.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Rumley (was approx. 3.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., March 7, 2010
2. John W. Carey Marker
Looking east, with Anna Village Hall in background.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., March 7, 2010
3. Anna Village Hall
Credits. This page was last revised on December 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on April 18, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,714 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 18, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
