Rootstown in Portage County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Ephraim Root
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Rootstown
Photographed by Don Morfe, July 17, 2013
1. Ephraim Root Marker
Ephraim Root. Ephraim Root (1762-1825), a wealthy Connecticut lawyer, was one of 57 investors in the Connecticut Land Company and served as its secretary and agent. In 1795, this group purchased three million acres of land in the Western Reserve. Root held interest in 100,000 acres, including Township 2 in Range VIII, which he named Rootstown. In 1800, Root traveled by horseback with his helper Henry Davenport and surveyor National Cook to divide the township into 48 sections, reserving Lot 6 for his own use.
Rootstown. Ephraim Root returned to Rootstown in 1801 to plant a wheat field and build a log house. In 1802, his brother David Root, with his wife Clara and four sons, moved from Connecticut to Rootstown to establish a home. Rootstown was settled in 1802 and grew into a fruit and dairy community with connection to the early railroads and canals. Rootstown Township was organized in 1810. The town celebrated its centennial in 1902, its sesquicentennial in 1952, and its bicentennial in 2002.
Erected 2003 by Rootstown Historical Society; The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 4-67.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Patriots & Patriotism
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Location. 41° 5.883′ N, 81° 14.55′ W. Marker is in Rootstown, Ohio, in Portage County. It is on Ravenna Louisville Road (Ohio Route 44) south of Akron Youngstown Road, on the left when traveling south. The Ephraim Root marker is on the reverse side of this marker. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Rootstown OH 44272, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cleveland and in the Western Reserve. It is also in the American Midwest. 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 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ephraim Root (here, next to this marker); Portage County Veterans Memorial (approx. 4.1 miles away); 1893 Ravenna Flagpole (approx. 4.1 miles away); Etna House (approx. 4.1 miles away); Abraham Lincoln, Ravenna, Ohio (approx. 4.1 miles away); Practice Field: End of the Advance / Thirteen Seconds (approx. 6.4 miles away); Kent State University (approx. 6.4 miles away); 4 Dead and 9 Wounded (approx. 6.4 miles away).
Another marker is no longer nearby. Benjamin Tappan, Jr. (was approx. 3.6 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Photographed by Don Morfe, July 17, 2013
2. Rootstown Marker
Photographed by Don Morfe, July 17, 2013
3. Rootstown Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 9, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,673 times since then and 72 times this year. Last updated on May 25, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 9, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
