Oliver Smith Kelly
1824 - 1904
O. S. Kelly grows up on a farm in Greene Township of Clark County later turning his efforts into carpentry trade. In 1852, Kelly temporarily leaves his family to seek his fortune in the California gold rush building dwellings for the miners, returning in 1856 with considerable wealth. He enters into partnership with William Whitely and Jerome Fassler to form a soon to be well-known company in the production of reapers and other farm equipment. He leaves the company in 1881, buying the old factory and reconstructing it as Kellys Arcade and Hotel. He is also instrumental in the founding of the O. S. Kelly Piano Plate Company and the Springfield Road Roller Company. Ferncliffs beautiful Kelly Lake is named after him.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1852.
Location. 39° 56.157′ N, 83° 49.263′ W. Marker is in Springfield, Ohio, in Clark County. It can be reached from West McCreight Avenue. Marker and monument are in Section A of Ferncliff Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Dayton Metro and in the Miami Valley. 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: John Ludlow (within shouting distance of this marker); John Dick (within shouting distance of this marker); Jeremiah Warder and Ann Aston Warder (within shouting distance of this marker); James Leffel (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Clark County Revolutionary War Memorial (about 500 feet away); William Whiteley (about 500 feet away); Union Soldiers Monument (about 600 feet away); United States Colored Troops (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Springfield.
Related marker.
Also see . . . A Portrait of Oliver S. Kelly. Farm Collector website entry (Submitted on March 29, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 24, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 29, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 865 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 29, 2015, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
