Hopedale in Harrison County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Historic Hopedale / Clark Gable, "The King of Hollywood"
Photographed By Jamie Abel, October 3, 2010
1. Historic Hopedale / Clark Gable, "The King of Hollywood" Marker
Platted by educator and abolitionist Cyrus NcNeely in 1849, Hopedale was the site of McNeely Normal School, later Hopedale Normal College, the first coeducational college for teachers in eastern Ohio. It operated from 1849 to 1902. Among its graduates was George Armstrong Custer in 1856. Hopedale served as an important stop on the Underground Railroad for slaves fleeing bondage in the southern states. Local tradition notes several "stations" in the village, three at private homes and one at a hotel.
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Born in Cadiz, Ohio, on February 1, 1901, William Clark Gable lived and attended school in Hopedale from 1903 to 1917. After several years as a stage actor he went to Hollywood, where he made sixty-seven movies in a remarkable career that spanned four decades. Gable won an Academy Award for It Happened One Night in 1934 but is best known for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 classic Gone with the Wind. Gable joined the U. S. Army Air Corps during World War II and fought in Europe. He died in Los Angeles in 1960. His boyhood home is located 1/4 mile south on Mill Street.
Erected 2000 by The Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, the Village of Hopedale and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 2-34.)
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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Entertainment • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1861.
Location. 40° 19.638′ N, 80° 54.173′ W. Marker is in Hopedale, Ohio, in Harrison County. Marker is at the intersection of County Highway 4 and U.S. 22, on the right when traveling south on County Highway 4. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hopedale OH 43976, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. M101A1 105mm Towed Howitzers (approx. 0.6 miles away); Abraham Lincoln at Cadiz Junction (approx. 2.7 miles away); Cadiz G.A.R. Memorial (approx. 5.9 miles away); Clark Gable (approx. 6.1 miles away); Harrison National Bank (approx. 6.2 miles away); The Bullock House (approx. 6.2 miles away); Moses Fleetwood Walker (approx. 6.2 miles away); Bishop Matthew Simpson (approx. 6.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hopedale.
Photographed By Jamie Abel, October 3, 2010
2. Historic Hopedale / Clark Gable, "The King of Hollywood" Marker
Photographed By Jamie Abel, October 3, 2010
3. Historic Hopedale / Clark Gable, "The King of Hollywood" Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 4, 2010, by Jamie Abel of Westerville, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,334 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 4, 2010, by Jamie Abel of Westerville, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
