Knox County Poor Farm
The surrounding 132 acres of land served as the Knox County Poor
Farm (aka Knox County Infirmary and County Home) from 1842 to
1955. The farm was nearly self-sustaining. Able residents grew
their own food, raised . . . — — Map (db m108925) HM
This mural shows East Main Street on the south side next to the Public
Square (which is now the gazebo park). As early as 1823
Centerburg was a livery stop for the stage coaches traveling from the
north and east to the state capital. In the late . . . — — Map (db m166939) HM
This mural depicts the end of North Hartford
Avenue. The arrival of the Cleveland, Akron and Columbus
Railroad in 1873 gave Centerburg an economic boost.
Many local farmers invested heavily to bring the railroad
to the area. It was primarily . . . — — Map (db m166940) HM
This scene is the intersection of East Main Street and
Hartford Avenue. For a time in the late 1930's
Centerburg had only one traffic light which was on
a pole in the middle of the street. (Now the center
light of the three current lights). This . . . — — Map (db m166941) HM
This mural shows the corner of East Main Street and
North Clayton Street. For many years this site was part
of the public square. In the early 1920's a "filling
station” for the "machines” was built on the corner since
cars were . . . — — Map (db m166943) HM
A descendent of Knox Countys earliest pioneers, Confederate Brigadier General Daniel Harris Reynolds was born just three miles west of Centerburg in 1832. He attended Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, where he became a close friend of Otho . . . — — Map (db m59460) HM
1917-1919: Meuse-Argonne Ypers-Lys St. Mihiel
1940-1945: Solomon Islands Manila Northern Luzon
1952-1954: Camp Polk-Korea
Centerburg Community Memorial Park
On June 3, 1945 Gov. Frank J. Lausche dedicated this . . . — — Map (db m184264) HM WM
This 1300 lb. bell was made in Hillsboro Ohio in 1882 purchased by Hilliar Twp. trustees in 1891 erected by Centerburg V.F.D. Oct. 20, 1972 — — Map (db m166937) HM
To commemorate Knox County's first election on April 4, 1808
and the location of voting for the Village of Centerburg and Hilliar
Township from 1860 to 1884. The large building in the background
above, stood at the back of the southwest corner of . . . — — Map (db m166947) HM
This starred line marks the crossing in Knox County of the Greenville Treaty Line as surveyed by Israel Ludlow between 1797 and 1799; that part running from near Fort Laurens in the eastern part of the state, to a point near Fort Recovery, thence . . . — — Map (db m17478) HM
Greenville Treaty Line | Organized 1797
The starred line marks the
crossing of Knox County of the
Greenville Treaty Line as
surveyed by Israel Ludlow between
1797 and 1799; that part running
from near Fort Laurens in the
eastern part . . . — — Map (db m77401) HM
The blue corduroy jacket worn by
members is a widely recognized symbol
of the National FFA Organization,
formerly Future Farmers of America. In
1933, Dr. J.H. “Gus” Lintner, a Fredericktown
teacher and advisor to the local FFA . . . — — Map (db m131884) HM
Webb C. Ball was a native of the Fredericktown area before opening his jewelry store in Cleveland, Ohio. After a tragic railroad accident in Kipton, Ohio, in 1891, Ball was contracted by the railroad to standardize the time of 125,000 miles of . . . — — Map (db m131885) HM
This 0-6-0 switcher locomotive and tender were built by the American Locomotive Company (Alco) of Schenectady, N.Y., for the Alabama State Docks Commission in November 1940. Road number 63 was used to switch cargo at the docks in Mobile, Ala. This . . . — — Map (db m13872) HM
The humble caboose was a fixture on the end of freight trains for more than a century. It has been called by many slang names including crummy, shack, shanty and cabin car. A caboose provided a sheltered vantage point from which trainmen could watch . . . — — Map (db m13874) HM
The stone masons brought from England by
Bishop Chase to construct the early buildings at
Kenyon College settled in this area. In the
1850s with the help of Episcopal Bishop
Gregory T. Bedell, they and other families in
the community built . . . — — Map (db m94916) HM
Born in Ashland County in 1819, Lorin Andrews studied at Kenyon College (1838-41) and achieved renown as an Ohio school superintendent and advocate for public elementary and secondary education. As Kenyon's president beginning in 1854, the . . . — — Map (db m95128) HM
Whoever passes through this gateway should remember David Bates Douglass
A gallant soldier and officer in the War of 1812
A civil engineer of distinction
A teacher of wide experience
who in the years 1841-1844 while president of . . . — — Map (db m13869) HM
This glacial boulder from the Bates Homestead in Columbus, Ohio was given to Kenyon College in 1953 by Fanny Platt Bates Little in memory of her brother Edward Bates son of Judge James Lawrence Bates and grandson of the honorable Alfred . . . — — Map (db m13871) HM
In 1823, Ohio Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase purchased 8,000 acres of what he called the “beauty spot” of Knox County. Here, he founded Kenyon College, the first men's college west of the Allegheny Mountains, and the second oldest . . . — — Map (db m13873) HM
In grateful memory of
George Wharton Marriott of London
One of the earliest and most devoted of the English friends of Kenyon College.
Through him Bishop Chase knew Lord Kenyon, Doctor Gaskin and Lady Rosse.
In his honor these . . . — — Map (db m13868) HM
Side A:
In 1938 the president of Kenyon College, Gordon Keith Chalmers, brought one of the nation's most distinguished poets and critics, John Crowe Ransom, to the Gambier Hill. Chalmers brought Ransom to Kenyon College to create a distinguished . . . — — Map (db m13866) HM
The state's oldest private institution of higher education, Kenyon College was founded in 1824 in Worthington by Philander Chase, first Episcopal bishop of Ohio, and relocated to Gambier four years later. Both college and village are named for . . . — — Map (db m13867) HM
Along with abundant wildlife and tranquil beauty, the banks of State Scenic Kokosing River
reveal stories of our past.
A River Sentinel: the Sycamore Tree
Sycamore trees are fixtures along rivers. Their noble white branches
extend from . . . — — Map (db m166944) HM
Stone Arch at Howard, Ohio. The arch at Howard, built in 1874, is a bridge for U.S. Route 36 over the old Cleveland, Mt. Vernon, and Delaware Railroad bed, a part of the Kokosing Gap Trail. Samuel Israel, Sr. (1810-1889) sold the right to quarry . . . — — Map (db m154402) HM
Greene Ville Treaty Line
Surveyed by Israel Ludlow, 1797- 1799
The southern boundary of Ashland County is a portion
of the original Greene Ville Treaty. The line was
established at the Treaty of Greene Ville signed August 3,
1795 by . . . — — Map (db m77342) HM
Greenville Treaty Line / Organized 1797
The starred line marks the
crossing of Knox County of the
Greenville Treaty Line as
surveyed by Israel Ludlow between
1797 and 1799; that part running
from near fort Laurens in the
eastern part . . . — — Map (db m77337) HM
Through blurred eyes we find the strength and courage to soar beyond the moment.
We look to the future knowing we can never forget the past.
God Bless America — — Map (db m94955) WM
The Civil War Monument that is the focal point of Mount Vernon's Public Square was designed by Henry B. Curtis.
In 1863, a group of young women created the Young Ladies' Union League, whose mission was to erect a monument to honor those who . . . — — Map (db m205889) HM
(south face)
“Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori”
In grateful appreciation of the Patriotism and selfsacrifice of the lamented sons and soldiers of Knox Co. who for their Country and for freedom, laid down their lives in the . . . — — Map (db m12727) HM
As 10,000 people gathered on Mount Vernon's town square on May 1, 1863, Clement Laird Vallandigham, a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio, spoke. Whether his words were that of a traitor to the North, or someone . . . — — Map (db m205893) HM
Ellamae Simmons, M.D. (1918-2019). Ellamae Simmons, born and raised in Mount Vernon, became the first African American woman physician to specialize in asthma, allergy, and immunology in the country. Graduating in the top of her high school . . . — — Map (db m184225) HM
Called the one person who had the greatest influence on shaping Mount Vernon, Henry Curtis moved here at age 17, to study law with his older brother. He had only 25 cents in his pocket.
Among the more active citizens in 19th Century Mount . . . — — Map (db m205892) HM
Jane Payne, M.D. (1825-1882). Dr. Jane Payne's family migrated from Bristol, England in 1825. Her father Henry served as an Episcopal priest in Ohio, finally settling in Mount Vernon. Although her sight was impaired and she was challenged by . . . — — Map (db m157851) HM
This is the site of Johnny Appleseed's earliest known recorded landholdings. Appleseed (whose legal name was John Chapman) purchased two parcels from Joseph Walker on September 14, 1809: Mount Vernon town lot 147, upon which you stand, and lot 145, . . . — — Map (db m13875) HM
Lakeholm was built as the home of Columbus Delano while serving as Secretary of the Interior under President Ulysses S. Grant from 1870 to 1875. Delano (1809-1896) came to Mount Vernon in 1817, attended public schools, studied law, and was admitted . . . — — Map (db m13884) HM
Named for the Native Americans who first dwelled here along both sides of the Kokosing River, the Little Indian Fields is adjacent to the site of the first white settlement of Knox County. Early white inhabitants of this land were Andrew and . . . — — Map (db m18747) HM
Mary Ann Ball was born in this vicinity in 1817 and began her nursing career at age 20. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Mary at the age of 45 went to the soldiers' aid. Ignoring rank, protocol, and allegiance, she pursued fearlessly and with . . . — — Map (db m12723) HM
Mary Ann Ball Bickerdyke was born near Mount Vernon, but traveled more than most women of her time. No stranger to death, she saved countless lives as a nurse during the Civil War.
After the death of her own infant daughter, she commuted to . . . — — Map (db m205887) HM
A Nation that
honors its Veterans is
a nation dedicated
to preservation
of a freedom won
by the sacrifice of life
itself. These emblems
are appropriately
dedicated to the valiant
dead of the armed
forces who ventured far, . . . — — Map (db m94957) WM
Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, the lone religious property within the Mt. Vernon Downtown Historic District, served what became only the second African American congregation in the city. The cornerstone for 13 South Mulberry Street was laid October 17, . . . — — Map (db m184227) HM
Mt. Calvary Baptist Church is a cozy white place of worship at 13 South Mulberry Street. The small congregation of Mt. Cavalry was traditionally made up of African-Americans.
The building's Gothic Revival style gives it a Middle Ages charm. . . . — — Map (db m184245) HM
The South Main Plaza project was completed in the Spring of 2020.
This re-imagined gathering space is part of the rejuvination of
downtown Mount Vernon's Historic Buisness District bringing
new energy and vitality to the community.
The . . . — — Map (db m205950) HM
The Cooper Fountain, located on
the town square of Mount
Vernon, was donated by Charles
Cooper in 1883. Charles and
Elias Cooper founded the Cooper
ironworks, which evolved from
making iron plows and other
tools to manufacturing . . . — — Map (db m205891) HM
Rising from slavery in the South to the stages of Ohio opera houses, members of the Snowden family entertained people across America.
The family's father, Thomas, was a slave in the early 1800s, and their mother Ellen, was a "House servant." . . . — — Map (db m205949) HM
On May 1, 1863, Peace Democratic Party leader Clement L. Vallandigham spoke to 10,000 people from this spot. Vallandigham's party, known by their opponents as "Copperheads," opposed the Civil War as an encroachment on both individuals' and . . . — — Map (db m12726) HM
Veterans
Avenue of Flags
Flying in Memory of:
Algire, Dean WWII Huffman, Howard WWI
Algire, Roger Vietnam Kadey, Kingsley WWII
Awwiller, Donald M. WWII Kepple, John WWII
Awwiller, Josephine WWII Kerr, Wilson E. WWII . . . — — Map (db m94953) WM
In recognition of
the patriotism of
the people of
Knox County
who oversubscribed their
War Savings Quota in 1918
this tablet is
gratefully erected by the
Ohio War Savings Committee — — Map (db m205937) HM
The Woodward Opera House is a
place to experience Mount Vernon's
cultural history.
The Woodward Opera House is
America's oldest authentic
nineteenth century theater still
standing to this day. The theater was
the vision of Dr. . . . — — Map (db m205947) HM
