Historical Markers and War Memorials in Grand Rapids, Ohio
Toledo is the county seat for Lucas County
Grand Rapids is in Lucas County
Lucas County(474) ► ADJACENT TO LUCAS COUNTY Fulton County(109) ► Henry County(106) ► Ottawa County(142) ► Wood County(225) ► Lenawee County, Michigan(157) ► Monroe County, Michigan(204) ►
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On South River Road (U.S. 24) 0.2 miles west of Grand Rapids Road (Ohio Route 295), on the right when traveling east.
Follow the historic Towpath to the source of the canal water and a beautiful habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds. Peace, tranquility and a spectacular view with the sound of water flowing over the Providence Dam await you at the end of the path. . . . — — Map (db m173223) HM
On South River Road (U.S. 24) at Ludwig Road, on the right when traveling east on South River Road.
America needed hope in
the early 1930s, as The Great
Depression took its toll.
Newly elected President
Franklin
D.
Roosevelt
implemented social programs,
such as the Works Progress
Administration (W.P.A) . . . — — Map (db m173228) HM
On South River Road (U.S. 24) 0.1 miles Grand Rapids Road (Ohio Route 295), on the right when traveling east.
The first water powered grist mill near this sit was
built about 1885 by after manor, one of the earliest
white settlers in this region. The present mill built
in 1849. Was operated and owned by Isaac Ludwig under
permanent water rights granted . . . — — Map (db m173222) HM
The Wabash & Erie Canal opened between Toledo and Lafayette, Indiana, May 8, 1843. The Miami Extension Canal was completed to Junction, Ohio, on July 4, 1845, linking the Wabash & Erie Canal with Cincinnati and resulting in changing the canal’s . . . — — Map (db m19574) HM
On South River Road (Route 24) 0.2 miles west of Grand Rapids Road (Route 295), on the right when traveling east.
Railroads signaled changing times for the
canals, making them obsolete before they
were even finished.
Only five years after the first spadesful of
dirt on the Miami and Erie Canal had been
dug, trains were already rolling into Ohio. . . . — — Map (db m173224) HM
On South River Road (U.S. 24) at Providence Neapolis Swanton Road (County Route 109) on South River Road.
Fr. Amadeus Rappe, Pastor of St. Francis
de Sales, Toledo, and Mission Pastor
of all Northwest Ohio, supervised the
building of this church in 1845.
Peter Manor donated the land, 40,000
bricks, and 5,000 ft. of black walnut
lumber for . . . — — Map (db m172753) HM
On South River Road (U.S. 24) at Ludwig Road, on the right when traveling east on South River Road.
Legend has it that construction wasn't
easy. All towns wanted the canal because it
brought them prosperity. The townsfolk
living across the river in Gilead (Grand
Rapids) were so angry that their town was
not on the canal route that they . . . — — Map (db m173227) HM
On Providence Neapolis Swanton Road (County Route 109) at South River Road (U.S. 24), on the right when traveling south on Providence Neapolis Swanton Road.
The 150th Anniversary of the
Great Starvation
1845- 1850
In memory of those who
Perished and those who
fled starvation, death and
foreign oppression in
Ireland to seek justice,
freedom and a new way
of life in America.
(three . . . — — Map (db m132064) HM
On South River Road (U.S. 24) at Grand Rapids Road (Ohio Route 295), on the right when traveling east on South River Road.
A former hotel at this site was once a popular stopover for travelers in the 1850s on the Miami and Erie Canal. Folklore tells us this old hotel had questionable roots at best. Reportedly once a house of ill repute, the hotel had many functions . . . — — Map (db m173219) HM
On South River Road (U.S. 24) 0.1 miles west of Grand Rapids Road (Ohio Route 295), on the right when traveling east.
The Towpath Trail, where mules once towed flat bottom
boats on the Miami & Erie Canal, connects three Metroparks
along the scenic Maumee River. Farnsworth overlooks three
islands in the river and the picturesque ruins of an Interurban
Bridge. . . . — — Map (db m173225) HM
Near River Bluff Trail west of Orange Trail, on the right when traveling west.
Providence Dam: A roller dam across the Maumee
River is a scenic spot to fish or just relax. The dam
was built to divert water into the canal.
Providence Dam Area
Providence Dam Shelter (preservable)
Rangers & . . . — — Map (db m195581) HM
On Towpath Trail south of Buckeye Trail, on the right when traveling south.
Providence Dam: A roller dam across the Maumee
River is a scenic spot to fish or just relax. The dam
was built to divert water into the canal.
Providence Dam Area
Providence Dam Shelter (reservable)
Rangers & . . . — — Map (db m195584) HM
On South River Road (U.S. 24) at Grand Rapids Road (Ohio Route 295), on the right when traveling east on South River Road.
The ghost town of Providence was once a booming
city with warehouses, shops, and the canal.
Colorful characters such as these would have been
seen throughout canal towns and villages. Thanks to illustrator Bill Kuhlman we have a peek at . . . — — Map (db m173218) HM
On South River Road (U.S. 24) 0.1 miles west of Grand Rapids Road (Ohio Route 295), on the right when traveling east.
Life was not easy for the 50,000 people
who called Ohio home at the beginning
of the canal era.
It was difficult to send goods, travel
and receive mail. Governor Ethan Allan
Brown authorized canal construction to
help ease the . . . — — Map (db m173220) HM
On South River Road (U.S. 24) 0.1 miles west of Grand Rapids Road (Ohio Route 295), on the right when traveling east.
The model next to you is a replica of
the turbine that runs the mill. A turbine
spins like a pinwheel, but uses water
instead of wind.
The Providence Dam, half-mile west,
directs water from the Maumee River
into the canal behind the . . . — — Map (db m173221) HM
On South River Road (U.S. 24) at Ludwig Road, on the right when traveling east on South River Road.
It may surprise you that nature relies on
floods. Floods and adjacent lands called
floodplains allow rivers to purge excess
sand, silt, and pollution. Plants and shrubs
along the edge trap floodwater debris. The
earth itself filters . . . — — Map (db m173226) HM
On South River Road (U.S. 24) 0.2 miles east of Grand Rapids Road (Ohio Route 295), on the right when traveling east.
Welcome
to Providence Metropark on the Maumee River, a place that connects the natural world
with the stories of people who lived here - their hopes, dreams and accomplishments.
The Maumee is the reason the
Miami and Erie Canal was . . . — — Map (db m173305) HM
On Grand Rapids Road (U.S. 24) west of Bridge Street (Ohio Route 295), on the right when traveling east.
When moving from one level of
a house to another, people
generally use stairs. Canal lock
construction follows the same
principle except that the water
levels become the stairs. Two sets
of large whaler gates contain
smaller wicket gates. . . . — — Map (db m195583) HM
Near Front Street (Local Road 1616) just west of Mill Street, on the right when traveling west.
In the mid-70s, Toledoans Don and
Audrey Entenman took a Sunday
drive upriver and discovered a
"Victorian Jewel",
Grand Rapids, Ohio.
Over the next several decades, the
couple's love of history, restoration,
and an entrepreneurial vision . . . — — Map (db m170205) HM
On Front Street (Ohio Route 65) at Bridge Street (Ohio Route 578) on Front Street.
This site is dedicated to Dominick Labino, 1910-1987, glass scientist, engineer, artist, and inventor. Credited with 57 patents, Mr. Labino invented pure silica fiber which was used in insulating tiles covering the space shuttle Columbia and the . . . — — Map (db m4026) HM
On West 2nd Street (County Road 65) at Beaver Street, on the right when traveling east on West 2nd Street.
On this site in 1848, the Presbyterians and Methodists entered into a situation unique to Gilead, as Grand Rapids was then known, by jointly constructing a frame church for worship James Purdy, grantor, sold the lot for five dollars for religious . . . — — Map (db m169636) HM
On Front Street at Wapakoneta Road, on the right when traveling south on Front Street.
This site, at the head of the Great Rapids of the Maumee, has been a major river crossing for centuries. The village was platted in 1833 as Gilead but was overshadowed by rival Providence during the canal era. In 1868 the name Grand Rapids was . . . — — Map (db m41973) HM
On Front Street (Route 1616) just west of Mill Street, on the left when traveling east.
The above mosaic art installation
is in memory of Julie Pontasch, who
was one of the founders of the
Grand Rapids Sunset Jazz Fest (2005),
a board member of the Grand Rapids
Arts Council (GRAC) from 2004 to 2014
and a person who loved . . . — — Map (db m183599) HM
On Front Street (Local Road 1616) just west of Mill Street, on the right when traveling west.
This property donated
to the Village in 1995
by David LaRoe.
The present shelter was
constructed in 2000.
This chimney was part of
the original 1940's building. — — Map (db m183597) HM
On River Road (U.S. 24) at Providence Neapolis Swanton Road, on the right when traveling west on River Road.
The town of Providence was born, thrived and died with the Miami & Erie Canal. It was platted in 1835 by French trader Peter Manor, swept by fire in 1846, ravaged by cholera in 1854, and finally unincorporated in 1928. Today, only the Irish . . . — — Map (db m28397) HM
Near Front Street east of Mill Street, on the left when traveling east.
[The map indicates several locations as well as dates for some of the locations:]
Providence Metropark •
Maumee River •
Miami and Erie Canal •
Providence Dam (1838) •
Lock No. 9 •
Large Island •
Grand Rapids •
Dam (1836) • . . . — — Map (db m195543) HM
On Front Street (Ohio Route 65) at Wapakonta Street (Ohio Route 65) on Front Street.
Thomas Howard, aged 66, a Revolutionary War Veteran, arrived at the head of the great rapids of the Maumee from New York State in 1822. Three cabins were erected for his family and the families of his two sons Edward and Robert. The first death in . . . — — Map (db m4027) HM
On Front Street (Local Road 1616) 0.1 miles east of Carp Street, on the right when traveling east.
Built by Azor Thurston (1861-1922), analytical chemist,
textbook author, and pharmacist, this 30 x 75 foot yellow brick
building served continuously as a pharmacy for 115 years, until
2011. The Thurston family lived upstairs.
The . . . — — Map (db m170074) HM
On Long Judson Road (County Road 79) 0.3 miles east of Beaver Creek Road (County Road 203), on the left when traveling east.
The Long-Judson Parker pony truss bridge was designed by R. M. Strohl of Clague and Strohl Company, Bowling Green, Ohio and built by the Elkhart Bridge & Iron Company of Elkhart, Indiana in 1916. It carried Wood County's Township Road 79A . . . — — Map (db m185134) HM
