Social Squares · Ohio · The Buckeye State
Ohio, town by town
One calm page for each Ohio town: what’s on this weekend from the library, the schools, the churches and the city or village hall, its history, and every local shop on one hand-drawn map. Free, no ads, kept by neighbors. The Friday night game, the county fair and the fall festival, all in one place.
Tap a pin to step into that town’s Square.
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Every Ohio Square, A to Z
Made in Ohio
Ohio firsts
- 1835College for everyone Oberlin
Oberlin was one of the first U.S. colleges to admit Black students, in 1835, and in 1837 it admitted four women. Mary Jane Patterson graduated there in 1862, the first Black woman to earn a bachelor’s degree. Source
- 1869The first all-pro baseball team Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first openly all-professional baseball team in 1869, and went 57 and 0 against National Association clubs that year. Source
- 1891The first concrete street Bellefontaine
Bellefontaine says it has the first concrete street in America: George Bartholomew paved a strip by the courthouse in 1891, and Court Avenue still has its old concrete. Source
- 1902The only state flag that isn’t a rectangle Columbus
Ohio’s flag is a swallowtail with a forked end, designed by Cleveland architect John Eisenmann and adopted in 1902. No other state flag has its shape. Source
- 1904The Wright brothers learn to fly Dayton
Bicycle makers Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton flew first at Kitty Hawk in 1903, then came home and practiced in a cow pasture outside Dayton, Huffman Prairie, where in 1904 Wilbur flew the first full circle in a powered airplane. Source
- 1912Life Savers Garrettsville
Candy maker Clarence Crane of Garrettsville came up with Life Savers in 1912. The first flavor was peppermint. Source
- 1914An early electric traffic light Cleveland
In August 1914 an electric traffic signal went up at East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, often called the first installed in the U.S. A Salt Lake City policeman had built one in 1912. Source
- 1920Where the NFL began Canton
Team owners met in a Canton car showroom in August 1920, and on September 17 they founded the league that became the NFL. The Pro Football Hall of Fame is in Canton. Source
- 1952The first rock and roll concert Cleveland
DJ Alan Freed’s Moondog Coronation Ball at the Cleveland Arena on March 21, 1952 is generally called the first major rock and roll concert. Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame today. Source
- 1969The first person on the Moon Wapakoneta
Neil Armstrong grew up near Wapakoneta, and in July 1969 he became the first person to walk on the Moon. Source
Your town next?
Each Square opens with its own history, photos and calendar, and a neighbor to keep it. If your Ohio town isn’t here yet, tell us, or add your church’s, school’s or club’s calendar and help it open.