Berea, Ohio
Encyclopedia
History
The first European settlers were originally from ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. Berea fell within Connecticut's Western Reserve and was surveyed and divided into townships and ranges by one Gideon Granger, a gentleman who served as Postmaster General under President Thomas Jefferson. Abram Hickox, a Revolutionary War veteran, bought the first plot in what is today Middleburg Heights and in 1808 traveled west from Connecticut to his new purchase. Dissuaded by the swampy and heavily forested land he decided to settle in Cleveland. He became successful as Cleveland's first full time blacksmith. His plot of land was sold to his nephew, Jared Hickox, who came to the area with his wife Sarah and family in 1809. They followed an ancient Indian highway down through the forest from Cleveland and then, at what is now the corner of Bagley and Pearl roads, began to hack their way directly west. About two miles in they found Granger's plot markers and set up their homestead. Today this area is a strip mall on Bagley Road, just down the road from Berea. At the time Hickox discovered Granger's plot markers, the area was a swampy lowland and, as fate would have it, the Hickox's two grown up sons died shortly after the family's arrival from typhoid fever.
In 1828, John Baldwin moved to Middeburg Township where he joined forces with James Gilbrith, a disciple of Josiah Holbrook
Josiah Holbrook
Josiah Holbrook was the founder of the Lyceum movement in the United States. He spent most of his life promoting the movement and manufacturing scientific tools for use in lyceums.-References:* *...
who wanted to found a lyceum
Lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies between countries; usually it is a type of secondary school.-History:...
village. This village was founded in 1837. Baldwin ran the Lyceum Village School for five years until June 1842, when it went bankrupt. However, one day while walking home, he had an impulse to take a new route across the river on his farm. He noticed a grouping of exposed rocks which he judged would make superior grindstones. This was the beginning of the Berea grindstone
Grindstone (tool)
A grindstone is a round sharpening stone used for grinding or sharpening ferrous tools. They are usually made from sandstone.Grindstone machines usually have pedals in which to speed and slow the stone to sharpen metal to the point of perfection....
industry. Baldwin initially shipped grindstones to Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
by ox carts. After the Big Four Railroad was built from Cleveland to Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Baldwin built a railroad to connect his quarries to the Big Four Depot. It was then that Baldwin and the others of the Lyceum Village tried to think of a name for their new town. After Gilbrith proposed Tabor
Tabor
-Places:* Mount Tabor * Tábor, Czech Republic** Taborite, member of a 15th century Czech religious group considered heretical by the Roman Catholic Church* Tabor, Slovenia, town and municipality...
, John Baldwin suggested Berea, citing Acts 17:10-11
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
. After a coin flip, Berea was chosen.
In 1842, the Baldwin Institute opened on the south side of town. The school was open to all, regardless of sex, race or religious creed. In 1852, it was renamed Baldwin University. By the 1880s, the quarries had begun to intrude on the site of the university. In 1891, the school broke ground for a new campus at Front Street and Bagley Road. New buildings were constructed and old buildings were moved.
In 1866, James Wallace purchased the site of the Lyceum Village from the German Children's Home to become the German Wallace College Campus. In 1913, Baldwin University and German-Wallace College merged to become Baldwin–Wallace College
Baldwin–Wallace College
Baldwin–Wallace College is a liberal arts college in Berea, Ohio, founded in 1845. It is home to the Riemenschneider-Bach Institute and the Baldwin–Wallace Conservatory of Music, an internationally renowned music school. The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Students receive a...
.
Education
Public schools in Berea are part of the Berea City School District, which also contains schools in Brook ParkBrook Park, Ohio
-External links:*...
and Middleburg Heights
Middleburg Heights, Ohio
-History:The first European settlers to the area that became Middleburg Township, Ohio were originally from Waterbury, Connecticut.-External links:* * and from The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History...
.
Elementary schools
- Grindstone ElementaryGrindstone ElementaryGrindstone Elementary is to be the newest and only elementary school in Berea, Ohio. Construction will start in later 2011 or early 2012, and will be on the property of the demolished Fairwood Elementary School....
(will open in 2011 and replace the other three elementary schools) - Parknoll Elementary
- Riveredge Elementary
- Vivian L. Smith Elementary
Notable residents
- Albert Edward Baesel (1890–1918), Medal of Honor recipient
- John BaldwinJohn Baldwin (educator)John Baldwin was an American educator, and the founder of Baldwin Institute in Berea, Ohio, which would eventually merge into Baldwin–Wallace College...
(1799–1884), founder of Berea and of the Baldwin Institute, which later became Baldwin–Wallace College - Charles BassettCharles BassettCharles Arthur "Art" Bassett, II was an American engineer and United States Air Force officer. He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1963 and assigned to Gemini 9 but died in an airplane crash during training for his first spaceflight.-Early life and education:Bassett was born in Dayton, Ohio,...
(1931–1966), NASA astronaut - Mike BuddieMike BuddieMichael Joseph Buddie is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Buddie played for the New York Yankees and the Milwaukee Brewers from to . In 87 career games, he had a 5-4 record with a 4.67 ERA...
, MLB player for the New York YankeesNew York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
and Milwaukee BrewersMilwaukee BrewersThe Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League... - Norb HeckerNorb HeckerNorbert Earl Hecker was an American football player and coach who was part of eight National Football League championship teams, but may be best remembered as the first head coach of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons....
(1927–2004), American football player and coach - Nancy McArthurNancy McArthurNancy McArthur is an American children's author. Living in Berea, Ohio, she is a part-time journalism professor at Baldwin-Wallace College. She has written fourteen books, nine of which form a series called The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks. The series follows the lives of two young brothers, Michael...
, children's author - Neil H. McElroyNeil H. McElroyNeil Hosler McElroy was United States Secretary of Defense from 1957 to 1959 under President Eisenhower. He had been president of Procter & Gamble.- Early life :...
(1904–1972), former United States Secretary of Defense - Rob MounseyRob MounseyRob Mounsey is an award-winning composer, music producer, and musician. He was born in Berea, Ohio and grew up in Seattle, Washington and several Ohio towns. At the age of 17, he was awarded a BMI Student Composer's Award in New York. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston from 1971 to 1975...
(born 1952), composer, music producer and musician - Jim Richter (born 1958), former American football player
- Tom SchmitzTom SchmitzTom Schmitz is the keyboardist for alternative metal band Mushroomhead.-Biography:Like current and former members of Mushroomhead, Schmitz was a part of local Cleveland band Trelleborg, in which he played bass....
, keyboardist for alternative metal and industrial metal band MushroomheadMushroomheadMushroomhead is an American industrial metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in Cleveland Warehouse District, the band's music can be described as a synthesis of alternative music, heavy metal, and electro-industrial... - Alex StepanovichAlex StepanovichAleksandar Stepanovich is an American football center who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
, professional football player - John-Michael TebelakJohn-Michael TebelakJohn-Michael Tebelak was an American playwright and director. He was most famous for creating the musical Godspell based on the Gospel of Saint Matthew. The music was by Stephen Schwartz...
(1949–1985), wrote and directed the award-winning Broadway musical GodspellGodspellGodspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway... - Jim TresselJim TresselJames Patrick Tressel is a gameday consultant for the Indianapolis Colts, and former collegiate football head coach at both The Ohio State University from 2001 to 2011 and at Youngstown State University from 1986 to 2000. Tressel is most notable for his time at Ohio State. He was hired by the...
, Former head football coach at The Ohio State UniversityOhio State UniversityThe Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States... - Lou GrozaLou GrozaLouis Roy Groza was an American football placekicker and offensive tackle who played his entire career for the Cleveland Browns....
, (1924–2000), former placekickerPlacekickerPlacekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
and offensive tackle for the Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...