Botzum, Ohio
Encyclopedia
Botzum was a hamlet in Northampton Township, Summit County, Ohio
around what is now the intersection of Bath and Riverview Roads in Akron
and Cuyahoga Falls
.
Botzum began as a community along the Ohio and Erie Canal
where the canal spread out to form the Yellow Creek Basin near Yellow Creek. This was thought to be a good place for business. There were two warehouses, a store, and a hotel there in 1827, set up by Nathaniel Hardy.
Botzum was platted in 1836 on 100 acres (0.4 km²) as Niles by Peter Voris and some of his associates . The village was never actually built, though, due to the Panic of 1837
. Eventually the lots were sold off, one of them to George Botzum. In 1866 the Buckeye post office opened up. In spite of this name, though, the railroad depot in town was called Botzum. The name of the post office was also changed to Botzum in 1893 to match the name of the depot.
In the 1920s the city of Akron
purchased 800 acres (3.2 km²) of land at Botzum to build a sewage treatment plant, which opened in 1928 and remains there to this day. There is no longer any sign that there was a community there. Along with the sewage plant it is known for a viewing station for great blue heron
s to the east where Bath Road crosses the Cuyahoga River. There is also a sign on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath with a photograph of Botzum from 1875.
Northampton Township, Summit County, Ohio
Northampton was one of the 16 original townships in Summit County, Ohio. It was in the middle of Summit County, bordering Akron and Cuyahoga Falls. No incorporated areas were formed within the township but Akron and Cuyahoga Falls expanded into Northamption via annexation. In 1986, Northampton...
around what is now the intersection of Bath and Riverview Roads in Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
and Cuyahoga Falls
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,374 people, 21,655 households, and 13,317 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,932.9 people per square mile . There were 22,727 housing units at an average density of 889.7 per square mile...
.
Botzum began as a community along the Ohio and Erie Canal
Ohio and Erie Canal
The Ohio Canal or Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed in the 1820s and early 1830s. It connected Akron, Summit County, with the Cuyahoga River near its mouth on Lake Erie in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth, Scioto County, and then...
where the canal spread out to form the Yellow Creek Basin near Yellow Creek. This was thought to be a good place for business. There were two warehouses, a store, and a hotel there in 1827, set up by Nathaniel Hardy.
Botzum was platted in 1836 on 100 acres (0.4 km²) as Niles by Peter Voris and some of his associates . The village was never actually built, though, due to the Panic of 1837
Panic of 1837
The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis or market correction in the United States built on a speculative fever. The end of the Second Bank of the United States had produced a period of runaway inflation, but on May 10, 1837 in New York City, every bank began to accept payment only in specie ,...
. Eventually the lots were sold off, one of them to George Botzum. In 1866 the Buckeye post office opened up. In spite of this name, though, the railroad depot in town was called Botzum. The name of the post office was also changed to Botzum in 1893 to match the name of the depot.
In the 1920s the city of Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
purchased 800 acres (3.2 km²) of land at Botzum to build a sewage treatment plant, which opened in 1928 and remains there to this day. There is no longer any sign that there was a community there. Along with the sewage plant it is known for a viewing station for great blue heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
s to the east where Bath Road crosses the Cuyahoga River. There is also a sign on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath with a photograph of Botzum from 1875.