The
Oxcart Library is considered to be the first circulating public library in the history of the Western Reserve. The library is located in the city of
North Olmsted, OhioNorth Olmsted is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 34,113.- History :The entire area containing North Olmsted was originally part of the Connecticut Western Reserve....
.
Captain
Aaron OlmsteadCaptain Aaron Olmstead , sometimes spelled Olmsted, was a wealthy sea captain in the China trade out of New England, and one of 49 investors who formed a syndicate in 1795 to purchase a major part of the Western Reserve from the U.S. state of Connecticut...
, a wealthy sea captain in the
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
trade out of
New EnglandNew England is a region of the United States. It is located at the northeastern corner of the US, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S...
, was one of 49 investors who formed a syndicate in 1795 to purchase a major part of the Western Reserve from
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
. He became the owner of thousands of acres from his $30,000 share of the $120,000 total land deal.
The
Oxcart Library is considered to be the first circulating public library in the history of the Western Reserve. The library is located in the city of
North Olmsted, OhioNorth Olmsted is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 34,113.- History :The entire area containing North Olmsted was originally part of the Connecticut Western Reserve....
.
Captain
Aaron OlmsteadCaptain Aaron Olmstead , sometimes spelled Olmsted, was a wealthy sea captain in the China trade out of New England, and one of 49 investors who formed a syndicate in 1795 to purchase a major part of the Western Reserve from the U.S. state of Connecticut...
, a wealthy sea captain in the
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
trade out of
New EnglandNew England is a region of the United States. It is located at the northeastern corner of the US, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S...
, was one of 49 investors who formed a syndicate in 1795 to purchase a major part of the Western Reserve from
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
. He became the owner of thousands of acres from his $30,000 share of the $120,000 total land deal. The land encompassed the areas now known as
North OlmstedNorth Olmsted is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 34,113.- History :The entire area containing North Olmsted was originally part of the Connecticut Western Reserve....
,
Olmsted FallsOlmsted Falls is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,962 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Olmsted Falls is located at . The city has a total area of 4.1 square miles , all of it land....
and Olmsted Township. At the time of the purchase, the area was known as Lenox. Olmsted traveled west on horseback to visit the land in 1795, but never settled here. He died on 1806.
In 1826, Aaron's son, Charles Hyde Olmstead, offered to donate 500 books from his father's personal collection in
OxfordOxford is a town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,821 at the 2000 Census. There are several areas in Oxford: Quaker Farms, Riverside and Oxford Center. Oxford belongs to the Naugatuck Valley Economic Development Region and the Central...
,
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
, if the residents of Lenox agreed to change the name of the area to Olmstead. They did.
The books traveled by oxcart over 600 miles of rugged terrain. They were individually covered with blue paper and arrived partly stained with mud and rain. The books were housed in various families' homes and circulated to residents in the area.
Around 150 of the original books can be found in a display case in the
North OlmstedNorth Olmsted is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 34,113.- History :The entire area containing North Olmsted was originally part of the Connecticut Western Reserve....
Branch Library. The blue paper covers remain on many of the books.