Atwater Township
The Pledge of Allegiance
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Welcome to Atwater Township
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* PORTAGE COUNTY HOMEOWNERS: If you have a failing residential septic system and little money to fix or replace them, you may now get help from the county's board of commissioners. The Portage County Board of Commissioners announced a three pronged Home Wastewater Treatment System Repair/Replacement Program. The first source is $68,000 in revolving loan funds for septic system replacement or repair aimed at low to moderate income homeowners. NDS will administer the program. For more info call: 330.297.6400 The second source is the new Portage County Home Improvement Program created by the commissioner in unison with the Portage County Treasurer. This program makes available $1 million for home improvement loans through Hometown Bank, Middlefield Banking Company and Portage Community Bank. These banks have agreed to lend money to eligible Portage County borrowers at three percent below the present borrowing rate. Contact Portage County Treasurer, Brad Cromes at 330.297.3586 for more info. The third leg is $500,000 from the county's Storm Water Management Program, set aside for septic repair and replacement. The Regional Planning Commission is administering this program, which gives money to fix septic systems in exchange for a lien against the property. Contact the Regional Planning Commission for more info 330.297.3613
Household Sewage Treatment Systems Overview of new regulations administered by the Portage County Health Department. (Link)
Aditional link to helpful Sewage Systems Regulations
Portage County Health Department Health Dept. Home Page
Household Sewage Treatment Systems Overview of new regulations administered by the Portage County Health Department. (Link)
Aditional link to helpful Sewage Systems Regulations
Portage County Health Department Health Dept. Home Page
ATWATER HISTORY
ATWATER WAS ONE OF THE FIVE TOWNSHIPS IN WHICH A SETTLEMENT WAS MADE AS EARLY AS JUNE 1799, AND IS SECOND ONLY TO MANTUA-WAY, WHICH WAS SETTLED SIX MONTHS EARLIER.
IN APRIL 1799 CAPTAIN CALEB ATWATER IN COMPANY WITH FIVE OTHERS LEFT WALLINGFORD, CONN. –AFTER A LONG AND TEDIOUS JOURNEY ARRIVED IN WHAT IS NOW THE TOWNSHIP OF ATWATER. AS SOON AS THEY ARRIVED THEY BEGAN SURVEYING THE TOWNSHIP INTO LOTS AND LAYING OUT ROADS ENDURING THE MANY HARDSHIPS ENCOUNTERED.
SHORTLY AFTER THEIR ARRIVAL THE HORSES OF THE PARTY BROKE LOOSE AND RAN OFF INTO THE DENSE FOREST. JONATHAN MERRICK STARTED AFTER THEM IN THE MORNING, BUT SOON BECAME LOST IN THE WOODS, AND WANDERED AROUND TILL EVENING, WHEN HE FOUND HIMSELF ON THE BANKS OF THE MAHONING RIVER, NEAR THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE TOWNSHIP.
THE NEXT DAY HE CONTINUED HIS SEARCH, BUT WITH NO LUCK, BUT ON THE THIRD DAY HAD BETTER SUCCESS, REACHING CAMP IN THE AFTERNOON.
HE WAS ALMOST EXHAUSTED WITH FATIGUE AND HUNGER, AND HAD BEEN GIVEN UP BY HIS COMPANIONS, WHO THOUGHT HE MUST HAVE BEEN DEVOURED BY WILD BEASTS OR KILLED BY SOME ROVING BAND OF INDIANS. AT THIS TIME ONLY SIX OR SEVEN OTHER SETTLERS LIVED IN THE ENTIRE COUNTY, ONE IN MANTUA, ONE IN RAVENNA, ONE IN AURORA, ONE OR TWO IN DEERFIELD AND ONE IN PALMYRA.
THE ENTIRE PARTY REMAINED UNTIL THE FOLLOWING FALL WHEN FOUR OF THE SIX LEFT LEAVING ONLY ASA HALL AND HIS WIFE WHO CAME FOR PERMANENT SETTLEMENT. A CABIN WAS BUILT DURING THE SPRING AND FROM THAT TIME UNTIL THE SPRING OF 1801 THEY WERE THE ONLY WHITE PERSONS LIVING IN THE TOWNSHIP. THEY SETTLED DOWN TO MAKE THEMSELVES AS COMFORTABLE AS THE CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD ADMIT.
AN EVENT OCCURRED EARLY IN 1800, A SON WAS BORN IN THE HALL HOUSE-HOLD AND WAS NAMED ATWATER HALL AFTER THE SETTLEMENT’S FOUNDER. THIS WAS THE FIRST BIRTH IN THE COUNTY. CAPTAIN CALEB ATWATER GAVE THE ENTIRE TOWNSHIP TO HIS ONLY SON, JOSHUA ATWATER WHO MADE HIS FIRST TRIP TO ATWATER IN 1805.
ON NOVEMBER 1, 1804 AFTER A JOURNEY OF NEARLY SIX WEEKS FROM CONNECTICUT A PARTY OF FOUR ARRIVED. ONE SETTLED IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE TOWNSHIP AND CLEARED UP A FINE FARM, USING HIS FIRST PLOW WHICH HE BOUGHT IN SUFFIELD AND CARRIED HOME ON HIS BACK.
THE YEAR 1807 SAW QUITE A NUMBER OF NEW SETTLERS. THE FIRST SHEEP BROUGHT TO THE TOWNSHIP WERE PROCURED AT GEORGETOWN BY JOHN WHITTLESEY, BUT WHILE TRAVELING THROUGH THE DENSE FOREST, CAME UPON AN IMMENSE BEAR TO WHICH THEY GOT CLOSE ENOUGH TO CLUB HIM ON THE NOSE. THEY BROUGHT TWELVE SHEEP AND THE BEAR BACK WITH THEM, BUT WERE IN A DILEMMA HOW TO KEEP THE SHEEP FROM THE WOLVES, UNTIL MR. WHITTLESEY THOUGHT OF FENCING OFF PART OF HIS KITCHEN.
AROUND 1812 “THE QUEEN OF THE HAREM”, AMELIA FOLSOME, THE TALK OF THE TOWN, ONE OF THE WIVES OF BRIGHAM YOUNG WHO WAS BORN IN BUFFALO AND SETTLED AT ATWATER STATION WITH HER PARENTS, WHO WERE MORMONS, PREVIOUS TO LEAVING FOR ILLINOIS.
ATWATER WAS SELECTED AS THE SITE FOR THE RAILROAD, DUE TO THE STROUP FAMILY’S DONATION OF A SECTION OF FARM LAND FOR THE RIGHT OF WAY. ATWATER BECAME THE BUSIEST STOP ALONG THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD BETWEEN CLEVELAND AND PITTSBURGH.
FARMERS AND GROWERS IN THE ATWATER AREA HAULED ALL OF THEIR PRODUCE AND LIVESTOCK TO ATWATER STATION FOR SHIPMENT BY RAIL. AT TIMES 40 WAGONS LOADED WITH POTATOES HEADED FOR THE HEADQUARTERS OF LOCAL COMMISSION BUYERS. BESIDES THE BUSY TRAIN DEPOT WITH FREIGHT AND PASSENGERS WERE THE BUSINESS’S WHICH CONTRIBUTED THEIR WORTH.
ATWATER BASKET COMPANY, 3 POTTERIES AND STONE WARE WORKS, MARBLE SHOP, MERCANTILE BUSINESSES, HARDWARE, FURNITURE STORE, DRUG STORE, AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT WAREHOUSE, COAL COMPANIES, WAGON SHOP, CARRIAGE SHOP, BLACKSMITHS SHOP, DOCTORS, DENTAL SURGEON, POST OFFICE, BANK, FUNERAL HOME, SAW MILLS AND GRIST MILLS WHICH WERE RUN BY CATTLE-POWER AND STEAM, LIVERY STABLES. LODGINGS COULD BE BOOKED AT THE HOTEL COLONADE LATER CALLED THE ATWATER HOUSE OR AT THE AMERICAN HOUSE AT THE STATION OR THE HILLYER HOTEL AT ATWATER CENTER WHICH WAS ALSO A STAGE COACH STOP.
ON SUNDAY YOU COULD ATTEND ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CHURCHES – CONGREGATIONAL, METHODIST EPISCOPAL OR THE HOLY DUTCH REFORMED LUTHERAN.
ONE DEVELOPER IN TOWN CIRCULATED BROCHURES IN PITTSBURGH TO ENTICE PEOPLE TO MOVE TO ATWATER. COULD LEAVE PITTSBURGH UNION STATION AT 6:30 AM AND 2:00 PM AND RETURN FROM ATWATER STATION AT 3:00 AND 8:00 PM.
A NEWSPAPER “THE SHARP SICKLE” IN 1879 AND THE “ATWATER NEWS” IN 1884 WAS AVAILABLE.
FARMING WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF ATWATER’S ECONOMY. IN FACT WHEN FARMERS WERE APPROACHED BY A MAN NAMED ORVILLE NELSON HARTSHORN TO SELL HIM ENOUGH LAND TO BUILD A COLLEGE THEY TURNED HIM DOWN. HE LATER FOUND LAND IN ALLIANCE AND BUILT MOUNT UNION COLLEGE.
THE FIRST SCHOOL WAS AT ATWATER CENTER STARTED IN 1806 – 1807 LATER THE TOWNSHIP HAD TEN DISTRICTS AND A RURAL SCHOOL WAS BUILT FOR EACH ONE. A TWO STORY GRADE SCHOOL WAS BUILT BETWEEN THE CENTER AND THE STATION IN 1904. IN 1917 A NEW BRICK SHOOL WAS BUILT NEAR THE CENTER, AND ALL THE DISTRICTS JOINED IN CONSOLIDATION. THE MONTHLY PAY FOR A MALE TEACHER WAS $39.00 AND A FEMALE TEACHER WAS $21.00.
ATWATER WAS ALSO A STOP ALONG THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD WHICH HELPED BLACK SLAVES TO EXCAPE TO FREEDOM IN CANADA. A STORY IS TOLD OF A QUAKER WOMAN WHO TOOK A SLAVE IN AND LOANED HIM A DRESS AND BONNET TO WEAR UNTIL HE REACHED THE NEXT UNDERGROUND STOP. IN THE 1800’S IF A HOME HAD A BLACK “LAWN JOCKEY” STATUE IN THE FRONT YARD WITH A LIGHTED LANTERN AND A BANDANA AROUND ONE ARM, THAT MEANT THE HOUSE WAS A STOP ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.
BEGINNING IN 1913 THE INTERRUBAN STREET CARS MADE ATWATER A BUSY PLACE WITH A LINE THAT RAN NORTH FROM ALLIANCE TO RAVENNA TO WARREN. THESE RAN FOR 15 YEARS.
THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COAL MINES IN THE ATWATER AREA BECAUSE OF THE LARGE AREA UNDERLAID WITH COAL. ONE ENDED IN TRAGEDY THE MORNING OF JULY 3, 1872 AT THE ATWATER COAL COMPANY. IN THE EARLY MORNING 16 MEN FILED TO WORK IN THE MINE. SHORTLY AFTER NOON THE VENTILATING FURNACE WHICH STOOD AT THE END OF THE SLOPE TO EXHAUSE7″ ANY ACCUMULATION OF GASSES EXPLODED, SPEWING FLAMES ON THE DRY WOODEN SUPPORTS. ON THE SURFACE YOUNG GEORGE HOFFORD, NINE YEARS OF AGE, SAW BILLOWS OF SMOKE BOILING FROM THE MOUTH OF THE MINE. HEEDLESS OF DANGER, HE SPED DOWN THE SLOPE TO ALERT THE MEN. SHORTLY AFTERWARD SEVEN MINERS STUMBLED FROM THE ENTRANCE OF THE MINE. THEY WERE SCORCHED AND ALMOST SUFFOCATED, BUT ALIVE. ALL DAY THE FIRE RAGED AND ALL ATTEMPTS TO ENTER THE MINE IMPOSSIBLE. THE NEXT MORNING JULY 4TH AN APPEAL FOR HELP WAS TELEGRAPHED TO THE RAVENNA FIRE DEPARTMENT. IN MID-MORNING A LOCOMOTIVE STEAMED INTO ATWATER, BRINGING ONE HUNDRED FIRE FIGHTERS AND A FLATCAR LOADED WITH A STEAM-FIRED PUMPER, TOW HOSE CARTS AND OTHER EQUIPMENT. BY 10:00PM THE MINE WAS DEEMED SAFE FOR ENTRY. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SLOPE SIX BODIES WERE FOUND, AMONG THEM ALL MANGLED AND CHARRED AND DUG OUT OF THE MUD AND SLIME WAS THE BODY OF LITTLE GEORGE HOFFORD. ON SUNDAY MORNING, TWO DAYS LATER, THE BODIES OF THE LAST THREE VICTIMS OF THE TRAGIC FIRE. A TOTAL OF NINE MEN AND ONE BOY LOST THEIR LIVES ON THAT FATEFUL DAY.
ATWATER’S FAMOUS CITIZEN WAS JOHN HENRY GRATE, A CIVIL WAR VETERAN. HE WAS BORN AUGUST 1, 1845 AND DIES 104 YEARS LATER ON JUNE 7 1949, THE COUNTY’S LAST SURVIVING VETERAN OF THE CIVIL WAR. HE WAS 18 YEARS OLD WHEN HE JOING THE UNION FORCES. IN CIVILIAN LIFE HE WAS A SKILLED WOOD WORKER AND BUGGY MAKER AT NEARBY YALE AND ALSO OPERATED AN EVAPORATION PLANT FOR A DRIED CORN PRODUCT. LATE IN LIFE HE BECAME NATIONAL COMMANDER OF THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.