March 12.2010

"Welcome to the first issue of OVER THE FALLS. In each issue, we plan to have the following items: WHO WE ARE will feature one of our members, HOW WE CAME TO BE will feature something special that has influenced our area or Ohio, and DID YOU KNOW which will tell something special about the  HSOF.

In the heading, there will be a waterfalls. This will represent Olmsted Falls. At the top of the waterfalls will be the date of that particular issue. At the bottom of the Falls, you will notice these dates:

1787 Representing the Land Ordinance of 1787. This is more commonly referred to as the Northwest Ordinance.

1803 March 1, Happy Birthday Ohio! We entered the Union as the 17th State.

2006 The year that Councilman Ann Marie Donegan, Mrs. Jean Johnson, and myself organized and started the HSOF.

HOW WE CAME TO BE

THE WESTERN RESERVE (CONNECTICUT RESERVE) The charters of Connecticut and Massachusetts were from “sea-to-sea”. Massachusetts ceded her claims in 1785. Connecticut had ownership and jurisdiction to a region that extended 120 miles west of Pennsylvania between 41 degrees North and 42 degrees North. The western end- now Huron County and Erie County - was set aside for people whose homes were burned during the Revolutionary Whr. Approximately 1800 people from Connecticut received land. This is known as the Firelands. Connecticut ceded the rest of her claim in 1786.

With great foresight the statesmen of old decided how to divide the land. In other areas of our young country there were many problems with overlapping claims. To help avoid this, Ohio waTdivided into townships six miles square. Each township had 36 sections. Each section contained 640 acres. One section in each township was to be used to support the schools.

Connecticut had a great influence upon this part of Ohio. This can be seen today with our village green. Each New England town had a green around which it developed . This land was used for the town militia to drill.

Even more important was the influence of the Puritans. Their strict work habits and way of life are still evident. The “Blue Laws” had a great impact on our way of life. For example, until recently stores could not be open on Sunday.

DID YOU KNOW. Three original letters from Aaron Olmsted were donated to us by Mr. Nick Cronin, Branch Manager of he Olmsted Falls Public Library (2006). He had been asked if someone would be interested in the letters. The letters had been put in his care to by Mr. Peter A. Powers, Springfield, Vermont