Remembering the Western Reserve

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Before there was a Canton, Cleveland, Akron or Youngstown there was the Western Reserve of Connecticut. That's the old name for what now makes up much of Northeast Ohio. There's a lot of history in the Western Reserve and its advocates would love to have some federal help preserving that history.

According to an article in the Lake County News Herald.

A shared vision is being sought to set up a federally designated National Historic Area for the old Connecticut Western Reserve.
The Western Reserve is made up of all or portions of 13 Northeast Ohio counties, including all of Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula and Cuyahoga counties.
Such a designation could result in the collection of $1 million annually for 10 years in federal funds to promote tourism, economic development, education, marketing and national recognition through the National Parks System.

Spearheading the federal initiative by seeking a $200,000 park service study grant is U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, with local support from U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, R-Bainbridge Township.

I've had a few e-mail conversations with advocates for the designation and I think it's an important effort. Promoting our history as a region should help us shape our future as a region.

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Comments

# Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 06/10/2008 - 11:52.

To find the philosophical underpinnings for regional cooperation we need not to look further than the history of the Western Reserve. The spirit of cooperation among the Connecticut families and their institutions was necessary for economic survival.

These families also cooperated to assist fugitive slaves to freedom. ***The Western Reserve had the most active Underground Railroad (UGRR) network in the nation relative to its geographic size.*** Though clandestine in nature, it was a benevolent enterprise which required many individual sacrifices to achieve the greater good. How can we work together to honor these sacrifices and the thousands of unsung heroes of our region?

This network encompasses all the counties in Northeast Ohio and is the shared history of both the large cities and the rural townships. By embracing our UGRR heritage as a region, Northeast Ohio could become a national tourism destination for UGRR historic sites.