Garrettsville, Ohio
Encyclopedia
Garrettsville is a village in Portage County
, Ohio
, United States
. It was formed from portions of Hiram
, Nelson
, and Freedom
townships in the Connecticut Western Reserve
. The population was 2,262 at the 2000 census. On July 1, 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 2,203 people resided in the village. It is part of the Akron
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 2,262 people, 930 households, and 619 families residing in the village. The population density
was 893.8 people per square mile (345.2/km²). There were 976 housing units at an average density of 385.6 per square mile (148.9/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.41% White, 0.27% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.13% Asian, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.40% of the population.
There were 930 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples
living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the village the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $47,256, and the median income for a family was $54,297. Males had a median income of $39,469 versus $28,080 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $20,198. About 2.5% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.
According to its website, http://www.garfield.sparcc.org/, the James A. Garfield Local School District earned an Excellent with Distinction rating from the state of Ohio for the 2009/2010 school year.
John Garrett III purchased 300 acre
s (1 214 062 m²) of land in Nelson Township, Portage County, Ohio
in 1803, the year Ohio
became a state
. The land was purchased for the price of $1,313, or about $4.40 per acre. In July of the following year, he settled
on this land with his family and two friends. These settlers constructed a grist mill, which was to open in January 1806. In this month, however, Garrett died.
In 1806, the Cleveland
-Pittsburgh
Road was constructed near Garrett's mill. This improved commerce to the area, and nearby pioneers would mill their grain at the mill, eventually building roads and trails to meet with the Cleveland-Pittsburgh Road. By 1864, residents in the area around the mill had built up a settlement which they hoped to incorporate. This was done, and on September 1, 1864, Garrettsville was incorporated
as a village.
In November, 1935, Alvin Karpis
robbed a train in Garrettsville. Karpis was a member of Ma Barker
's gang, and was assisted in the robbery by gang member Harry Campbell and at least one other accomplice. Karpis and his gang stole $30,000, and obtained a private airplane to escape to Hot Springs, Arkansas
. Karpis was eventually convicted of his crimes, and was imprisoned at Alcatraz longer than any other inmate.
Reuben Archer Torrey began his ministerial career here in 1878.
. This was due largely to the efforts of Arthur Crane, who canned this maple tree product at a cannery on Windham Street. Crane's son, Clarence Arthur (C.A.) Crane, grew up in Garrettsville. The younger Crane married Grace Edna Hart in the village on June 1, 1898. In 1899, Grace gave birth to Harold Hart Crane
, who later became renowned as a poet.
Clarence Crane and his family left Garrettsville in the 1900s. Clarence continued to work in the maple sugar and candies industry, having started out in the industry working for his father. In 1912, Clarence Crane and his company, the Queen Victoria Chocolate Company, invented Life Savers
candy.
, Martin Mull
, and Fred Willard
, was filmed in Garrettsville and nearby Hiram
. The film is "a 1970 coming-of-age story set in the shadow of Kent State
."
Each summer the village is home to the Garrettsville Summerfest. This annual summer event hosts many attractions including canoe races, a tractor parade, the Garrettsville Idol contest, and a car or cash raffle.
Portage County, Ohio
Portage County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 152,061 at the 2000 Census and 161,419 at the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Ravenna. Portage County is named for the portage between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas Rivers...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was formed from portions of Hiram
Hiram Township, Portage County, Ohio
Hiram Township is one of the eighteen townships of Portage County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,296 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following other townships:...
, Nelson
Nelson Township, Portage County, Ohio
Nelson Township is one of the eighteen townships of Portage County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,985 people in the township.-Geography:...
, and Freedom
Freedom Township, Portage County, Ohio
Freedom Township is one of the eighteen townships of Portage County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,751 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northeastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
townships in the Connecticut Western Reserve
Connecticut Western Reserve
The Connecticut Western Reserve was land claimed by Connecticut from 1662 to 1800 in the Northwest Territory in what is now northeastern Ohio.-History:...
. The population was 2,262 at the 2000 census. On July 1, 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that 2,203 people resided in the village. It is part of the 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...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Akron metropolitan area
The Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties, Summit and Portage, in northeastern Ohio and is anchored by the city of Akron...
.
Geography
Garrettsville is located at 41°17′2"N 81°5′43"W (41.283955, -81.095179).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,262 people, 930 households, and 619 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 893.8 people per square mile (345.2/km²). There were 976 housing units at an average density of 385.6 per square mile (148.9/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.41% White, 0.27% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.13% Asian, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.40% of the population.
There were 930 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the village the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $47,256, and the median income for a family was $54,297. Males had a median income of $39,469 versus $28,080 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $20,198. About 2.5% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The James A. Garfield Local School District is the primary education for Garrettsville residents. Schools include:- James A. Garfield Elementary School (Kindergarten - 4)
- James A. Garfield Intermediate School (Grades 5-6)
- James A. Garfield Middle School (Grades 7-8)
- James A. Garfield High School (Grades 9-12)
According to its website, http://www.garfield.sparcc.org/, the James A. Garfield Local School District earned an Excellent with Distinction rating from the state of Ohio for the 2009/2010 school year.
History
ColonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
John Garrett III purchased 300 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (1 214 062 m²) of land in Nelson Township, Portage County, Ohio
Nelson Township, Portage County, Ohio
Nelson Township is one of the eighteen townships of Portage County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,985 people in the township.-Geography:...
in 1803, the year Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
became a state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
. The land was purchased for the price of $1,313, or about $4.40 per acre. In July of the following year, he settled
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
on this land with his family and two friends. These settlers constructed a grist mill, which was to open in January 1806. In this month, however, Garrett died.
In 1806, the Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
-Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
Road was constructed near Garrett's mill. This improved commerce to the area, and nearby pioneers would mill their grain at the mill, eventually building roads and trails to meet with the Cleveland-Pittsburgh Road. By 1864, residents in the area around the mill had built up a settlement which they hoped to incorporate. This was done, and on September 1, 1864, Garrettsville was incorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
as a village.
In November, 1935, Alvin Karpis
Alvin Karpis
Alvin Francis Karpis , nicknamed "Creepy" for his sinister smile, was an American criminal known for his alliance with the Barker gang in the 1930s. He was the last "public enemy" to be taken.-Early life:Karpis was born to Lithuanian immigrants in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and was raised in Topeka,...
robbed a train in Garrettsville. Karpis was a member of Ma Barker
Ma Barker
Kate "Ma" Barker was the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker gang from the "public enemy era", when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the U.S. Midwest gripped the American people and press...
's gang, and was assisted in the robbery by gang member Harry Campbell and at least one other accomplice. Karpis and his gang stole $30,000, and obtained a private airplane to escape to Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
. Karpis was eventually convicted of his crimes, and was imprisoned at Alcatraz longer than any other inmate.
Reuben Archer Torrey began his ministerial career here in 1878.
Maple syrup and Life Savers
The Garrettsville-Hiram Chamber of Commerce reports that at the beginning of the 20th century, Garrettsville was the largest center in the world for the processing of maple syrupMaple syrup
Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species such as the bigleaf maple. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then...
. This was due largely to the efforts of Arthur Crane, who canned this maple tree product at a cannery on Windham Street. Crane's son, Clarence Arthur (C.A.) Crane, grew up in Garrettsville. The younger Crane married Grace Edna Hart in the village on June 1, 1898. In 1899, Grace gave birth to Harold Hart Crane
Hart Crane
-Career:Throughout the early 1920s, small but well-respected literary magazines published some of Crane’s lyrics, gaining him, among the avant-garde, a respect that White Buildings , his first volume, ratified and strengthened...
, who later became renowned as a poet.
Clarence Crane and his family left Garrettsville in the 1900s. Clarence continued to work in the maple sugar and candies industry, having started out in the industry working for his father. In 1912, Clarence Crane and his company, the Queen Victoria Chocolate Company, invented Life Savers
Life Savers
Life Savers is an American brand of ring-shaped mints and artificially fruit-flavored hard candy. The candy is known for its distinctive packaging, coming in aluminum foil rolls....
candy.
Culture
Much of the film The Year That Trembled, starring Jonathan BrandisJonathan Brandis
Jonathan Gregory Brandis was an American actor, director, and screenwriter.-Early life and career:Brandis was born in Danbury, Connecticut, the only child of Mary, a teacher and personal manager, and Gregory Brandis, a food distributor and firefighter. He began his career as a child model and...
, Martin Mull
Martin Mull
Martin Mull is an American actor who has starred in his own television sitcom and acted in prominent films. He is also a comedian, painter, and recording artist...
, and Fred Willard
Fred Willard
Fred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
, was filmed in Garrettsville and nearby Hiram
Hiram, Ohio
Hiram is a village in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It was formed from portions of Hiram Township in the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 1,242 at the 2000 census...
. The film is "a 1970 coming-of-age story set in the shadow of Kent State
Kent State shootings
The Kent State shootings—also known as the May 4 massacre or the Kent State massacre—occurred at Kent State University in the city of Kent, Ohio, and involved the shooting of unarmed college students by members of the Ohio National Guard on Monday, May 4, 1970...
."
Each summer the village is home to the Garrettsville Summerfest. This annual summer event hosts many attractions including canoe races, a tractor parade, the Garrettsville Idol contest, and a car or cash raffle.