City of Elyria history

The Old Red Mill, an icon that to this day sits proudly on the patch worn by every Elyria Police Officer, was built in 1819.

When Lorain County was officially formed at Ely’s behest in 1822, the only reasonable choice for the County Seat was Elyria.

Elyria, city, seat (1823) of Lorain county, northern Ohio, United States It lies along the Black River, just west of Cleveland and south of the city of Lorain.

The Presbyterian Church of Elyria, which is now known as The First Congregational United Church of Christ, was built in 1824.

He donated land to build the first courthouse on Ely Square, and in 1830, Elyria High School was incorporated as the first chartered high school west of the Allegheny Mountains under the guidance of Superintendent John Monteith.

The Village of Elyria was officially incorporated in 1833, with a population that had grown to 800 pioneering residents.

By 1835, school superintendent John Monteith had become a staunch abolitionist, opening a boarding house and school for girls on East Avenue.

First United Methodist Church was created three years later, followed in 1836 by First Baptist Church of Elyria, and St Andrews Church the year after.

Elyria elected its first mayor, Orrin Cowles, in 1842.

1844 - MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT. It becomes our painful duty to announce that a must lamentable accident occurred in our village on Monday evening of this week.

In 1845, the first Catholic Church was built, St Mary Parish – Our Lady of the Assumption.

Before his death in 1852, Heman Ely would watch Elyria transform into a bustling metropolis of more than 1,500 residents, with three grocery stores, five churches, and its own newspaper.

1854 - Elyria Elyria, a post-township in the N. part of Lorain county, Ohio, intersected by Black river.

West & Wilson filed a patent for the first sewing machine in 1858, which was manufactured in theCity of Elyria and is now housed in the Smithsonian Museum.

Secession and the politics of the Civil War, 1860–65The coming of the warThe political course of the warMoves toward emancipationSectional dissatisfaction

Elyria Tap and Screw Company was founded in 1873 and marked the beginning of the industrialization of Elyria, staying in operation under one name or another for the next 118 years, eventually becoming Moen, Inc.

The Fay Manufacturing Co. was formed in 1885 and began producing a line of vehicles designed for the physically handicapped.

By 1886, two banks, two newspaper offices, and seven churches existed in Elyria.

Grover Cleveland’s first termThe surplus and the tariffThe public domainThe Interstate Commerce ActThe election of 1888

The history of Elyria has been preserved due in large part to the founding of the Lorain County Historical Society in 1889, which houses its headquarters in Elyria and endeavors to preserve the local heritage of not only Elyria, but all of Lorain County.

The Benjamin Harrison administrationThe Sherman Antitrust ActThe silver issueThe McKinley tariffThe agrarian revoltThe PopulistsThe election of 1892

The first electric trolley rolled across the streets of Elyria in 1894 as a means to transport Elyria steelworkers to the Steel Mill in Lorain.

Land was purchased on the shores of Lake Erie, and by 1903 the City was pumping fresh water over 10 full miles to the residents of Elyria.

By 1905, the bicycle industry was on the decline, and Garford shifted his attention towards the burgeoning automobile industry, building a significant production plant on Clark street to produce automobiles, as well as parts to fulfill a partnership with Studebaker.

Elyria Memorial Hospital was founded in 1908 in response to a horrific trolley accident the previous year.

The Elyria YWCA dates back to 1913, eventually building Holly Hall, a center to house a variety of groups dedicated to the betterment of young women, named after revered director Miss Ona Holly.

In 1914, the I.T.S. Rubber Company (named for its founders, Carl Ingwer, John Tufford and Art Smith) was founded.

The Elyria Rotary Club was chartered in 1918 and immediately joined forces with Edgar Allen to help create the National and International Societies of Crippled Children.

In 1919, Allen founded the Ohio Society for Crippled Children, which would eventually become Easter Seals.

Their new rubber heel sold more than forty-three million pairs in 1920 alone.

In 1923, Ingwer partnered again with Art Smith and newcomer William Thewes to form the Ridge Tool Company Initially, their product line consisted of one pipe wrench, but eventually expanded to include the gamut of home and industrial tools.

William F. Ohlemacher opened Elyria Manufacturing Corporation to produce screw machine products in 1925.

In 1937, Reginald Beckett formed the R.W. Beckett Corporation.

The United Polish Club of Elyria was founded in 1941 with a total of thirty-eight proud Polish members.

World War IIThe road to warThe United States at warWar productionFinancing the warSocial consequences of the warThe 1944 electionThe new United States role in world affairs

The peak Cold War years, 1945–60The Truman Doctrine and containmentPostwar domestic reorganizationThe Red ScareThe Korean WarPeace, growth, and prosperityEisenhower’s second termDomestic issuesWorld affairsAn assessment of the postwar era

In 1953, when The Colson Company moved from Elyria, the largely-neglected wheelchair division was purchased by three employees and renamed Mobilaid.

Lorain County Community College was established in the city in 1963.

The Parker Hannifin Airborne Division moved into a former lace-manufacturing facility in 1965, and together with neighbor Lear Romec/Crane Aerospace, Elyria is home to two prominent leaders in the aerospace industry.

In 1971, after several successful mergers and acquisitions, the company became known as Invacare Corporation and still operates out of Elyria to this day.

In 2000, the county seat was Lorain County's second largest city, with a population of 55,953 residents.

A new $73 million high school campus that incorporated the historical Washington Building was completed in 2011, and the district is currently working on the consolidation and further improvement of the remaining school buildings.