Grandeur and Grace in the Ohio Country; Building America from the Ground Up, 1784-1860

At the outset of the American Revolution more than 100,000 settlers had already crossed the Allegheny Mountains in search of inexpensive or free land and a new life in the West. At the conclusion of the war in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris, the new American government was burdened by huge debts. The political and financial stability of the New Republic depended on a successful plan of western expansion.

With the massive influx of settlers to the lands north and west of the Ohio River following the passage of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 came the need for an effective system of civil government on the American frontier. The surviving early courthouses of the Old Northwest and Ohio are living symbols of the often heroic collective efforts required to establish and maintain civil law in the West.

Each new county was required to provide its own courthouse and jail, as well as a pillory and a whipping post, and as many stocks as were deemed necessary. Ten early courthouses are profiled, with emphasis on the cultural distinctness of each county and the local, regional, national, and international influences on the architectural forms of these buildings.

Inns and taverns served many useful functions in early America and were the site of town meetings, dances, plays, weddings, lodge meetings, and religious services, as well as post offices, polling places, and even court sessions. Inns and taverns typically sprang up along transportation routes to meet the specific needs of an increasingly diverse population of travellers to and from the West. Each of the twelve featured inns is presented in the context of the type(s) of travellers(s) and transportation network(s) that it served.

The early homes of Ohio are clearly a reflection of the broad cultural diversity of Ohio’s first settlers. Early homes of the Connecticut Western Reserve tended to resemble those of New England. Early immigrants from Pennsylvania often built their homes of “fieldstone” in building forms reminiscent of those built by their forebears. Early homes of the Virginia Military District were often built of brick, as was common in Virginia. Settlers from the Appalachian backcountry brought their own building traditions to Ohio, as did the large number of Germanic immigrants.

Following the American Revolution and the legal establishment of “freedom of religion” in America a profusion of old and new religious denominations rose up to meet the spiritual needs of the new nation’s diverse population. Color photographs of thirty-three early religious buildings provide a solid foundation for a captivating look at the early faith communities of Ohio. The founding of early congregations and the emergence of new religious denominations in the West are primary areas of focus. The involvement of Ohio religious groups in various “progressive” social movements is explored, with special emphasis on the AntiSlavery Movement and the Underground Railroad.