By Dennis Sadowski
The village of LaGrange and LaGrange Township will celebrate their founding with a three-day festival today through Monday.
The township was established in 1825 and the village was incorporated in 1875.
The highlight of the Founding Celebration will be the dedication of a new Civil War monument in the town square following a Memorial Day parade that steps off at 1 p.m. The statue is a replica of one that local residents knew as “Sherman,” named for Union Army Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. The statue got its name more than 100 years ago even though Sherman isn’t the one depicted. The original statue, dating to 1903, was destroyed June 26, 2022, when a truck barreled through a stop sign and smashed into it.
As part of the celebration the LaGrange Historical Society and LaGrange Postmaster Eric Amsden have collaborated to create a pictorial postmark commemorating the founding of the township and the village.
“It shows the village’s iconic soldier on the monument with wording marking both anniversaries.”
The postmark, dated May 24, will be available on five postcards showing photos of old-time LaGrange. The cards are reproductions of early 20th-century post cards. Janice King, 71, of the LaGrange Historical Society said the cards show the original statue and businesses that lined the square.
“Stamped and postmarked cards sell for $3 each and $15 for the set. Cards without postmarks are priced at $3 per set and $5 for two sets. They will be for sale throughout the weekend and afterward as long as supplies last at the historical society museum, 301 Liberty St.”
King’s rooms in LaGrange township extend to the 1830s when her ancestors arrived. She has lived in the township her entire life. Her mother, noted LaGrange historian Dorothy McKee Boswell, died at age 100 in 2022. Her daughter and son-in-law recently moved to Boswell’s home and are working as modern-day homesteaders to reestablish a farm on the land, King said.
“She can be found each Monday from 9 a.m. to noon at the museum sharing township and village history with visitors. Society exhibits showcase artifacts of local businesses, the fire service and postal operations. One item of note is an album of hard-to-find early 20th-century post cards donated by Sharon Linden Koepf.”
Boswell’s account of early history of LaGrange Township recounts how Perry Champion and Lemuel Storrs were original property owners. Champion in 1825 gave the land to his son-in-law, Hiram Goodrich, who exchanged it for property in New York.
Many early settlers traveled to the new community in the Connecticut Western Reserve from Jefferson County, New York, north of Syracuse. Nathan Clark and his family were the first permanent settlers, arriving on Nov. 14, 1825. Other families arrived the next spring and summer, raising the population to 70 by the end of 1826.
The township originally was attached to Carlisle Township for judicial and civil purposes. It became its own entity in 1827.
Attorney Eber Ward Hubbard arrived early on and named the township in honor of the county estate of French Gen. Marquis La Fayette, who volunteered with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
Postal service in the township officially began Feb. 21, 1828, with Calvin Wilcox, who arrived in 1827, as the first postmaster. He opened a post office in his home at the corner of North Water and Liberty streets. There was no mail delivery; he kept letters until residents called for them.
Subsequent post offices were located around the square, sometimes in businesses and other times separately.
Little mail from the township’s early days survives. By the early 20th century, mail volume increased and hence is easier to locate.
One post office action still irks LaGrange residents. On July 20, 1893, the Post Office Department inexplicably changed the name to LaGrange without explanation. Perhaps when a new canceling device was needed, the clerk filing the order simply misspelled the name.
At least one piece of early mail has survived. It is a stampless letter from 1830 with a manuscript marking “LaGrange, O/May 10” and “6,” indicating the 6-cent rate for a letter traveling up to 30 miles. It includes a second marking “Paid 6” indicating the 6-cent rate for a letter traveling up to 30 miles. It was probably handled by Wilcox, who served as postmaster until May 8, 1836, and again from Aug. 16, 1842, until Oct. 3, 1852.
The letter discusses legal proceedings and the payment owed a settler family.
Growth in the township center continued, albeit slowly, according to “History of Lorain County, Ohio” by Williams Brothers, published in 1879. Still, enough residents thought it best to petition county officials in 1875 to incorporate their community, which they granted.
The historical society meets at 7 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the museum.
Dennis Sadowski can be reached at sadowski.dennis@gmail.com