Agriculture and Industry Along the Black River and Its Tributaries

This tour was curated by: Lorain County Historical Society

The Lorain County Historical Society collects, preserves, and shares the history of Lorain County, Ohio to educate and inspire present and future generations.

Entries on This Tour

1. Mill and Water Street

Further down the West branch of the Black River is Plum Creek. As Oberlin College and the town began in the early 1830s, various mills and factories needed to sustain the fledgling community were established on Mill and Water Streets (now Vine and Park Streets) surrounding Plum Creek. The growth of Oberlin and its mills is indicative of other small towns beginning in the 19th century.

2. Grafton Sandstone Quarries

Although Amherst is the sandstone capital of the world, it was not the only town in Lorain County to quarry sandstone during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Along the banks of the East Branch of the Black River Grafton established three major sandstone quarries. Due to the success of these quarries, railroads were introduced to transport the sandstone, which in turn promoted the creation of other small business.

3. Lorain Iron Company (1830s-1850s)

Traveling south along the Black River stands two waterfalls, one on the East branch of the river and the one on the West branch. Aside from their natural beauty, these waterfalls provided European settlers with the power to run agricultural and industrial machines. The Lorain Iron Company erected its furnace along the West Fall and in doing so became the first factory enterprise in Elyria.

4. Grape Farming in Avon and Avon Lake

As French Creek flows into Avon and Avon Lake (prior to 1915 the two cities were part of the same township), early settlers here specialized in grape farming. While the Prohibition Era deterred many farmers away from growing grapes for the sudden lack of market, farmer co-ops helped to revive the grape farming industry and sustain it into the twenty-first century.

5. Burrell Homestead

Along the French Creek sits the Burrell Homestead, where five generations of Burrells worked and inhabited the homestead. The homestead capitalized on Lorain County’s agricultural trends in the nineteenth century – such as the successful introduction of cheese production to the homestead in the 1870s – and ventured into new agricultural practices under the Sheffield Manual Labor Institute.

6. American Shipbuilding Company (1898-1983)

Because of its location at the mouth of the Black River, shipbuilding became Lorain’s earliest industry. The Cleveland Shipbuilding Company began operations at the Lorain shipyard in 1898, which was soon acquired by the American Shipbuilding Company. Over the next ninety years, the Lorain shipyard would build a total of 909 ships for the Great Lakes and U.S. Navy.

This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.

Agriculture and Industry Along the Black River and Its Tributaries

Created by Lorain County Historical Society on August 4th 2022, 5:31:37 pm.

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Description

Most of the Black River’s 466 square mile watershed is located in Lorain County. Because of this, the river’s East, West, and Main branches – along with its tributaries – proved to be major resource in supporting the agricultural and industrial pursuits of Lorain’s European settlers in the 19th and 20th centuries. Travel and learn about the various Lorain County communities whose early agricultural or industrial practices either utilized or were influenced by the Black River’s waters. This driving tour begins at mouth of the Black River in Lorain and ends along its West Branch in Oberlin. Many of the stops are at metro parks or historical sites. If they so choose, participants may exit their vehicles and further explore each stop.

Entries on This Tour

Agriculture and Industry Along the Black River and Its Tributaries

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