Galion is a city in
Crawford
Crawford may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crawford Bay Airport, British Columbia
* Crawford Lake Conservation Area, Ontario
United Kingdom
* Crawford, Lancashire, a small village near Rainford, Merseyside, England
* Crawford, South Lanarkshire, a ...
,
Morrow
Morrow is a word meaning "the next day" in literary English. It also means "morning" in archaic English
Morrow may also refer to:
Places in the United States and Canada United States
* Morrow, Arkansas
*Morrow, Georgia
* Morrow, Louisiana
*Morr ...
, and
Richland counties in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. The population was 10,453 at the
2020 census. Galion is the second-largest city in Crawford County after
Bucyrus.
The Crawford County portion of Galion is part of the
Bucyrus Micropolitan Statistical Area. The small portion of the city that is located in Richland County is part of the
Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
, while the portion extending into Morrow County is considered part of the
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
.
History
The region was first inhabited by Native American tribes up until the first settlers, Benjamin Leveridge and his two sons, arrived in 1817. In 1820, William Hosford and his two sons, Asa and Horace, settled on land outside of the area. It was not until Colonel
James Kilbourne
James Kilbourne (October 19, 1770April 9, 1850) was an American surveyor, politician from Ohio, and Episcopalian clergyman. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1813 to 1817.
Early life and career
Kilbourne was ...
decided to "lay out a town half way between Columbus and the Lakes" that the crossroads of Portland and Main street were settled by the Hosford family.
This crossing was known by various names including: Moccasin, Horseshoe, Hard Scrabble, Spang Town, Hosfords and Goshen.
Galion was laid out in 1831. However, in 1824 the town petitioned for a post office using the name Goshen and later changed to Galion by the postmaster general,
John McLean
John McLean (March 11, 1785 – April 4, 1861) was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice of the Ohio and U.S. Supreme Courts. He was often discussed for t ...
, due to a town already being named
Goshen in Ohio.
The etymology of the name Galion is uncertain. A post office called Galion has been in operation since 1825.
Asa Hosford is considered the "Father of Galion" due to his work as a state legislator in which he did work to get a rail line through the area that was completed in 1851.
On Sunday, April 30, 1882, a mob of around 2,000 people took Frank Fisher, an African American accused of raping a white woman, from Galion's jail and hanged him.
Ohio Central Traction Company, an interurban line that connected the two communities of Bucyrus and Galion, developed Seccaium Park at the end of the Nineteenth Century.
Galion is home of The Galion Graders a member of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate Baseball League. The GLSCBL is a wooden bat league for college athletes looking to further improve on their great skill. The Graders specifically focus on doing this while providing a fun, family oriented experience for its fans and their communities.
Geography
Galion is located in the southeastern corner of Crawford County at (40.733164, -82.788586).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Galion lies just south of a
continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...
. The
Olentangy River
The Olentangy River is a tributary of the Scioto River in Ohio, United States.
History
It was originally called ''keenhongsheconsepung'', a Delaware word literally translated as "sharp tool river", based on the shale found along its shores. ...
begins near and runs through Galion, and then winds southward toward
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
and eventually empties into the
Scioto River
The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets t ...
, a tributary of the
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
and thus of the
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
. However, Lake Galion, which lies just north of town, is part of the
Sandusky River
The Sandusky River ( wyn, saandusti; sjw, Potakihiipi ) is a tributary to Lake Erie in north-central Ohio in the United States. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Ma ...
watershed, which drains via Lakes
Erie
Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...
and
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
into the
Saint Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...
.
Demographics
![Galion Municipal Building](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Galion_Municipal_Building.jpeg)
2020 Census
The 2020 United States Census reported Galion's population as being 10,453, a slight decrease in the city's population in 2010.
2010 Census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, there were 10,512 people, 4,484 households, and 2,797 families living in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 5,192 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.6%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.5%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.1%
Native American, 0.2%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.4% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.1% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.3% of the population.
There were 4,484 households, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.6% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size as 2.89.
The median age in the city was 39.7 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.
2000 Census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 11,341 people, 4,791 households, and 3,090 families living in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 2,286.5 people per square mile (882.8/km
2). There were 5,150 housing units at an average density of 1,038.3 per square mile (400.9/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.28%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.22%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.31%
Native American, 0.26%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.01%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.35% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.56% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.93% of the population.
There were 4,791 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,513, and the median income for a family was $38,554. Males had a median income of $32,517 versus $19,792 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $16,113. About 11.9% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Galion has a
Mayor-Council government: it is governed by an elected
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
and
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
. Thomas O’Leary has served as mayor since 2013.
Education
Galion City School District
The
Galion City School District encompasses the entire city of Galion, graduating about 150 students annually. There are a handful of neighborhoods outside of Galion that are also included in the school district, including
Blooming Grove.
Galion High School serves students ranging from grades 9 through 12. The school colors are blue and orange and its athletic teams are known as the Tigers. The current high school building opened in 2007 following the demolition of the previous home of Galion High School on North Union Street.
![Carnegie-library-galion-oh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Carnegie-library-galion-oh.jpg)
![New Galion High School Ohio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/New_Galion_High_School_Ohio.JPG)
The first Galion Union High School was built in 1868 on West Walnut Street and served as Galion High School until 1917. This building was demolished in 1924 and a new junior high school was built on the site in 1925, which was razed in April 2008. The second home of GHS was built in 1917 on the site of a former cemetery on North Union Street. This building was extended in 1962, adding features such as a large gymnasium. This building was in use until the end of the 2006–2007 school year, with the new Galion High School opening in late 2007.
Galion Public Library
The Galion Public Library was formally dedicated on April 28, 1904. The "purely 20th century synthesis of Greek and Roman designs" was designed by Vernon Redding a prominent architect from Mansfield, Ohio that designed the Mansfield Public Library using the Galion design as a foundation.
However, the organization and establishment of the current library were made from the efforts of a woman's organization called The Current News Club.
The organization pushed for the establishment of a public library and started a library fund that had been started using funds from other organizations and contributions from citizens of Galion. In 1898, a state law was passed providing for a mandatory establishment of a library through the Boards of Education in Galion due to its size.
The Current News Club incorporated the Galion Public Library Association on March 26, 1901 with "the purpose of building and opening a public library free to all the citizens of the Galion Public School district."
The association purchased the land in which the building currently resides on North Market street for $2,850 in which "the lot already had an old log residence on it, one of the oldest buildings in the city, and was one of the early school houses half a century previously."
This log building, now located in Heise Park, provided for a comfortable "reading room" and "became the pride and glory of the infant library association" but quickly became too small for to serve the citizens of Galion.
In February 1902 the association sent representatives to meet with
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...
to seek financial assistance in building a new library and was approved for $15,000 with a "guarantee of an annual support for the library of not less than ten percent of that amount" which was later approved by the city council with a resolution that passed on April 18, 1902.
Media
Galion and neighboring communities are served by a semi-weekly newspaper, the ''
Galion Inquirer''. The city's first newspaper, ''The District Democrat'', was founded in 1855 and later sold and renamed ''The Galion Train''.
Parks and recreation
Festivals
Every year the City of Galion hosts two major festivals: The Oktoberfest and the Pickle Run Festival.
Pickle Run Festival
The Pickle Run Festival began in 1961 and was said to have been inspired "when a grocer used to dump his old pickles into the Whetstone Creek behind his store and the pickles would run through the creek." The festival would include events like the Pickle Run 5k, car show, watermelon diving competition along with carnival rides and food vendors among other things. The Pickle Run did not run from 1998 up till 2015 when volunteers started the Pickle Run festival over moving the original date on Labor Day to the Fourth of July weekend.
Oktoberfest
Started by the Galion Jaycees in 1976 and later ran by the local Moose Lodge, the Galion Oktoberfest is the city's fall festival that runs on the last weekend of September in the city's Uptowne Business District. This three day event features a carnival with rides and vendors as well as live music.
Edgar M. Freese Foundation
Long time resident of Galion and Industrialist Horace E. Freese established a trust fund now known as the Edgar M. Freese Foundation and established Galion, Ohio as the benefactor of the foundation.
The will established that all income from the fund "may be used for he upkeep or improvement of city parks/facilities, college scholarships to worthy Galion High School graduates, or any other purposes suitable to the memory of Egbert M. Freese."
The Freese Foundation board member consist of the mayor, safety-service director, and city counsel president as well as two appointed citizens. The Freese Grants are reviewed every spring and are available by application to "the city of Galion, Galion City Schools, and any local 501(c)3 nonprofit organization."
However, there must be a 25% match by the grantee toward the project that is funded.
Edgar M. Freese Foundation Completed Projects
Transportation
![Big four depot](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Big_four_depot.jpg)
The
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Er ...
also ran through Galion and established large rail yards here, making the city an important rail center. In April, 1851 the
Cleveland Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad
The Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad (CC&C) was a railroad that ran from Cleveland to Columbus in the U.S. state of Ohio in the United States. Chartered in 1836, it was moribund for the first 10 years of its existence. Its charter was ...
, later known as the "Big Four" and eventually the
New York Central, began operating regular service between
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
and
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, stopping at Galion along the way. Prior to the end of the 19th century, Galion became a division headquarters for the line.
Galion once boasted two large railroad depots. The
Big Four Depot at 127 Washington Street served passenger trains until 1971. The Erie Depot on South Market Street, served until 1970 and the 1891 structure was demolished later that year. With the move of the Erie yards to Marion in the 1910s, the railroads declined, although the city remained a passenger rail center into the 1960s. The Big Four Depot was abandoned; however, it has since been acquired by the City of Galion and is undergoing a slow but thorough restoration.
From 1915 to 1923, Galion was on the original route of the
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913 ...
, America's first coast-to-coast route. In later years, however, the northern route was improved and became US 30 North, although until approximately 1970 the route through Galion was designated as US 30 South. The new, four-lane
US 30
U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...
opened in 2005, and passes just north of town, giving the community excellent transportation access.
State routes in Galion include
309, which connects
Marion Marion may refer to:
People
*Marion (given name)
*Marion (surname)
*Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion"
*Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992)
Places Antarctica
* Mario ...
to the southwest with
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
to the east;
598
__NOTOC__
Year 598 ( DXCVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 598 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar ...
, which originates in Galion and stretches northward;
19, which heads westward toward
the county seat and also south toward Williamsport;
61, which goes south towards Morrow and Delaware Counties and north to Lake Erie, and
97, which goes east through
Lexington.
Historic landmarks
Adam Howard House
![Adam Howard House](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Adam_Howard_House.jpg)
Home of the founder of the Galion Buggy Company, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1978 and is located on South Boston Street. The home was built in 1898 and was later owned by the Galion Historical Society and sat vacant for 50 years until its auction to Tim and Connie Musselman in 2015.
The Victorian-era house designed by
Vernon Redding features "massive pillars on the front porch, a golden oak vestibule and carved stairs leading to a circular balustrade and ballroom, all illuminated by a stained-glass skylight."
Brownella Cottage and Grace Episcopal Church and Rectory
Brownella Cottage and Grace Episcopal Church and Rectory
Brownella Cottage and Grace Episcopal Church and Rectory (also known as Bishop Brown House and the Grace Episcopal Church and Education Building) is a historic church complex at S. Union and Walnut Streets in Galion, Ohio.
The site is significa ...
is a historic church complex at S. Union and Walnut Streets.
The site is significant for its association with Bishop
William Montgomery Brown, notable as the first bishop of his communion to be tried for heresy since the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
and "'the first of any creed in America to be deposed for heretical teaching'".
The complex includes:
* the Brownella Cottage, built during 1885-1887 for Brown and his wife,
Ella Scranton Bradford, which was the bishop's home until his death in 1937
* the bishop's study, formerly St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
* the Brownella
carriage house
A carriage house, also called a remise or coach house, is an outbuilding which was originally built to house horse-drawn carriages and the related tack.
In Great Britain the farm building was called a cart shed. These typically were open f ...
* Grace Episcopal Church
* the rectory of the Grace Episcopal Church
Central Hotel, Hackedorn and Zimmerman Building
![Hosford House near Galion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Hosford_House_near_Galion.jpg)
The Central Hotel is a combination of three buildings that are "all that remains of Galion's significant commercial boom in the 1860's."
The Central Hotel was registered on the National Historic Registry on Nav.13, 1976 but did not see any significant improvements until it was procured by the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing in 2004.
The non-profit led a significant restructuring and investment into the building and the building is now an affordable housing for seniors.
Hosford House
The Hosford House was built in 1892 by Asa Hosford and listed on the National Historic Registry on April 30, 1976. Asa Hosford is considered the "Father of Galion" due to his work as a state legislator in which he did work to get a rail line through the area that was completed in 1851.
Industry
![Galion machine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Galion_machine.jpg)
The Galion brand of heavy equipment, such as road graders, road rollers, and earthmovers, was manufactured by
Galion Iron Works
Galion Iron Works is the original name of the company that built the ''Galion'' brand of construction equipment. Known for their graders, it also manufactured rollers, cranes, asphalt millers and even riding squeegees among other machines.
Ga ...
, later purchased by
Dresser Industries
Dresser Industries was a multinational corporation headquartered in Dallas, Texas, United States, which provided a wide range of technology, products, and services used for developing energy and natural resources. In 1998, Dresser merged with its ...
and then by
Komatsu.
Galion was once the home of Peabody Galion, a manufacturer of sanitation equipment, primarily dump bodies, as well as front loading, side-loading and rear loading garbage trucks; rivaling the Heil Company for numbers of units sold throughout the world. For a short time, in the early 1970s, Peabody Galion maintained a manufacturing plant in
Durant, Oklahoma
Durant () is a city in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States that serves as the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The population was 18,589 in the 2020 census. Durant is the principal city of the Durant Micropolitan Statistical A ...
, known as "Peabody Galion, Durant Division".
Galion was also once home to North Electric Company, a prime supplier of telephone switching systems for government and international markets. It was also producer of the
Ericofon
The Ericofon is a one-piece plastic telephone created by the Ericsson Company of Sweden and marketed through the second half of the 20th century. It was the first commercially marketed telephone to incorporate the dial and handset into a singl ...
, the first ever one-piece telephone designed by
Ralph Lysell and
Hugo Blomberg.
Founded in 1884 by
Charles N. North, the company became part of
Ericsson
(lit. "Telephone Stock Company of LM Ericsson"), commonly known as Ericsson, is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm. The company sells infrastructure, software, and services in informat ...
in 1951. It was purchased by
ITT in the mid-1970s and operated as ITT PowerSystems until the late 1980s, when it was sold to a private consortium and renamed PECO II (the name is derived from North Electric Company's purchase of Power Equipment Company (PECO) in 1960). Peco II purchased the telecommunications product line and associated assets from
ITT in 1988. In 2010, PECO II was acquired by
Lineage Power of
Plano, Texas
Plano ( ) is a city in Collin County, Texas, Collin County and Denton County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 285,494 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
Hist ...
and has since closed the plant.
Notable residents
*
Logan Bartholomew
John Logan Bartholomew (born February 9, 1984) is an American actor born in Galion, Ohio, best known for his role of Willie LaHaye in 3 of the 8 films in the ''Love Comes Softly'' series. He later appeared in series like '' CSI: Miami'' (2005) a ...
(born February 9, 1984) actor born in Galion, best known for his role of Willie LaHaye in the ''
Love Comes Softly
''Love Comes Softly'' is a 2003 made-for-television Christian drama film set in the 19th century, based on a series of books by Janette Oke. It originally aired on Hallmark Channel on April 13, 2003. It was directed by Michael Landon Jr., and st ...
'' series
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Julius H. Block, Minnesota State Treasurer, was born in Galion
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William Montgomery Brown, Episcopal clergyman and author, lived in Galion
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Florence Kling Harding, First Lady of the United States, lived in Galion with her first husband, Henry ("Pete") DeWolfe
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Henry David Lee, founder of the HD Lee Mercantile Company, inventors of
Lee Jeans
Lee is an American brand of denim jeans, first produced in 1889 in Salina, Kansas. The company is owned by Kontoor Brands, a spin-off of VF Corporation's Jeanswear Division. Since 2019 its headquarters has been in Greensboro, North Carolina, re ...
, lived in and operated a business in Galion
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Robert W. Morgan
Robert Wilbur Morgan (July 23, 1937 – May 22, 1998) was an American radio personality best known for his work at several stations in Los Angeles, California, in particular KHJ-AM.
Morgan also did morning drive at KMPC-AM, KIQQ-FM and KMG ...
, radio personality, was from Galion
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Orville Nave, theologian and chaplain, was born in Galion
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Nate Reinking
Nate James Reinking (born 12 December 1973) is a British-American professional basketball coach and former player, who is an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the coach of the Great Brit ...
, professional basketball player for the
British Basketball League
The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs howeve ...
and the
Great Britain men's national basketball team
The Great Britain men's national basketball team (also known as GB Basketball or GB) represents Great Britain in international basketball competitions. The national team is administered by British Basketball.
The current governing body for the ...
; head coach in the
NBA G League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...
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Bob Schnelker
Robert Bernard Schnelker (October 17, 1928 – December 12, 2016) was an American football tight end who played for nine seasons in the National Football League, mainly with the New York Giants. Schnelker played college football at Bowling Gree ...
, professional football player in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
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JB Shuck, professional baseball player in Major League Baseball, raised in Galion and attended Galion High School
References
External links
Galion Historical SocietyCity website
{{Authority control
Cities in Ohio
Cities in Crawford County, Ohio
Cities in Morrow County, Ohio
Cities in Richland County, Ohio
1831 establishments in Ohio
Populated places established in 1831