Kidron is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

in southwestern Sugar Creek Township, Wayne County,

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 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

History

Kidron was originally settled in 1819 by a group of Swiss

Mennonites Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

wishing to escape religious persecution and poor farming conditions in their homeland in the Sonnenberg area of Switzerland near the

Jura Mountains The Jura Mountains ( , , , ; french: Massif du Jura; german: Juragebirge; it, Massiccio del Giura, rm, Montagnas da Jura) are a sub-alpine mountain range a short distance north of the Western Alps and mainly demarcate a long part of the Frenc ...

. In Switzerland, the Swiss Mennonites were referred to as ''"Die Stillen im Lande"'' meaning "the quiet people in the country." They originally named their new home Sonnenberg, but later this gave way to the present day name of Kidron.

Education

Residents may attend a small public school in the nearby village of Dalton. The Kidron Elementary School was recently torn down (2014), however a new school building (in Dalton) for kindergarten through 8th grade was just built and used in the 2014–2015 school year. Central Christian School is a private K–12 school located in Kidron, and is owned and operated by the Ohio Conference of the Mennonite Church.

Arts and culture

It is home to an outdoor

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

held Thursdays and Saturdays, weather permitting, and, since 1929, a

retail store Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

called Kidron Town and Country, which includes a

grocery store A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

, butcher's shop,

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

, and

dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and forme ...

. Because Kidron is unincorporated, police protection is the responsibility of the Wayne County Sheriff's Department. Kidron attracts many of its visitors for its diverse tool shops, especially

Lehman's Hardware Lehman's Hardware is a retail store located in Kidron, Ohio. Originally specializing in products used by the Amish community, it has become known worldwide as a source for non-electric goods. The facility bills itself as a "Low Tech Superstore" a ...

, which sells

Amish The Amish (; pdc, Amisch; german: link=no, Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches ...

-made goods and serves a wide range of customers from local Amish to tourists from around the world. There is an underground water

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

in Kidron, and a

protected forest A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

is located nearby. Surrounding countryside is largely used for

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. A public museum is located in Kidron at the Kidron Sonnenberg Heritage Center. Besides displays of local historic items, the museum includes a library and a database of genealogical information for research, particularly related to those of Swiss heritage and Amish or Mennonite background that settled in the Kidron area in the early 19th century. The museum is operated by the non-profit Kidron Community Historical Society. In addition to operating the museum, the Kidron Community Historical Society is developing a cultural heritage project named Sonnenberg Village, that will demonstrate Mennonite life and culture in the 19th century. Being built in Kidron on a five-acre tract of land, Sonnenberg Village will consist of historical buildings from the time period, and a Welcome Center for which the State of Ohio appropriated $200,000 for its construction.

In popular culture

On an episode of the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

T.V. series '' 24'' that aired on January 26, 2009, a city named "Kidron, Ohio" was the location of a foiled terrorist attack. The city depicted in the show was many times larger than the actual Kidron; its name was chosen because of its obscurity.

Notable people

Ron Amstutz Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

, Ohio State SenatorRon Amstutz Bio
, Amstutz.org. 2007-11-18. Accessed 2009-04-22.

References

External links

Kidron, Ohio ProfileCentral Christian SchoolKidron Community Historical Society
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Wayne County, Ohio Unincorporated communities in Ohio Amish in Ohio Populated places established in 1819 Swiss-American culture in Ohio 1819 establishments in Ohio