County preparing for its 200th birthday

SENECA COUNTY — Seneca County became independent and self-governing on April 1, 1824, and a committee is preparing for next year's bicentennial celebration. "April 1 is the official birthday," said Bicentennial Committee member Roy Zinn. A celebration is planned at the Seneca County Justice Center on that Monday, featuring speakers and proclamations from local governments. A week later, on April 8, the committee is planning to highlight the bicentennial while visitors are in Seneca County to view the solar eclipse. However, he said the committee is encouraging yearlong festivities. "The overall scope is we want to see folks celebrate anytime they would like during the entire year of 2024," Zinn said. "We want to encourage the villages, the townships, etc., to plug the bicentennial celebration into whatever they're doing otherwise. Whatever you've been doing, let's now include a bicentennial recognition in that." Seneca County's early history is, of course, tied to the early history of northwest Ohio. Before April 1, 1824, Zinn said all of Seneca was a township of Sandusky County, which had become a county early in 1820. "And before that, we had both been part of Huron County," he said. "When an area got enough population, they would break it off as a county." The organizational structure was decided when government officials opened up the Northwest Territory to settlement by Europeans in 1817 after Native American nations ceded land to the United States in the Treaty of the Foot of the Rapids at what is today the Maumee area. Before that, the area was Native American land, even though Ohio had been a state since 1803. Leading up to the 1817 treaty was the Treaty of Greenville in 1795 after the Native Nations were defeated at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in August 1794 by Gen. Anthony Wayne and his army. At the end of the treaty talks in late summer 1795, the two sides agreed to boundary lines with the Natives retaining most of northwest Ohio. The treaty officially ended the Indian Wars. The future Seneca County was within Native lands, but several areas were delineated as trade areas and trading posts were built. One of them was near Fremont. Information from the 1820 federal census showed 110 people lived in Seneca Township, Sandusky County, Since the land hadn't yet been opened for purchase, Zinn said they were living there illegally. Driving tour One of the major undertakings of the committee is a driving tour of county historical sites. "We want to have it available so it can be done any time of the year, any day," Zinn said. The tour is to include at least one site in each of the 15 townships. "We have a tremendous number of historically interesting sites," he said. However, people taking a tour expect to see something at each stop, and many sites have nothing to show for the historical events that happened there. One of the historical "areas" where there is not a specific point to show people is the Harrison Trail – which has had many names through the years. Gen. William Henry Harrison and his troops used the road to move between forts in what are now Tiffin and Fremont areas. "That road is significant," Zinn said. He said a retired surveyor is working on finding surveys that had been done on the road in 1812 and 1821. Also, he said some of the county's historical sites are on privately-owned land, which restricts their availability. For the tour, the committee is working on selecting sites where there are physical historical buildings or other things to see. Each site will have a QR code that people can scan with their smartphones and get a brief history. Zinn said Chairman Theresa Sullivan has divided the townships among committee members and the group is planning for the tour to be available by Jan. 1. "We've been meeting at least monthly, and the historical subcommittee more often that," he said. "We'll have some neat things." In addition to Zinn, committee members are Sullivan, director of the Seneca County Museum; the county commissioners; County Public Relations Director Jimmy Flint; Bryce Riggs and Marisa Stephens of Destination Seneca County; and local historians Rodney Young, Fran Fleet, Bruce Bowlus and John Huss. Later in the year, Zinn said the committee is focusing on the Tiffin-Seneca Heritage Festival, and the annual parade. Earlier this month, the bicentennial logo was unveiled during a Seneca County Commissioners meeting. The logo, featuring an hourglass, symbolizes the theme "standing the test of time," and reflects the community's enduring spirit and love for Seneca County, according to a news release after the meeting written by committee member Jimmy Flint. "Members of the committee, including Seneca County Museum Director Theresa Sullivan and Marisa Stephens from Destination Seneca County, were inspired by the hourglass symbol being used in ads of local businesses in newspapers during the sesquicentennial and decided to incorporate this into the Bicentennial logo," Flint said. At the same meeting, the commissioners allocated $10,000 to be used for marketing, supplies and events. A fund will be created to assist villages, townships, businesses and other organizations in promoting the bicentennial theme. Anyone interested in applying for funding can find more information through the application available at Destination Seneca County. Additionally, Tiffin Community Foundation plans to offer grant funding to community organizations and local governments seeking support for bicentennial-themed events. "The biggest thing we really want emphasized is we want to encourage communities to do what they'd like to do to recognize the bicentennial," Zinn said. "It only happens once." For more information, visit the website, https://DestinationSenecaCounty.org/SenecaCounty200 or its social media page, www.facebook.com/SenecaCounty200.