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Idora Park opened on May 30, 1899, as Terminal Park, a picnic area at the final trolley stop on the south side of Youngstown, Ohio. The name was changed to Idora Park on November 25, 1899.

Initial features and attractions included a Dentzel carousel with stationary animals, a casino stage, a bandstand, swings, picnic tables, drinking fountains, and toilet facilities. People flocked to the new park, jamming streetcars to capacity. On August 27, 1899, twenty thousand people crowded into the park. The trolley tracks had to be doubled in number, and many more streetcars were added. On Independence Day, 1901, thirty thousand people came to see the fireworks display. Idora Park needed to expand in order to accommodate these huge crowds. And expand it did. By 1915, the park had doubled in size. On April 26, 1984, it all came crashing down. Fire destroyed the two premier rides and half of one midway. Idora Park did not recover, and 1984 was its final year.

Newton Falls was founded in 1806 and named after Newtown, Connecticut, a homage to the Connecticut Land Company, and the waterfalls on the East and West Branches of the Mahoning River. The small community was a transportation town with access to the Mahoning River, eventually the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal, and a myriad of railroads that crisscrossed throughout Newton Falls. As the industrial revolution took hold of Newton Falls, factories came and provided locals with jobs. Eventually, the Ravenna Ordnance Plant, often referred to as the Ravenna Arsenal, opened in 1942 and provided many jobs for those in Newton Falls during World War II and on. Today, Newton Falls is known for its infamous zip code, 44444; the F5 tornado that hit the city in 1985; and one of the oldest covered bridges to remain in the state of Ohio. 

Explore Cleveland's golden age, her decline and her rebirth with this commemorative photographic history.

Cleveland: 1930-2000 is the second of two volumes commemorating the history of the heart and pride of northeast Ohio. Situated on the shores of Lake Erie, Cleveland emerged as an industrial and commercial giant at the end of the 19th Century, earning herself the title of America's "Sixth City" as her population soared, nearing one million. Like many American manufacturing giants, Cleveland experienced a period of decline in industry and commerce, and as with many other urban areas, civil rights issues threatened to rip apart the fabric of the city. Despite that, the city emerged from those tumultuous times with a renewed commitment for a better future.

What started as an institution to reform young and non-violent criminals became one of the most infamous prisons in American history.

Before 1884, most first-time offenders between the ages of 16 and 30 were housed in the Ohio Penitentiary, where they were likely to be influenced by hardened criminals. That changed when the Ohio Legislature approved the building of a reformatory, a new type of institution that would educate and train these young men. Since its opening in 1896, the reformatory expanded its training programs and became a self-sustaining institution - the largest of its kind in the United States. By 1970, the reformatory had become a maximum-security prison filled with the most dangerous criminals in the U.S., with a death row but no death chamber. It closed on December 31, 1990, but preservation and restoration efforts are ongoing, and it continues to be as infamous today as in its heyday, appearing in numerous television shows and feature films, including The Shawshank Redemption.

The opening of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden sounds like a goofy family comedy, but it quickly became one of the most popular attractions in Ohio.

Opening day, September 18, 1875, was overcast and chilly, a shaky start for the second zoological garden in the United States. Exhibits were unfinished, and animals remained crated. The polar bear had not arrived, and the collection on display included a feeble tiger, a blind hyena, an elephant rescued from a bankrupt circus, a talking crow, eight small monkeys, and 400 birds. Despite the rough start, the venture by bird-lover Andrew Erkenbrecher and friends blossomed into a top-tier zoo inspiring a passion for nature-a champion of endangered species with its own college-preparatory high school and an unrivaled commitment to education, research, and innovative breeding programs. It has survived Damocles' sword of economic cuts as stubborn Cincinnatians came to its rescue time after time, charmed by the animals and events found here: chimps Mr. and Mrs. Rooney, Susie the Gorilla who took tea and smoked Chesterfields, Rodney the boxing kangaroo, Martha the last passenger pigeon on earth, outdoor operas, and dancing under the stars.

It is impossible to explore the history of Cincinnati without looking at the influence of German-Americans.

German Cincinnati is a pictorial history of the German-American experience in the Greater Cincinnati area: the people, places, and things that influenced that influenced this culturally rich city and made it what it is today. This book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in German-American or people Cincinnati history.

German immigrants first came to the region in the late 18th century and then arrived in great waves beginning in the early 19th century. These German American immigrants and their descendants have greatly influenced the social, political, cultural, religious, and economic growth and development of the area, earning Cincinnati a reputation for its German heritage. Today, nearly every other person in Cincinnati can trace some German lineage in their family tree. It is known as one of the corners in the famed German Triangle, along with St. Louis and Milwaukee. German Cincinnatians survived the hard times of the world wars of the last century, even experiencing an ethnic heritage revival that has reaffirmed the area's reputation as one of the major centers of German heritage in the United States today.

Join author Don Heinrich Tolzmann, curator of the German-Americana Collection and director of the German-American Studies Program at the University of Cincinnati, as he looks at the complex and prosperous history of German-Americans in Cincinnati.

Journey into the rich history of Cincinnati and see how it got the name The Queen City of the West. A must for fans of Cincinnati and Ohio history!

Walking down the dirt, cobblestone, or paved streets of downtown Cincinnati in the past, there is no telling whom a person would meet.

Someone might rub elbows with future presidents, such as Hayes, Taft, or that visiting lawyer from Illinois--Lincoln; dine with Generals Wayne, Grant, or Sherman; have tea with Harriet Beecher Stowe; or share a mug of Hauck beer with Frank Duveneck, Stephen Foster, or that poet-warrior William Lytle. A person lingering in the opulent hotels may meet visiting artists such as Junius Booth, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Henry Irving, and his manager, Bram Stoker; hear a speech by abolitionist Salmon P. Chase or flirt with the pretty Confederate spy Lottie Moon.

Once the furthest expansion of the western frontier, every street and corner of downtown Cincinnati has been tread by the famous and infamous.Historic Downtown Cincinnatiis the story of America, of businessmen like the brothers-in-law Procter and Gamble, of visionaries like McGuffy, and powerful political bosses like George Cox.

In nearly 200 rarely seen photographs and vintage postcards, discover Cincinnati as you've never seen it before.

Since its inception in 1788, Cincinnati has evolved from a brawling pioneer town to a thriving Midwest metropolis, experiencing rapid growth and unprecedented social and technological change. Highlighted in this volume are the city's spectacular architectural achievements, its centers of culture and learning, its hubs of industry and transportation, its legendary sports tradition, its diverse neighborhoods, and, above all, the spirit of its citizenry. Through these striking images, together with the insightful text, authors Kevin Grace and Tom White take the reader on a unique visual tour of this historic river city. It is a tour well worth taking.

Explore Ohio's ""clay city"" as Kathryn Lynch and Michael S. Sims guide you through the history, development, and quaint staples that make up Zanesville.

Zanesville is located in a geographically fortuitous location in the southeastern part of the state, juxtaposed between the Licking and Muskingum Rivers and rich veins of clay, natural gas, and coal. Settled in 1797, Zanesville grew and prospered over the next 200 years as a transportation hub and a pottery-and tile-manufacturing center. Known for decades as either ""Clay City"" or the ""Y-Bridge City,"" Zanesville retains its charm and small-town qualities through its architecture, neighborhoods, parks, schools, downtown buildings, churches, and numerous bridges that crisscross the city. As you explore Zanesville's historic past, you may find yourself reminiscing about earlier days and learn why so many people have called Zanesville home.

Tiffin, Ohio, may be most well-known for a devastating flood but it is defined by so much more than tragedy.

The flood of 1913 is likely the reason people are familiar with Tiffin, Ohio. It took the lives of 19 people in a disaster that literally reshaped the city. However, the city is much more than that.

Tiffin--named after Ohio's first governor, Edward Tiffin--was first settled in 1817. The seat of Seneca County has been home to businesses of wide renown: Tiffin Glass, National Machinery, and Ballreich's Potato Chips, among others. Tiffin's institutions of higher learning, Heidelberg and Tiffin Universities, and its strong public and parochial school systems reflect a deep commitment to education among the city's residents. Historic figures like Charles Dickens and Thomas Edison, as well as local luminaries such as Josiah Hedges and Gen. William Harvey Gibson, have played a part in forging Tiffin's history.

From its founding by Connecticut Yankees to its label as Home Town USA, this is the history of a picturesque community with a long and storied history.

In 1945, Pathfinder magazine selected the village of Medina as a ""shining example of small town living"" and, with the film company RKO Pathe, produced a 15-minute movie about Medina called Home Town USA. The film focused on the Victorian square and on the nearby tree-shaded streets lined with century homes. But the film did not tell the dramatic story behind the picturesque facade. Medina was hewn out of the Ohio wilderness by Connecticut Yankees, many of them Revolutionary War veterans who brought with them a tradition of democracy and strong community spirit. In 1848, a fire devastated the public square. The citizens rallied, and it was quickly rebuilt. In 1870, another fire wiped out most of the business district. Over the next decade, the square once again rose from the ashes, and the result was a village center filled with handsome Eastlake Victorian-style buildings. That public square sits at the heart of the community whose history this book puts on display.

After a period of slow growth during the 19th century, Toledo began the 20th with a rapid expansion in industrialization, urbanization, and immigration.

The titans of industry who had begun to transform Toledo in the late 1800s continued to expand their fortunes while expanding their businesses, and soon were joined by others who took advantage of the city's potential. A new industry would emerge from the bicycle factories and wagon works of the 19th century--the automobile industry. It would dominate Toledo's economy in the 20th century, and by the 1920s, Toledo had one of the highest rates of industrial growth in the country. In addition to Jeeps, scales, glass, spark plugs, and transmissions, Toledo was also known for its civic reforms, strong labor unions, and fine cultural institutions. While Toledo never became "The Future Great City of the World'? that Jesup Scott envision or even the futuristic "Toledo Tomorrow'? that Norman Bel Geddes imagined, at the beginning of the 21st century, Toledo is a successful city with an interesting past and a hopeful future.

A collection of local photographer Richard E. Stoner's work which captured Ashtabula's transformations over time.

Post-World War II Ashtabula was a major Great Lakes port with a thriving downtown. Local photographer Richard E. Stoner began taking photographs of the growing city in 1938, and for the next 58 years, his lens captured Ashtabula's businesses, industries, and citizens. His commercial accounts ranged from the harbor's Pinney Dock and Transport Company, to Main Avenue's locally-owned Carlisle-Allen Company department store, to Ashtabula's major war industries. Dick Stoner's earlier photographs capture the Ashtabula that once was, including the week-long Sesquicentennial Celebration of 1953. His later photos record the beginnings of fundamental change in our way of life. Also included in this volume are some pre-1930s photographs by Vinton N. Herron, whose work Stoner purchased when Herron retired. For Ashtabulans, this is a family album. For others, it is a look at a bygone time in Midwest America.

Cleveland's Little Italy's people, history and rebirth today can be found in these pages.

Developed in the late 19th century, Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood, on the city's east side, was peopled with Italian artisans and craftsmen, many of whom were drawn to jobs carving monuments for the nearby Lake View Cemetery. The compact area relied on the local parish, Holy Rosary; charitable institutions, such as Alta House; and the cohesiveness of the neighborhood to sustain itself. It also produced a number of interesting favorite sons, including Angelo Vitantonio, the inventor of the pasta machine; championship boxer Tony Brush; and Anthony Celebrezze, Cleveland mayor, federal judge, and secretary of health, education, and welfare under Pres. John F. Kennedy and Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson. The area continued to grow until after World War II, when residents graduated from the old neighborhood to Cleveland's eastern suburbs. During the last 20 years, however, Little Italy has experienced a rebirth, and today the area combines Old World charm with a vibrant art scene, new housing, and a host of popular restaurants.

Go inside Madisonville, a Cincinnati neighborhood that boasts a long and colorful history.

Madisonville was founded in 1809 as Madison, Ohio, in honor of James Madison, who had recently been inaugurated as the fourth president of the United States. The first permanent settlers, the Joseph Ward family, built three log cabins in 1797 along a Native American trail near the area that is now Whetsel Avenue, Erie Avenue and Red Bank Road. The famous archeological excavations of the ""Madisonville Site"" by Dr. Charles Metz and his crew discovered artifacts that are housed in museums across the world. State and federal legislators, as well as secretaries of commerce and defense, grew up in Madisonville. The city is home to public, private, and parochial schools, plus over 25 churches. Incorporation into the city of Cincinnati in 1911 brought about numerous renovations of the business district, and a renaissance is currently underway.