Milan History

The Village of Milan was platted in 1817 on the site of a previous Moravian Indian mission village (1805-1809).  Ebenezer Merry damed the Huron River and established a gristmill and sawmill. As the population grew, so did the agricultural output of the area.  Farmers had to travel by wagon to the northern lake ports over the sandy, wet prairie.  Eventually a group of industrial businessmen sought to develop a canal which would link the three miles between Milan and the Huron River.                                                                      > Back to Exhibits

Connecticut Western Reserve

"Reconsider the folly of your rebellion against the sovereignty of Great Britain or suffer the consequences". It was July 4, 1779 and the ultimatum went to Connecticut residents along the eastern shore. With no response from Connecticut the British attacked first New Haven and then up the coast. Killed were 27 colonials, 19 wounded and 30 prisoners taken from burning homes. The coastal towns were left frightened but relieved until 1781 when Benedict Arnold led a wave of 32 vessels and 1,800 troops against his former neighbors. Ten towns burned. Compensation to the survivors in Connecticut came first in the form of tax abatements followed by the legislation of 1792 that "released and quit-claimed to the Sufferers or their legal representatives or heirs", 500,000 Connecticut-owned acres in Ohio. The section of land was called the Fire Lands. Settlement of the "Firelands" was not immediate. The claims had to be settled legally. Indians unsympathetic to the Connecticut Sufferers occupied the new land, 700 miles away through uncharted territory. Thirty years elapsed before the children of the original claimants packed up their families to head west. During that thirty year span the half million acres was surveyed by Almon Ruggles of Danbury into five-mile square "towns" again divided into 4 sections. The land was distributed by lottery to guarantee no man would receive all good or poor locations. Properties were traded or sold and by 1808 the process was complete with the bravest souls heading west. Among the people who already called the Ohio land home were the "believing Indians", members of several tribes that followed the Moravian missionaries who offered not only Christianity but also an education. French traders were also evident in the area at this time. The Moravians traveled along the south shore of Lake Erie following old Indian trails established by the Eries that occupied the area up to the middle of the 17th century and the Chippewas, Wyandots, Monseys, Delawares and Ottawas that were here when the missionaries arrived in 1787. David Zeisberger was the leader who arranged for the encampment. Eventually naming the settlement New Salem, the Moravians and their converts kept to themselves, nurturing the land and their families for four years when trouble began to brew between Ohio tribes and the white settlers who were now moving into the southern part of the state. In 1791 Zeisberger's Brethren packed up and headed for Detroit and then on to Ontario,Canada, returning briefly in 1804 only to find the red man's Firelands tract turning white. The Moravians returned to Canada in 1809. > Back to Exhibits

Milan Canal

Although it was first surveyed in 1823, the Milan Canal was not completed until 1839. At first it was projected as a barge canal, but it later became a ships canal with Great Lakes vessels carrying several millions of dollars of trade a year through this waterway. The initial step was the construction of a tow path from the mouth of the Huron River to Abbotsford (Fries Landing) that was completed in 1834. From here to Milan the canal had to be dug all the way due to the meandering and shallowness of the river. In 1836, work began on the canal basin at Milan. Included with this were a dam and covered bridge, and a series of warehouses and mills. The canal was officially opened July 4, 1839, when the schooner Kewaunee anchored in the basin. The canal was about forty feet wide, thirteen feet deep and three miles long. The fall was only seven feet for its entire length; therefore, only two locks were necessary. The Upper Lock was about a mile from the basin and the Lower Lock was located at the junction of the canal and river. The tow path was on the north to west (left-hand) side of the canal. Final cost of the canal ($23,392) far exceeded the estimate. But incredible prosperity followed. The farmers coming north preferred bringing their wheat the shorter distance to Milan. The schooners preferred bringing their vessels right alongside the main wheat supply at Milan. The Milan port drew the wagons of wheat growers from as far as 150 miles, averaging 100 wagons a day. Some days wagons were lined for three miles waiting their turn to unload. In the peak year, 1847, on May 18, 20,000 bushels were received requiring 650 teams. Some days the port shipped as much as 25,000 bushels of wheat. Since wheat rolled into Milan faster than the vessels could float it out, Milan businessmen built more grain storage warehouses astride the river. Some of these warehouses were perched on top of the valley's ridge, so that chutes could be lowered to the vessels holds, gravity-feeding the grain into the ships. Not only did the town prosper from the exporting of products, the Milan Canal Company took in $102,000 in the first five years just in canal tolls, paying $20,000 to its shareholders in dividends! > Back to Exhibits

Ship Building

The success of the Milan Canal gave the people of Milan another idea. The ever energetic Ebenezer Merry saw the land around the canal turn-around basin as ideal for a shipyard. He prepared the site and the tools and sent for James P. Gay, a shipbuilder. This was the beginning of Merry & Gay, Shipbuilders. Wood chips and sawdust rose in great piles as this team built the largest number of ships at Milan by far, five vessels in 1856 alone. James Gay's percussive commands crackled above the zimmering saws and drumming hammers. Shipbuilding brought many more skills to town - wrought iron workers, sail makers and general merchants and carpenters - and became a main employer. Builders came from out of town to take advantage of the white oak timber and other fine woods available locally. Between 1841 and 1867, the town built more than 75 lake schooners and other vessels. > Back to Exhibits

Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Edison was born and lived in Milan his first seven years from 1847-1854. Along with the Edison Birthplace home, a separate museum, the Milan Historical Museum has been the respository of Edison memorabilia. Play Edison cylinder and disc phonographs with the old cylinders and records, see light bulbs, banks, spark plugs and bottles of Edison brand battery oil. There are old photographs of Edison visiting Milan, Edison signed portraits and letters, commemoratives of the anniversaries of the electric light, including replicas of the first light bulb, medals and a stamp set signed by Edison's daughter Madelaine Sloane. The portrait of Thomas A. Edison above was painted by Ellis M. Silvette in 1926. The great American inventor was then 79 years old and just about to begin his intensive four-year search for a practical domestic source of natural rubber which could be used in time of war or other national emergency. In 1928, in recognition of his numerous contributions to the welfare of mankind, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.    Go to the glass room to view a unique plaque created by Frederick Carder for Stuben with the head of Edison, given by Henry Ford as table favors at a banquet celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the electric light in 1929. Our archives stock old newspaper articles, postcards and magazines, all devoted to Edison. There is even a sheet of music called "Thomas A. Edison, Miracle Man", composed in 1929 by George M. Cohan as a tribute for the Golden Jubilee. Milan's greatest citizen can be found in nooks and crannies all over Milan Historical Museum. > Back to Exhibits

Today's Milan Village Square

Milan's Village Square is the "center of town". Here are some interesting facts about sites you'll see there. THE PUBLIC SQUARE was created in 1867 and trees were planted. Prior to 1867 it was a hitching post lot for horses. THE KELLEY BUILDING was built in 1869-70 by Henry Kelley. Born in New York and orphaned as a child he went on to become a prominent Milan citizen. Captain Kelley was a sailor and master of boats on Lake Erie for 30 years. THE TOWN HALL, first built in 1876, was destroyed almost entirely by fire in 1888. It was rebuilt that same year using the original brick walls. When it was rebuilt a clock tower was added to the building, donated by Captain Henry Kelley. In 1998 the clock tower was struck by lightening and burned but was restored to its original state. THE GAZEBO was a project of the Milan Chamber of Commerce and was dedicated in the mid-1960's. It was refurbished in 1998 by the village of Milan. THE CIVIL WAR MONUMENT was dedicated on July 4, 1867. The names listed on the monument represent men from the township and village who fought in the Civil War. Early photographs showed a handsome iron fence that protected the monument and it was restored in 1994 by the Milan Township Trustees. THE "YOUNG EDISON" STATUE was a project of the Milan Garden Club. Designed by Michael Tradowsky, the statue was dedicated in 1984. The work of art shows the caring and dedicated teaching of young Thomas Edison by his mother, Nancy. THE MILAN HISTORICAL MUSEUM COMPLEX is just 2 blocks east of the Milan Town Square. > Back to Exhibits