Artifacts trace the city's history from a native "woodland culture" through the Conestoga wagons in which settlers arrived in the wilderness that was Ohio in the early s. But the restored Champion reaper is perhaps the best indicator of Springfield's past.
The horse-drawn device was the foundation of what today is Navistar International. There are also dark episodes in Springfield history. More than a thousand residents gathered March 7, , stormed the local jail and removed Richard Dixon, a black man accused of killing a police officer.
Dixon was shot to death and hanged from a pole on Main Street, where the mob continued to shoot at his lifeless body. The mob then burned much of the black section of town known as the Levee. Another mob formed in February and again burned the black community.
But 60 years later, Springfield elected Robert Henry the first black mayor of an American city. Schutte, the chamber executive, and his wife were living a good life on Hilton Head Island, S. But when their first child was due, they decided to come home. When his parents took young Schutte to Cincinnati Reds games, he would bring home souvenirs with Boston Red Sox' logos. When the Red Sox played the Reds in the World Series, Schutte was allowed to stay home from school to watch the games.
The Red Sox stars were the heroes of Schutte's youth, he said. His first car bore the Ohio vanity plate "Red Sox. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
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Don't settle for anything less than responsible journalism. Subscribe today. The community's strong industrial growth led to the creation of a mechanic's association in the s, as well as other labor organizations as the century continued.
During the s, Springfield was one of the largest producers of farm machinery in the United States, but by the end of the century, that dominance began to disappear. Cities further west, such as Chicago, began to compete with Springfield. An economic depression in the s was particularly hard on industrial cities in Ohio and led to widespread unemployment.
Conditions improved during World War I, as factories began to produce goods that were necessary for the war effort, but after the war ended, significant business expansion did not continue. In the twentieth century, Springfield worked to diversify its industries and create more opportunities for economic growth.
Building upon one of its strengths after the Civil War, Springfield was home to one of the largest publishing companies in the United States for a number of years. During the early s, local factories produced ten different types of automobiles. Remaining true to this automotive tradition, the city's largest employer today is Navistar International, a producer of buses and trucks. In , Springfield's more than sixty-five thousand residents could find employment in more than 3, different businesses.
Similar to other Ohio industrial cities, Springfield has experienced a declining population over the past fifty years. Toggle navigation. He led unrelenting warfare against white settlement in his land. A member of the Clark Expedition, John Paul, returned to the area and built his home in He is believed to be the first white settler to locate in what became known as Clark County.
The Treaty of Greenville in , between the Indians and General Anthony Wayne, in which the Indians agreed to stop hostile acts toward settlers, generally opened up this area for settlement. It began the opening of the Northwest Territory. It was on his land that a plat of the city was made in by surveyor James Dougherty. That same year, Griffith Foos built the first tavern, which became a famous stagecoach stop. In , the first post office was recorded for Springfield.
Simon Kenton built a gristmill and distillery where the old International Harvester plant now stands. The square mile area that became Clark County was mapped out of parts of Champaign, Greene, and Madison Counties in The first meeting of the Clark County Commission was held on April 25, The census showed a total population of 9, By , the tiny frontier hamlet had become a town and was granted a city charter by the State of Ohio in
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