New Haven Ohio History League
About Us:
The New Haven Ohio History League was established in the summer of 2019 for the purpose of collecting, preserving, interpreting and sharing the rich history of the Village of New Haven which is located in New Haven Township in southern Huron County Ohio. Why New Haven, you may ask? While today the Village is a small, close-knit, bedroom community, it was the very center of commercial activity in the decades following its establishment in the early years of the 19th century. As one of the first settlements in the newly created “Firelands” frontier, it’s location on the main road leading to the shipping ports of Lake Erie made it a thriving community of thousands catering to long wagon trains of grain and other goods streaming north through it’s main street. The Village had many mercantile establishments, a tannery, foundry, shoemakers, taverns and a whole host of economic activity catering to the flood of travelers and freight haulers. New Haven was the primary destination for goods and supplies for many miles around. Unfortunately, in the 1840’s, it’s citizens decided to not contribute funds to the construction of the new railroad and the Village was passed by. It had lost it’s gateway to the future of America. Soon, as trains overtook the movement of freight, New Haven went into decline.
New Haven’s storied past is well documented in biographies and books telling of the settlement and growth of the Firelands region. Our goal is to bring that incredible story to the world and share the life and times of its early settlers who braved a wild and difficult existence on the American frontier. Swamps, impassible forests, rattle snakes, disease and hostile Native Americans were just a few of the daily challenges for the brave men, women and children who dared venture west. We are their descendants.
The New Haven Ohio History League was established in the summer of 2019 for the purpose of collecting, preserving, interpreting and sharing the rich history of the Village of New Haven which is located in New Haven Township in southern Huron County Ohio. Why New Haven, you may ask? While today the Village is a small, close-knit, bedroom community, it was the very center of commercial activity in the decades following its establishment in the early years of the 19th century. As one of the first settlements in the newly created “Firelands” frontier, it’s location on the main road leading to the shipping ports of Lake Erie made it a thriving community of thousands catering to long wagon trains of grain and other goods streaming north through it’s main street. The Village had many mercantile establishments, a tannery, foundry, shoemakers, taverns and a whole host of economic activity catering to the flood of travelers and freight haulers. New Haven was the primary destination for goods and supplies for many miles around. Unfortunately, in the 1840’s, it’s citizens decided to not contribute funds to the construction of the new railroad and the Village was passed by. It had lost it’s gateway to the future of America. Soon, as trains overtook the movement of freight, New Haven went into decline.
New Haven’s storied past is well documented in biographies and books telling of the settlement and growth of the Firelands region. Our goal is to bring that incredible story to the world and share the life and times of its early settlers who braved a wild and difficult existence on the American frontier. Swamps, impassible forests, rattle snakes, disease and hostile Native Americans were just a few of the daily challenges for the brave men, women and children who dared venture west. We are their descendants.
