Wellington History -- The Spirit of Wellington -- Wellington, Ohio 44090

Wellington History

The Village of Wellington was settled in 1818, so our history is VERY long! It is impossible to include every detail of the history of Wellington, but we'll do our best to get the most important local events. Due to the wide scope that could be covered here, this page will always be under construction. If you have further information to add to this page, please use the Add Information Form.

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The Settlement of Wellington, Ohio

Wellington was first settled in March of 1818 by Ephraim Wilcox, Charles Sweet, William T. Welling, John Clifford, and Joseph Wilson. They came from Massachusetts and New York states. The township was officially organized in 1821. The name was to be selected using the traditional method of the time. There was a tree chopping contest and whoever cut down the most trees was the winner and won the right to name the settlement. Charles Sweet was the winner of the contest and named the township Charlemont. This name was unacceptable to many settlers and Charlemont was renamed Wellington. This name had a dual purpose: it allowed the honor of one of the original settlers and showed the people's admiration of the "Iron Duke," the Duke of Wellington.

The Village of Wellington was incorporated on August 6, 1855. The charter election was held December 3rd and resulted in the election of John Swift as the village's first mayor. The first regular election was held in April 1856 and Edward Tripp was elected mayor.

The Railroad Comes to Town

The Village of Wellington would not be what it is today if not for the efforts of Dr. D. Z. Johns. In 1845, the Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati Rail Road Company was looking for a route from Cleveland to Columbus. There were three possibilities. Wellington was the least likely to occur, but Dr. Johns organized meetings and encouraged donations of property to the railroad. He himself donated very valuable lands. He encouraged residents to acquire stock in the company and flooded company offices with suggestions. The location was secured, with the line running nearly through the center of town. After the railroad opened, the village prospered. On August 6, 1855, Wellington was officially recognized as a village and John M. Swift was elected the first mayor. In the census of 1860, the village is listed as having 1,029 residents and in the 1870 census there were 1,281.

It was the coming of the railroad that really allowed the village to grow. This gave farmers easy access to larger markets in the cities and allowed more settlers to come into the area. Wellington is a town that was built by our access to the railroads.

Business in Wellington

There were many businesses at the time of incorporation, but the best known was the E.S. Tripp Carriage Works. Tripp would go on to become one of the most famous makers of horse-drawn carriages in the country. Tripp went head-to-head with the Studebaker Company, makers of horse-drawn carriages, that had been formed in Ashland and later moved to South Bend, Indiana. Thanks to the rail access, Tripp's carriages were shipped across the country and even around the globe. It was at the Tripp Carriage Works that a young man named Archibald Willard found work. Willard was a painter, and it wasn't long before his intricate works appeared on the sides of Tripp Carriages. Later, Willard would sketch a scene depicting three musicians and a color sergeant. This sketch would later be painted and in 1876 would become the famous "Spirit of '76", the most famous patriotic painting in American history.

On June 24, 1864, The National Bank of Wellington was issued its charter. The bank was established with a capital stock worth $50,000.

Wellington, Ohio: Cheese Capital of the World

Wellington was the "Cheese Capital of the World" from around 1868 until about 1910. Since the dairy farms in the area were producing so much milk, something had to be done with it. During this time period, at least 40 cheese factories and dozens of cheese warehouses popped up in and around Wellington. In addition, side industries, such as cheese boxes, were created to support the massive cheese industry. Cheese and butter were shipped out of Wellington on the railroad and ended up across America and even in Europe.

In 1878 alone, 6,465,674 pounds of cheese were shipped out of Wellington along with 1,001,661 pounds of butter. In 1878 dollars, that would be no less than $800,000. One of the largest companies in this industry was Horr, Warner & Company. The president of that firm built a large home on South Main Street, where it still stands today.

Wellington Inventions

It is a little known fact that the railway mail catcher was invented in Wellington by L.F. Ward. He was contacted by the postal service about figuring out a way for trains to pick up and deliver mail without slowing down. He came up with the idea and built it. After finding that the device worked wonderfully, he patented the idea and it became extraordinarily popular throughout the country.

History of Wellington Schools

Gideon Adams built the first school building in Wellington in 1849. Miss Mary Ann Adams was the first instructor at the school. The present McCormick Middle School has had many additions, but the oldest section dates back to 1867 and cost $30,000 to build. The building had an addition to the front in 1917. An addition to the north side of the building was made in the 1930's and the south side addition was built in the early 1950's. The building currently contains grades 4 - 8. In 1963, Westwood Elementary School was built to help with the overpopulation at McCormick. In 1970, the present Wellington High School was built. However, due to budget issues, the new High School did not open for over a year, with the first students entering the building in August 1971.

Town Square

Wellington's first town hall was built in 1829 at a cost of $119.50. This two story building served a dual purpose by using the first floor for a school and the upper level for conducting village business. In 1846, this first hall was torn down and replaced with a larger building of the same basic design. The present Town Hall was built in 1885 at a cost of $40,000. The Town Hall features highly unusual architecture, in that it represents the Byzantine, Greek, Gothic, and Spanish building styles. An Opera House was built behind the Town Hall and stood for many years. At the time, it was the largest Opera House between Cleveland and Columbus. Today, the building is home for the mayor's office, clerk's office, council chambers, and Wellington Police Department.

Wellington Time
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Wednesday
January 7, 2009

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Wellington is home to the Lorain County Fair, one of Ohio's largest and oldest fairs

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