_ of the Ohio &

nf
eas
m
te
)
Qo

in 1896. While the cities continued to develop,
many of the smaller canal towns north and south
of Akron remained rural, retaining an

- appearance of times past.

As urban and industrial
growth continued, a new
mode of transportation
developed along the “route
to prosperity.” Streetcars
and inter-urban rail lines
provided transportation
within and between com-
} munities. Lines such as
the Northern Ohio Traction & Light Company
' offered commuters a route from city to city, and
the opportunity to leave urban life behind with
trips from Cleveland to destinations such as
_ Meyer's Lake Amusement Park in Canton.

The last step in the evolution of transportation
that is recorded in the Ohio & Erie

Canal Corridor came with
_ the invention of, and
growing reliance on, the
automobile, The impact
of the “horseless car-
riage’on corridor
communities was
second only to that

Erie Canal itself.

The
automobile
hastened the urbaniza- ~~
tion of the countryside, as

it became easier to live outside of the city, and led
to the development of a system of roads and high-
ways which continues to serve the corridor today.
‘The use of the automobile for recreation led to
development of a system of parkways, primarily
in Cuyahoga and Summit Couties, that are still

ANAL CORRIDO

significant recreational resources. Business
boomed as the auto industry concentrated its
manufacturing in the midwest. Within one
decade of locating in Canton in 1901, the
Timken Roller Bearing Axle Company became
the town’s leading industry. Akron became the
world leader in the production of tires. The steel
industries in Cleveland and Massillon expanded
to meet the demand for automobiles. Cleveland's
Standard Oil became an international supplier
of gasoline. Automobile manufacturing added
greatly to the region’s expanding industrial base,

2 population increase in corridor cities was
| dramatic, Between 1910 and 1920 the pop-
ulation of Canton increased over 73%,

Akron’s population increased three fold over the
same period. By 1930, with a population of
900,429, Cleveland was the sixth largest city in
America. A decline in the smokestack industries
of rubber, steel, coal and oil led to sluggish eco-
nomic growth by the 1970s. A shift to
a serviced-based economy
and light industry in the

tures, many awaiting
revitalization, chronicle this
significant part of the corri-

dor’s history.

The Ohio & Erie Canal Cor-
ridor is a “living landscape”
that has changed

oslo al

peren-bay
vie the ope:

ds

over 12,000
years of human
use and interac-
tion with the natural
environment. The evolution of transportation
that made the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor a
“route to prosperity” is a prominent part of the
region's cultural landscape. Prehistoric and his-
toric archeological sites; historic, architectural,
industrial, and engineering sites; and historic
structures remain as integral parts of the landscape.



rural landseape is now urbanized, yet this
does not mean that integrity is lacking; it was
the canal that initiated this urbanization. In
some places, industry has replaced farmland;
again, it was the canal that brought industry
to this area. Yet, in many places, the canal
remains are surrounded by the same land-
Scape that existed when construction of the
canal was completed. The canal had a tre-
mendous impact on this region, and virtually
all of the effects of the canal are still in exis-
tence today. The corridor represents a
“living” landscape of not only the physical
remains of the canal itself, but of the commu-
nities, industries, and interrelationships that
developed around the canal. There are numer-
ous canal related structures in their original
location which retain sufficient setting, design,
materials and workmanship to be listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.

Rochester Square in Navarre
provides a look back to the canal era.

Several of the historic districts and villages
such as Boston, Everett, Peninsula, Clinton,
Canal Fulton, Navarre, and Bolivar retain a
high degree of association with the canal, pro-
viding both setting and feeling of the past.
These remaining canal features, along with
many associated structures, provide a
historic sense or feeling of this important
period in history. The 87-mile Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor, currently under study,
retains a great deal of “integrity.”

Recreation Significance

The natural and cultural resources of the
study corridor provide 4 superlative opportu-
nity for recreation and public enjoyment

The corridor is an integral part of the Cleve.
land/Akron/Canton metropolitan area, the
nation’s twelfth largest, and is readily accessi-
ble to five million people who live within fifty
miles. The corridor provides opportunities for
better recreational connections between the
major population centers and existing recre-
ational facilities such as CVNRA. The
Cuyahoga River, a central feature of the
northern part of the corridor, is being cleaned
up and could be an important recreational
resource in the future.

Biking along the Ohio & Erie Canal
near Canal Fulton.

The recreational significance and potential of
the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor was
established by the NPS in the 1975 Suit-
ability/Feasibility Study, Proposed Ohio &
Erie Canal. One alternative identified in this
study suggested that the canal towpath be
utilized-as a trail along as much of the route
as possible. The study states,

“The trail would meander between a series of
restored sections of the canal, and through or
near old canal communities and numerous
areas identified in Ohio's Statewide Plan for
Outdoor Recreation 1971 - 1977 as having



NCVCI's and River's Bend Park Corporation's
management of the Columbus Road Park in
Cleveland, and the Cascade Locks Park Asso-
ciation’s lead role in the planning and
development of Cascade Locks Park in con-

junction with Metro Parks,

Serving Summit

County and the City of Akron. Nonprofit
organizations such as the Buckeye Trail
Association, North Country Trail

Association, the Ohio to Erie Trail Commit
tee, and OECCC are vital to the success of
trail and greenway activities throughout the
corridor and state. One long distance trail cur:
rently follows the route of the Ohio & Erie

A blue blaze marks the route of the
1200 - mile Buckeye Trail.

Canal Corridor and several others are pro-
posed. The 1200-mile Buckeye Trail,
developed and maintained by the Buckeye
Trail Association, crosses the state from Lake
Erie to the Ohio River. The Ohio to Erie Trail,
when completed, will be a multi-use trail

which connects the cities of Cleve!
‘incinnati. The Ohio

Columbus, Dayton; and ¢

nd, Akron,

& Erie Canal Corridor will be anchored to the
north by a proposed Lakefront Bikeway link-

ing the Edgew:
Cleveland Lai

r and Wildwood units of the
front State Park on Lake Eric.

The southern terminus of the Corridor con-
nects with the 3200-mile North Country
National Scenic Trail which, when completed,

will reach east to Lake Champlain, New York,

and west to Lake Sakake

wea, North Dakota:

CUYAHOGA
VALLEY
NATIONAL
RECHEATION
AREA 4

BARBERTON

v
NAVARREU

Public Parks & Trails

fal Recreational Facilitylies)

G® Bicycle Routes

ge=se Canocing

03233-20005
ON MICROFILM



(6) the potential for effective partnership
mechanisms is high;

(7) the proposal is consistent with andlor
complements continued economic
activity in the area; and

The former B.F.Goodrich factory is being
adaptively restored for commercial and
business opportunities

(8) the resources important to the
principal themes of the areas retain
their integrity.

The following is an analysis of the
resources of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor
to determine if they meet these criteria

The planning area represents, in physical
form, an important theme, or themes in
United States history. A section of the Ohio
& Erie Canal is ational Historical Land-
mark, which denotes its national significance.
The statement of significance in the land-
mark nomination identifies the Ohio & Erie
Canal as the “main-line” in a canal system
which linked Lake Erie to the Ohio River, gave
Ohio access to the East Coast and the Missis:
sippi River valley, and brought rapid growth
in population, industry, and commerce to east-
ern Ohio. The canal and the development it
stimulated are representative of the period in

Bolivar’s main street preserves many
buildings that date to the canal era

United States history when canals were
“essential to the Nation's growth”, The Ohio
canal system was “one of the largest and most
successful in the Nation.” This statement of
significance applies equally to segments of the
canal not included in the landmark. The 1975
NPS study states, “the Ohio & Erie Canal has
been judged to have national significance.”

In addition to being an outstanding example
of a. 19th century transportation system, the
study corridor provides an outstanding exam-
ple of the evolution of transportation systems
in America and the impact of those systems
on society, Many of the industries which devel-
oped in conjunction with the transportation
systems also achieved national prominence;
these include the B.F. Goodrich, Firestone,
and Goodyear rubber companies; Quaker
Oats; Sherwin-Williams paint; and Standard
Oil, As with the canal-related resources, many
of the resources relating to the evolution of
transportation and the industrial develop-
ment which paralleled it, are located outside
of CVNRA. Only through interpretation of
the villages and cities of the corridor can the
effects of the evolving transportation

system be illustrated

It reflects values such as traditions, cus-
toms, beliefs, and folk life in the physical
features of the landscape, Within the canal
corridor, there are a wide range of resources


OHIO-& ER

and use in the Ohio &
Erie Canal Corridor is
representative of the
greater Northeast Ohio
Region, varying from
heavy industry to forests
and including agricultural,
suburban, residential,
commercial, mining, and
public open space. The land is owned by indi-
viduals, institutions, corporations, and
governmental entities.

The Cleveland/Akron/Canton region is the
country’s 12th largest metropolitan area.
Beginning in the 1970s, the region began to
experience a significant decline in
manufacturing and industrial activity,
Loss of manufacturing and commercial jobs,
migration of work force from the cities to the
suburbs, and aging public infrastructure are
issues facing the corridor cities, Commercial
and residential growth is occurring in the
suburban belts. A regional approach to
economic development is underway, due to
competition with other major cities forjobs,
manufacturing, and tourism.
Organizations such a8 Northeast Ohio
Economic Development Council, Western
Reserve and Crossroads Resource,
Conservation and Development Areas, the
Greater Cleveland Growth Association,
Akron Regional Development Board, and
Cleveland Tomorrow understand the benefits
of regional cooperation and the role the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor plays in

_ uniting the region.

The northern corridor, as defined in the
North Cuyahoga Valley Corridor Plan, is
dominated by large scale industrial land use
along the river floodplain. Older urban and
ethnic neighborhoods are located on the rim
of the Valley; these communities traditionally
supplied the work force for the industries

- below. The light industrial and commercial
development of the Cuyahoga Valley adjacent
to CVNRA is fairly recent. Undeveloped land
consists of floodplain and steep, unstable
ravines. CVNRA isan “island of green”
between Cleveland and Akron. Forest, fields,
and wetlands within the park change
abruptly to concrete, strip malls and

E CANAL

ORR

industrial parks at the boundaries.

The 33,000-acre park along the Cuyahoga
River preserves open space, natural areas and
history, while providing recreational opportu-
nities to the region.

rom CVNRA south
through Akron and
Barberton, land use in
the corridor is mixed
urban, residential,
commercial and
industrial, The
polymer industry

= = which produces rubber
aplenty Baws materials is concentrated
in Akron. In'the mixed urban environment,
several units of Metro Parks, Serving
Summit County provide greenspace
along the Cuyahoga River. The low
density suburban and agricultural nature
of the corridor in southern Summit and
northern Stark Counties changes-to an urban
character near Massillon and
Canton, The urbanized area of Canton
supports approximately 67% of Stark
County's population,

he corridor, south of
Massillon through Stark

character. Agriculture
is the dominant land
use, interspersed with
small canal towns and villages which once
served as the ports for exporting produce and
raw materials. Agricultural use

includes row crops, cover crops, pastures

and orchards. The canal era cultural land-
scape is evident in Canal Fulton, Navarre,
Bolivar and the surrounding farms. Canal
Fulton and Navarre are preserving their her-
itage by restoring canal era buildings

and stretches of the canal towpath,

but encroaching suburban development

is threatening the integrity of the cultural
landscape. Effects of low density

suburban development are visible on

the once pastoral hillsides surrounding Canal
Fulton and Zoar.



THE OHIO & ERIE CANAL CORRIDOR

i

APPENDIX F - STUDY TEAM MEMBERS AND CONSULTANTS
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STUDY TEAM

Midwest Region, Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance, Ohio Field Office
OT

os Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area
John P. Debo, Jr., Superintendent
CYNRA Staff




the mule-drawn reproduction canal boat
Helena ITI provides the opportunity te
ence

peri
nal travel as it once was. The Massillon
1m exhibits an extensive collection of
Ohio artwork and objects depicting local
history. Spring Hill Historic Home interprets
rural life in the 1820s and the role of the
structure as a stop on the Underground
Railroad. Canton's Pro Football Hall of Fame,
the largest attraction for tc
of the region, interprets the birth and history
of professional football in America, The nearby
McKinley Museum
Industry houses the largest collection of
memorabilia of President William McKinley,
as well as industrial exhibits and an interac-
tive discovery world for children. Adjacent to
the museum is the McKinley Monument,

the tomb of William McKinley. The
Navarre/Bethlehem Township Historical
Society preserves and interprets the history of
Navarre through exhibits and publications in
the restored 1836 Mathews House

urists from outside

f History, Science and

Over the past three years, several area

newspapers have carried ¢

rticles about

the corridor concept, all casting a positive

t on the potential impact the Ohio &
Erie Canal Corridor could have on northeast
Ohio. Several “letters to the editor”
expressed support for the concept. As

de:
have enjoyed growth and success through
their association with the Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor. New organizations have

ribed above, existing local organizations

been formed to carry the Ohio & Erie Canal
Corridor idea forward at the local level

The Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor attracts
typically nonaligned groups. Historic
preservation interests work alongside natural

resource conservationists who work

hand-in-hand with economic development
interests and industry. Through
partnerships @ regional identity is being
forged around the Ohio & Erie Canal
Corridor concept

Taking a load of railroad ties from Jasper to Hebron. Captain Park Dalzell


:

: 4 ~:

Mangement

i Pr Alternatives
oa ements

op Me CE ete

pi
1 o>



7
Bee EOF H iO ee bars eA IN Ae EVO aR AAD OR

ALTERNATIVE #4 - FEDERAL
INITIATIVE THROUGH
DESIGNATION AS NATIONAL
HERITAGE CORRIDOR/HER-
ITAGE PARTNERSHIP

Federal legislation could designate the Ohio
& Erie Canal Corridor as a National
Heritage Corridor or a component of the
potential National Heritage Partnership sys-
tem. Enabling legislation would establish a
federal heritage commission, outlining com-
mission composition, staffing, powers,
authorities, and duties. Provisions defining
the role of the Department of the Interior and
other federal entities and authorizing appro-
priations to be matched by local funds would
be included.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Federal designation would result in national
recognition of the area’s importance, A
federal commission could focus regional
attention on resource protection. Under this
alternative there would be a forum where
federal, state, and local programs would be
coordinated to address air and water quality
and wildlife issues. Cultural resource
protection would benefit.as local
preservation efforts receive greater recogni-
tion and assistance from all levels of
government. Technical assistance would be
more readily available to landowners inter-

ested in managing resources on private lands.

The commission could become an information
clearinghouse, coordinating efforts that would
increase public awareness and stewardship of
local resources.

NPS could establish a project office for
commission staff at CVNRA, taking
advantage of the park's administrative

and technical support, The mix of federal,
state and local government, and private
sector representatives on the commission
would create a distinct partnership designed
to share the responsibility of protecting and
properly developing important resources.

Part of the commission's responsibility would
include recreation planning and regional

economic development. The commission
would create the forum for resource users,
landowners, industry and communities to
work together to identify, protect and appro-
priately develop corridor resources.

Federal commissions have proven effective
in protecting and managing complex
resources. By their very nature, they build
in broad geographic and interest group
representation. The existing NHC
Commissions have successfully evolved into
institutions that facilitate complex
planning projects.

A federal commission would require
expenditures at a time when most
government programs are experiencing
cuts, The complexity of the project

might require a large commission to

insure broad representation. Private and
industrial landowners are concerned that
national designation might result in greater
restriction on development and land use.

Federal costs associated with this

alternative include an estimated $50,000
annual cost to CVNRA similar to the
previous alternatives, as NPS staff would
participate as a project partner and a
technical assistance provider. Additional
federal costs are associated with the
establishment of a heritage corridor or

area commission. Earlier NHC models,

such as Blackstone and Delaware &

Lehigh, and the draft NHP legislation specify
that any federal contribution to the operation
of any commission cannot exceed fifty percent
of the annual operating costs of that commis-
sion. The existing NHCs received
appropriations to fund their commissions at
the following levels: I & M, $250,000/year for
ten years; Blackstone, $250,000/year for five
years changed to $350,000/year; Delaware &
Lehigh, $350,000/year for five years. Draft
NHP legislation suggests that federal appro-
priations be limited to not more than $350,000
annually for ten years with a provision for a
five-year extension. A provision in the pro-
posed legislation would authorize an
appropriation for $25,000,000 for the imple-
mentation of approved Heritage Area Plans
nationally.


-

begin construction of a bikeway along the
canal from Canal Park to Summit Lake.

Support is growing for the development of a
trail connection between Akron and Barberton
via the canal towpath. Barberton has recently
completed an inventory of its historic struc-
tures, leading toward restoration and
revitalization of the downtown area. The Vil-
lage of Clinton is developing plans for its
public lands along the Tuscarawas River and
the canal. Canal Fulton recently completed
phase one of a downtown revitalization plan
that refocuses attention on the Ohio & Erie
Canal. Massillon is developing a historic
preservation plan which recognizes the city’s
canal heritage as an important component.
Massillon has also begun a planning process
to develop its section of the 87-mile corridor
trail. The Village of Navarre and Bethlehem
‘Township has organized a coalition to develop
plans and implement a 13-mile segment of
that same trail. Bolivar has assisted the
corridor study team and OECCC by hosting
public meetings. The Zoar Community Associ-
ation, in partnership with the OHS at Zoar
Village State Memorial, works to preserve
the historic character of the village.

Business and Industry

Business interests support the Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor. American Steel & Wire
Corporation supports both NCVCI and
OECCC by carrying the corridor message to
corporate peers and providing access to its
facilities along the canal. Cleveland Tomorrow,
an organization of major Cleveland corpora-
tions, and the Greater Cleveland Growth
Association have fully endorsed the Ohio &
Erie Canal Corridor study. The management
of Akron's Canal Place is adaptively restoring
the former B. F. Goodrich property for com-
mercial and business space and has provided
support for corridor related special events.
The Cleveland Flats Entertainment District is
an excellent example of business, industry,
tourism and recreation interests working with
city government to provide residents with
more local amenities while attracting tourists
and new business. The Flats Oxbow Associa-
tion, a coalition of Cleveland's Cuyahoga River
Flats businesses, actively promotes the
corridor concept. Numerous small businesses

PTHE OHIO & ERIE CANAL CORRIDOR

maintain memberships in, and provide
assistance to, NCVCI and OECCC.

Tourism

The Convention and Visitors Bureau of
Greater Cleveland, the Akron/Summit
Convention and Visitors Bureau, the
Canton/Stark County Convention and
Visitors Bureau, and the Tuscarawas
Convention and Visitors Bureau all provide
a wealth of information about corridor
tourism resources and facilities. These four
organizations have begun working together
to develop strategies to package and promote
the corridor’s tourism resources, Ohio
Department of Development, Division

of Travel and Tourism administers statewide
tourism programs and has a lead role in
marketing corridor resources nationally

and internationally.

Private and
Nonprofit Organizations

The NCVCI has championed recognition of the
northern Cuyahoga Valley and remnants of
the Ohio & Erie Canal for oyer six years and
has played a prominent role in the completion
of the North Cuyahoga Valley Corridor Plan.
Foundation support has enabled the organiza-
tion to hire a full-time director to carry out
this mission, Examples of NCVCTI's projects
include work to adaptively restore the
remnants of the 1878 Superior Street Viaduct
4s an urban overlook that interprets the
history of Cleveland’s bridges and industry,
and efforts to preserve the Huelett Ore
Unloaders, an important part of the city’s
industrial heritage. The NCVCI continues to
educate people in Cuyahoga County about the
significant resources of the corridor. The
OECCC, organized in 1989, seeks to raise
awareness of the canal corridor concept in the
communities south of CVNRA. Working with
the NCVCI and the NPS, OECCC has success-
fully taken the corridor concept into every
corridor community and has been greeted with
widespread support. The OECCC continues

to build its diverse membership through a
newsletter, quarterly events calendar, and
special events. These organizations have
collected letters and resolutions of support


OH kO" SBR

estored and serves as the center piece of a
all community park.

* Much of the Ohio & Erie Canal between.
‘anal Fulton and Massillon is watered. The
path and the pastoral quality of adjacent
farmland, both of which retain considerable

a cultural and recreational resource.

* Massillon - Many downtown buildings
date from the mid-19th century, retaining the
city’s canal heritage.

* Navarre preserves a cross section of life

in a rural canal town. The J. D, Defines

Grocery Store, built in 1850 and listed on the
RHP, has been accurately restored,

' © Navarre - Eight miles of the Ohio & Erie
Canal from Navarre to Bolivar are well pre-
/served. This section includes the stone piers
‘of an aqueduct that carried the canal over the
| Tuscarawas River north of Bolivar.

Bolivar - East of town are the remains of
the Sandy & Beaver Canal, including abut-
ments of an aqueduct over the Tuscarawas
River. This 73-mile, east-west canal connected
the Ohio River at Beaver Pennsylvania to the
Ohio & Erie Canal.

* Much of the route of the Ohio & Erie
‘Canal is apparent from Bolivar through Zoar
to Zoarville. Along this 7-mile section of

grown towpath and canal are the remains
fof four lift locks, and a feeder system and lock.

* South of Zour is an 1829 canal inn.

Subthemes:

Early Turnpikes, Roads, and
averns East of the Mississippi;
Railroads; and Automobiles, Buses,
Wagons, and Highways.

* Cleveland Flats - the 1898 B&O
Railroad Terminal.

* Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation
Area - Twenty-six miles of the Cuyahoga
Valley Line Railroad (c.1880) is on the NRHP,
depicting another chapter in the evolving

_ transportation story.

CORRIDOR

E -CANA |

$y

Cultural pai
A Restored Lock is ZA
Z\ Visible Lock Remnant “’""*” *
We Aqueduct
——— Watered Canal
= << = Unwatered Remnant Ay es
eeccccee Canal Route (No Visible Remnant) 22s Bee
ft a)
’
7
033- 20002 77

ON MICROFILM



THE OHIO & ERIE CANAL

recreation potential or significant features wor-
thy of protection and preservation. The Ohio &
Erie Canal has high recreation potential and
great significance worthy of protection and
preservation and a trail in this part of the
state would be easily accessible to over five mil-
lion Ohio residents. This trail would serve

the largest concentration of urban residents in
the state, the Cleveland, Akron, Canton region.”

The Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor provides
many of the opportunities and goals identified
by the 1987 President’s Commission on Ameri-
cans Outdoors, The report recognized that by
the year 2000, 80% of all Americans will live
in metropolitan areas and want frequent
recreation opportunities close to home. The
report spoke of communities creating a net-
work of greenways across the U.S.A.,
“threads of green that everywhere grant
us access to the natural world...the entire
network winding through both rural and
urban populations.”

Proximity to a number of colleges and univer-
sities in northeast Ohio makes the corridor
an outdoor laboratory for study by scientists,
students, and residents.

Special Directive 92-11, on the topic of special
resource studies, suggests that initiatives be
taken into account when evaluating signifi-
cance. Appendix C lists initiatives that could
be addressed within the corridor.

The Ohio & Erie Canal, as a contemporary
greenway, urban recreation corridor, and out-
door classroom, is as important to the region
today, as it was in the past. The Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor weaves a rich tapestry of
resources and heritage through major metro-
politan centers, industrial areas,
neighborhoods, a National Recreation Area,
rural communities, natural areas, parks,
archeological and historic sites and districts.

Evaluation Of Suitability

& Feasibility Using Criteria
For Affiliated Areas Of The
National Park Service

The Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor has been
studied previously, but the dispersed nature of

CORRIDOR

the resources made the evaluation process dif-
ficult, Due to this dispersion, the size and
configuration of the corridor, its diverse land
ownership patterns, and a multitude of
jurisdictions, designation of the corridor as a
“traditional” unit of the NPS is still not
considered feasible.

In 1990, the NPS released evaluation criteria
for affiliated areas in a Report on Criteria for
Affiliated Areas which states,

“Areas would be defined as being affiliated
with the National Park System if Congress or
the Secretary has determined that they meet
criteria for national significance, the resources
can be most efficiently and effectively managed
by a cooperative arrangement with NPS
instead of direct operation as a unit of the
National Park System, and NPS has some con-
tinuing responsibility for technical or financial
assistance and oversight of the

area's management.”

To be suitable and feasible as an affiliated
unit, an area must:

1. need some special recognition or tech-
nical assistance beyond what is available

through existing NPS programs, and

2. document that a cooperative arrange-

ment with the National Park Service and
contributions from other sources will be
adequate to assure long term protection

of the resource, and

3. be able to establish and continue a
standard of maintenance, operations,
public service and financial accountabili-
ty consistent with requirements
applicable to National Park System units,

An area must need some special recogni-
tion or technical assistance beyond what
is available through existing programs,
Three National Heritage Corridors have
already been recognized as affiliated areas.
The Illinois & Michigan Canal NHC (1&M), in
Illinois, was designated in 1984 to protect and
interpret a historic route of travel between the
east coast and mid-America. The Blackstone
River Valley NHC (Blackstone), in Massachu-
setts and Rhode Island, designated in 1986,


GORRIDOR

PisE-O=H lO. 7S E Ralees G Aa AL



et Hr -O-H | GO &-ELR

to study the Ohio &
Erie Canal Corridor,
2 an area which includes
canal lands in Cuya-

- hoga, Summit, and
Stark Counties, and a portion of Tuscarawas
County; associated landscapes; communities;
and related resources. The study's purpose is
to provide information to Congress to guide
decisions concerning the future of the corridor.

exemplary
Canal, the nation’s first inland ree '
between the Great and the Gulf,

ico. The corridor p1

itself, but chronicles the evolution private?
portation systems in America, Many of the
industries which developed in conjunction with
these systems achieved national prominence.

The Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor lies on a

boundary between several natural regions. As

a result, it represents a biological crossroads

with natural systems of forests, bogs, marsh-

es, meadows, streams and lakes that are

' interspersed with cities, villages, orchards,
and croplands.

The Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor also
provides many recreational opportunities to
the five million people living within a fifty-
mile radius. There is strong potential for
linking and expanding existing recreational
facilities and opportunities in the corridor.

Baie".

The corridor is rich in interpretive and
educational resources and constitutes an
outdoor classroom within easy reach of
millions. Previous studies of the Ohio & Erie
Canal have established the significance of
this resource. In 1966, a four-mile watered
section of the canal received National
Historic Landmark designation, The
nomination form states that the Ohio & Erie
Canal was part of “one of the most extensive
and successful antebellum system|{s] in the
Nation...” and that it was part of “the State's
peimsty 2 means of commercial transportation

f ion of a network of rail-

of the canal corridor

“As a historic entity, the Ohio
al has been judged to have

» nthe 1975 study,
the 308 miles of canal
from Cleveland to
Portsmouth were said

on an 87-mile segment of the canal corridor.
Using a more fully developed definition of
integrity, i.e., “the composite effect of seven
qualities: location, design, setting, materials,
workmanship, feeling, and association,” and
evaluating the entire corridor, not just the
canal itself, the study has concluded that
integrity is not lacking in the study area.

Congressional ition of three National
Heritage Corridors (NHCs) has established a
new framework in which to study diverse
resources such as those of the Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor and may provide an ~
alternative for management of these
resources. The Corridor exhibits many of the
same characteristics as the three existing
NHCs. Like the existing NHCs, the Ohio &

ORR 1D OR


BPHE OHO & ERPME CANAL CORRELD OR

APPENDIX G - BIBLIOGRAPHY

Akron peers of Planning & Urban Bescon
1 Akron Historic Landmark Survey, Department of Planning & Urban
Development, City of Akron; Akron, Ohio.

Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study
1991 : Akron Metropolitan Area
Transportation Study; Akron, Ohio.

Summit and Cuyahoga Counties, Ohio, Poses cnrcbcente te
Midwest Archeological Center, National Park Service, Lincoln, Nebraska.

City of Akron and Akron Metropolitan Park District
1979. Akron, Ohio.

Cook, CERES einen aie :

992 A

National Recreation Arta, Ohio. Midwest eT Office; Omaha, Nebraska.

Coystogs Comm Planning Commission
i662 North Cuyahoga Valley Corridor. Cuyahoga County Planning
Commission; Cleveland, Ohio.

Gieck, Jack
1988. ¥ - Kent State
University Press, Kent, Ohio

Kent, Robert B

1992 R

Poot roam egy Sear BT >

Lafferty, Michael B.
1979 Ohio's Natural Heritage, The Ohio Academy of Science and Ohio
Department of Natural Resources; Columbus Ohio.

Mendinghall, Joseph S.
1975 National Regist: Plas r
the Ohio & Erie Canal. Historie Se Sater weakingsnc! D.C.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources
1975 Cuyahoga Valley. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources;

Columbus, Ohio,

Ohio veers of Natural 5 aneariny Office of ener nso Services;
Columbus, Ohio.



Mult ee =O" Fe Os £

CONSULTING AGENCIES AND
ORGANIZATIONS:

Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor Coalition
North Cuyahoga Valley Corridor, Inc.
Sovshogs Valley National Recreation
Ohio Department of Natural
Resources

Ohio Historical Society

Ohio Historic Preservation Office
Cuyahoga County Commissioners

Summit County Executive
andCouncil =

Stark County Commissioners
Tuscarawas County Commissioners
City of Cleveland
City of ioe neers
‘ City of Akron
City o of ‘Barberton
Village ofClinton. ms)
Village of Canal Fulton
City of Canton
City of Massillon
Village of Navarre
Village of Bolivar
Village of Zoar

Cuyahoga County
Planning Commission

Summit County Planning

E CANAL COR

Stark County Regional
Planning Commission

Tuscarawas County Engineer

Northeast Ohio Areawide
Coordinating Agency

Greater Cleveland
Growth Association

Cleveland Tomorrow
American Stee! & Wire

Northeast Ohio Four County
Regional Planning & Development
Organization

Cuyahoga Valley Association
Summit County Historical Society
Cascadé Locks Park Association

Canal Fulton Heritage Society

Stark Preservation Alliance

‘Navarre-Bethlehem Township
‘Historical Society

Canal Society of Ohio

Industrial AV Marketing

Cinemark Productions

Urban Design Center, Northeast Ohio

Tom Yurcik
Rick Sicha
NAVBETH Corridor Development Corp.

BAR



Pe Es O.H-CO vee ER EA CHAUIN Art (GOR RD -OeR

‘eed

1988 Management Policies. Office of Policy; Washington D. C,

Area Obie aaaiek Valley National Gecceatign kena: Brecksville, Ohio
and Harpers Ferry Center, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

1990 Criteria for Parklands. Washington, D, C.

1990 i
Registry of Natural Landmarks. Washington, D. C.

1990 The Salem Project. Denver Service Center; Denver, Colorado.

i The Delaware and Lehigh
National Heritage Corridor Commission, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Washington, D.C.
United States Department of the Interior, U. 8. Fish and Wildlife Service

United States Government, President's Commission on Americans Outdoors
1987 Americans and the Outdoors. President's Commission on Americans
Outdoors; Washington D, C.



he recreational potential
of the corridor has been
recognized since the turn
of the century, when the
Cleveland and Akron
Metropolitan Park Dis-
tricts were established.
The Cuyahoga Valley's
recreational assets were recognized 4s nation-
ally significant with the eatablishmetit ofy
CVNRA in 1974. Earlier versions of CVNRA®”
authorizing legislation intluded ‘designation
of a “recreation corridor following the canal —

south of Akron through ey
Puncares counties.

County ‘nad ae pak tevide numers“
ous facilities'within CVNRA boundaries. These

include: ee oes, dreas and water
area bo fields
ar a

areas; ridi
skating, an ade

nature centers. Recreational opportunities are.
also provided by the private sector such as ;
Blossom Music Center, the Western Reserve
Historical Society, and the Cuyahoga Valley
Line Railroad. Facilities include ski areas,

golf courses, a water park and campground,
scout camps, and an inner-city youth camp.

Approximately 7 million
people annually visit the
facilities and activities
within CVNRA, including
those owned and operat-
ed by public, quasi-public,
and commercial manage-
ment partners. Visitation
to the park is expected to dramatically
increase with the completion of the 19.4-mile
Towpath Trail along the Ohio & Erie Canal.
The ODNR is the state's largest provider of

E CAN ORR

outdoor recreation open space. Parks, forests,
wildlife areas, nature preserves, scenic rivers,
and canal lands provide a variety of facilities
and programs. The 1993 Statewide Compre-
hensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP)
highlights Ohio's recreational priorities; many
relate to key aspects of the Ohio & Erie Canal
Corridor, The state's priority for trail related
recreation follows thé national trend for

*~ “gequiring and developimga network of green-

Ways, trails, corridors, and linear recreation

State managed areas'within or
ent to ii Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor

Within or adjacent to the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corri-
dor study area are the
recreational and natural
resources of the Cleveland
Metroparks; Metro Parks,
Serving Summit County
and Stark County Parks.
The 19,000-acre Cleveland Metroparks,
known as the “Emerald Necklace”, encircles
Cleveland with 12 reservations, 100 miles of
connecting parkways, and the Metroparks Zoo,
Metro Parks, Serving Summit County man-
ages a 6,600-acre system of 11 parks, a 23
mile Bike and Hike Trail, an arboretum, and
several large conservation areas. Stark
County Park District owns and operates six
county parks totaling 347 acres,

D‘O

7





the agricultural land for which the canal
provided market access, Burfield Farms
north of Bolivar, is a notable example with its

stone farmhouse.

THEM:

Vi. ARCHITECTURE

* Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation
Area - A variety of historic structures repre
sent various architectural styles and periods
such as Federal, Greek Revival, and Victorian
the early 20th Century company town of Jaite:
and numerous Rustic structures built by the
Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s

* Akron - The 1837 Greek Revival mansion
built by Akron’s founding father Simon
Perkins; the John Brown House, 1840 home of
the famed abolitionist; canal engineer Richard
Howe's 1829 Federal style home; the residence
of Dr, Robert H. Smith, co-founder of Alco.
holics Anonymous; the 1906 statue of an

route between the
ga and Tuscarawas Rivers; and the 16.
story 1931 Art Deco YMCA building are
examples of the range of «

Indian marking the portage

ynificant structures

that represent Akron’s past

¢ Barberton - A Certified Local Govern-
ment project identified 90 structures in
3arberton’s historic downtown core for inclu
sion on the OHI. Most of these structures were
constructed between 1891 and 1930 in a vari

ety of architectural styles which include

elements ranging from “19th century Ital
ianate elements to simple early 20th century

commercial designs to examples of Art Deco

and Art Moderne from the 1930's.” A possible
expansion of the Tuscarawas /
Alexander Square National Historic District
would include many of these structures.

venue

* Massillon - The Fourth Street Historic
District, containing a variety of 19th and early
20th century architecture, h:
be

s traditionally

n home to Massillon’s most prominent citi
zens. The 1835 Greek Revival Wellman House
and the 1894 Richardsonian Romanesque

mansion known as Five Oaks are examples

* Centon - Significant downtown struc-
tures include th

tark County Courthouse
(¢. 1868) and the recently restored Spanish
Revival Palace Theater (c. 1926). The

Ridgewood Historic District is a residential
neighborhood that retains its 1920's appea

ance, due to the preserved building s
historic streetscapes. The 1818 Landmark
Tavern is on the NRHP.

and

* Bolivar - Architectural vestiges of the
canal era include warehouses along Main
Street and residential structures adjacent to
an overgrown but visible section of the canal
The 1857 Greek Revival Lebold House is on
the NRHP. Late 19th century Italianate Victo-
rian commercial and residential structures in

the center of the village reflect the influence of
railroads on Bolivar’s growth

¢ Navarre - Twenty-seven of the 58 struc-
tures on the OHI were constructed between
1830 and 1860, Examples include the restored
Greek Revival Rochester house (c. 1838) and
the 1836 Mathews |



* Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation
Area - Of the 19-miles of the Ohio & Erie
Canal within CVNRA, six miles are still
watered; three of these are designated an
NHL. Canal remnants include 16 locks, of
which one has been restored; the Tinkers
Creek Aqueduct; the Pinery Feeder and Dam,
which still feeds water into the canal; and
various spillways, weirs and other structures.

* Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation
Area - Canal related structures include the
restored House at Lock 38 (0.1827/c.1853),
Wilson's Grist Mill (¢.1853), and the 1826
Frazee House. The villages of Boston.
Everett and Peninsula retain much of their
canal-town character.

¢ Akron - Located in the center of down-
town Akron are the remnants of 12 of 18 locks
of the Ohio & Erie Canal known as the Cas-
cade Locks. This one-mile section of the canal
was an engineering innovation that took the
Ohio & Erie Canal out of the Cuyahoga Valley
to the top of the continental divide. The OHI
lists 376 structures in Akron, of which 33 are
currently on the NRHP.

* Akron - The remains of Locks 18 through
10, the mill race, and canal related structures
such as the Mustill Store and Lock House
were recently listed on the NRHP as a
Historic District

¢ Akron - Restored Lock 2 now serves as a
city park. Nearby are remnants of the Penn-
sylvania & Ohio Canal, which once linked the
Ohio & Erie Canal to Pittsburgh and the cross
state Pennsylvania Main Line Canal

* Summit Lake, south of downtown Akron,
is one of a string of natural lakes known as
the Portage Lakes that served as the main
water source for the northern section of the
Ohio & Erie Canal. These lakes, now a state
park, still provide water to the canal north
through Akron and south for two miles
between Akron and Barberton. Young's
Tavern, originally built to serve canal trav
ellers, continues to overlook the canal.

* Barberton - The watered section of the
canal ends in north Barberton, but remnants
of the Wolf Creek Aqueduct and traces of
the canal and towpath are still evident

* Clinton - Little has changed in the village
of Clinton since its mid-19th century growth
along the Ohio & Erie Canal. Many historic
structures, primarily residential, remain from
the ¢ Remnants of the upper and
lower Clinton Locks and a guard lock are
visible north of the village.

nal &

¢ Three miles of canal between Clinton
and Canal Fulton are still watered and the
towpath is easily traversed, retaining its
past character.

* Canal Fulton - The emergence of Canal
Fulton as a canal port for agricultural pro.
duce, 1840 - 1880, is represented by numerous
wood-framed vernacular structures.

* Canal Fulton is the home of the reproduc-
tion canal boats, St. Helena I and Helena III

* Lock 4, south of Canal Fulton, has been


Community parks and recreation departments
provide additional recreational opportunities
in the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor study area
Facilities and programs afford c
recreation. The Barberton Parks and
Recreation Commission is but one example.

»-to-home

offering an extensive year round rec
program in 13 city parks
community special évents

ation

nd a variety of

The private sector makes significant
contributions to recreation in the Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor, operating recreation facilities,
teaching recreation skills, providing conces
sion services on public land, and supplying
recreation equipment. Two groups are defined

in the private sector: commercial enterprises
and private nonprofit organizations.

The number of pleasure boats that make

use of Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River
places Cuyahoga County in the top five

in the nation for the number of registered
pleasure boats

Commercial enterprises provide many special-
ized recreational facilities and services such

a

campgrounds, downhill ski areas, marinas,
canoe liveries, bike shops, horseback riding,
and golf courses. The restaurants, entertain-
ment facilit: and marinas in the Cleveland
Flats, which support the pleasure boating
activities on the Cuyahoga River and Lake
Erie, are examples. The Ohio & Erie

Canal Corridor hosts a variety of spectator
sports and events. Professional sports include
baseball, football, basketball, soccer, and
hockey, Canton is home to the Professional
Footbal! Hall of Fame and annual Hall of
Fame game and induction ceremonies, and the
Amateur Sports Hall of Fame. Akron hosts the
All-American Soap Box Derby, World Series of
Golf, and is home to the Professional Bowlers
Association. Cleveland’s National Airshow, the
nation’s longest running, and the Cleveland
Grand Prix are two additional events that
attract national attention. Private nonprofit
organizations, such as the North Cuyahoga

A hiking trail along the Cascade Locks is
the result of a partnership between the
Cascade Locks Park Association, City of
Akron and Metro Parks.

Valley Corridor, Inc. (NCVCI), Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor Coalition (OECCC), Cuyahoga
Valley Association, Cascade Locks Park Asso
ciation, Nav/Beth Corridor Development
ration, Friends of the Crooked River,

‘awas Bio-regional Council, and the
Trust for Public Lands play major roles in the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor. These groups pro-

vide advocacy, public information and
education, financial and technical support,
and land preservation and management
Specific examples include the operation of a
§-mile scenic excursion railroad through
CVNRA by the Cuyahoga Valley Line,



bay Oa rite “Ek

hen the first European-
American explorers
entered the river valleys of
the Cuyahoga and Tus-
carawas, they found a
transportation corridor
rich in resources, and one
that had been used for
thousands of years by
historic and prehistoric Native American
cultures. They found a “route to prosperity”

The accessible natural resources of these
ee and their vane had been

VV

Lakes for furs, they set up Secapicary posts
along this route to trade with the Indians who
traveled and settled these river valleys.

is transportation route played a crucial

role in early rivalries, a8 the French, English,

Indians, and, later, Americans competed
for control of the “Northwest”. The expeditions
of Major Robert Rogers, in 1760, and Col. Henry
Bouquet, in 1764, followed the “Great Trail” to
the Tuscarawas River and the capital of the
Delaware and Tuscarawas Indians near present
Cuyahoga War Trails provided a major north-
south route through the Cuyahoga and
Tuscarawas river valleys used by all of these
conflicting forces. Realizing the importance of
this transportation corridor, American forces
built Fort Laurens, Ohio's only Revolutionary
War fort, near Bolivar. The Treaty of Greenville
(1795) designated the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas
Rivers as the western boundary between Indian
and U. §, territory.

ECANAL CORR

ecognizing the value of this transporta-
tion route, America’s founders took an
arly interest in the Cuyahoga and Tus-
carawas rivers. Sensing the importance of
linking the new United States to the “western
country”, George Washington wrote, in 1784:

“It has always been my opinion that the
shortest, easiest, and least expensive
communication with the invaluable back
country would be to let the courses and
distances be taken to the mouth of the
Maslin and up that river (Musk-

Erie Canal became the nation's first inland
waterway connecting the Great Lakes at Lake
Erie with the Gulf of Mexico, via the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers. The Ohio & Erie Canal was
the first, and would become the most prosper-
ous, of a statewide canal system that became
one of the nation’s most extensive and successful.

The economic impact of
the Ohio & Erie Canal
was immediate. The
young State of Ohio
quickly moved from near
bankruptcy to economic
prosperity. Ohio became
the third most prosper-
ous state in the Union in just twenty years.
Property values in the northern six canal
counties increased 360% between 1832 and
1840. Cleveland became the major lake port,
handling the greatest tonnage of the Great
Lakes grain trade through 1853. In 1851

DOR



'
:*

a4

eH E! OCHO dee Rit CHAs NCA Le © OLReR

1993 Ohio Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan
Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Real Estate and
Land Management; Columbus, Ohio.

1990 Rare Native Ohio Plants: 1990-91. Ohio Department of Natural
Resources, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves; Columbus, Ohio

Ohio Historic Preservation Office
1991 Computer Listing of Historic Properties in Cuvahoga, Summit, Stark,
and Tuscarawas Counties, Ohio Historic Preservation Office; Columbus,
Ohio.

Tiacarawad Countian: ‘Ohio Historic Pemaretice Office:
Columbus, Ohio.

Stark County Regional Planning Commission

1962 Stark County Ohio Park Land Resources, A Planning Dimension,
Stark County Regional Planning Commiasion; Stark County, Ohio.

1964-65 General Development Plan, Stark County, Ohio - 1965. Stark
County Regional Planning Commission; Stark County, Ohio,

1986 An Inventory of Historic Sites and Structures, Stark County Regional
Planning Commission; Stark County, Ohio.

1990 a jo. Stark County Regional
Planning Commission; Stark County, Ohio.

Timelines, Inc.
1989 Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Interpretive Plan.
Prepared under contract for the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage

Corridor Commission; Uxbridge, Massachusetts.

Tuscarawas County Regional Planning Commission
1978 Tuscarawas County Land Use Plan Update. Tuscarawas County

Planning Commission; New Philadelphia, Ohio.

United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service
1975 Proposed Ohio & Erie Canal, Suitability/Feasibility Study. Denver
Service Center; Denver, Colorado.

1981 Illinois and Michigan Canal Corridor, A Concept Plan. Ann Arbor
Office, National Park Service; Ann Arbor, Michigan.

1982 Planning Process Guidelines, NPS-2. Washington, D, C.

1985 i
Qhio, Denver Service Center; Denver, Colorado,

Aching teers Washington, D. C.

DOR



pe
3

i

resource conservation might not be realized
and the collective potential of all of the
communities would not be realized. The loss
of these cultural, recreational, and natural
resources could result in a decline in a com-
munity’s quality of life, which may threaten
the economic vitality of both the community
and region. If no action is taken, the corridor
could be fragmented. The No Action alterna-
tive provides no additional mechanism for
resource recognition and protection.

No additional federal expenditures would be
required with the No Action alternative,

ALTERNATIVE #2 -
REGIONAL INITIATIVE

This alternative would rely on communities
getting together to establish a regional frame-
work to plan and implement the corridor
vision. Resource protection and management
would occur through local action. A regional
authority would be responsible for coordina-
tion of planning and provide the vehicle for a
unified marketing effort.

Advantages and Disadvantages

This alternative minimizes state or federal
influence while creating a regional identity
that could formalize the relationship between
communities working for a common cause.
Existing regional organizations could assume
this role with minor modifications. A regional
coordinating body could prepare multi-juris-
dictional funding requests, or assist groups
with limited staff or expertise to prepare
better funding requests, thereby

improving chances for additional state

and federal funding.

The four counties have not worked well
together as a region in the past. The major
urban counties have traditionally viewed each
other as competitors for economic develop-
ment and state funds. Dynamic local politics
could undermine the stability of a regional
authority, causing it to dissolve at any time.

The lack of state or federal designation would
most likely lessen both the marketability of

feet OHO. & ERLESC AINA |. CORRIDOR

the corridor in a national and international
marketplace and the ability to leverage dollars.

A regionally organized initiative does not
necessarily increase the capability to address
natural resource issues that extend beyond
local government jurisdictions. Water quality
is an example of an issue which a voluntary
regional organization would have difficulty
addressing. A regional coordinating body
could improve the consistency of natural
resource planning and protection throughout
the participating jurisdictions. However,
current natural resource planning is limited,
especially multi-jurisdictional planning.

Several corridor communities have

local preservation ordinances. Faced with
growing development pressure, many
local preservation initiatives lack the
capability to adequately protect important
historical structures, archeological sites,
and cultural landscapes,

While able to encourage regional planning and
action, local initiatives may not be able to
sustain corridor communities as they make
the transition from competitors to partners,
Strong support of business and industry,
although critical to each alternative, is most
important for the success of a local initiative.

A local initiative would be minimally effective
in recognizing and protecting natural, recre-
ational, and cultural resources and facilitating
intergovernmental coordination. While this
alternative would improve coordination of
resource management over the No Action
alternative, it requires voluntary participation
and could easily be rendered ineffectual by
unwilling individual units of government.

Federal expense associated with this
alternative would involve the costs of
CVNRA‘s participation with a regional
authority. Participation would involve staff
time associated with providing guidance

and technical assistance relating to planning,
resource management, and interpretation,

at an estimated cost of $50,000 annually.
This money would come from the

park's operating budget.


Introduction

A heritage corridor is,

"a coherent and identifiable
region comprising a
composite of outstanding
natural, cultural, sce
aesthetic, and recreational
resources whose integrity
make it worthy of

national recognition.

Tt is the interplay ata ~
regional level between these
resources and the local
community(ies) - on a social,
economic, political, and
even spiritual level..."

A working definition developed
by the National Park Service

A typical scene on the

canal near



—-*
ef
ais
m
Fy
x

4 The 130-mile Tuscarawas River flows

= south from Akron, through the LAKE ERIE

(corridor, and joins the §= , CLEVELAND 4
| Walhonding River to form s

: the Muskingum River. The

Tuscarawas River flows through

» rolling farmland and lowlands

: ” bordered by steep hills. The river's

scenic, recreational, and historic
values have been identified by the
Nationwide Rivers Inventory as
outstandingly remarkable.

2

© abe Brandywine Palle

;

be Siren Continental Drainage Divide

BARBERTON oe
’ is Rooes «0%?
Tostag, © RO

* Portage Seis State Park
NI and Nimisila Reservoir
@ vont
ao tune
- 2 CLINTON Wh Karlo Pen Mate Nature Preserve
| Wetlands within the corridor are some cana ®, Wo deel fieg sdk Hateen
' of the most important resources in the FULTON *
corridor supporting diverse populations "ae *
of plants and animals,
MASSILLON
h A Cs
Considering that Ohio has lost 90% - a

. of its original wetlands, the wetlands
+ and floodplains associated with
these rivers are valuable natural
resources. Wetlands provide

UNGLACIATED
PLATEAU

de Stuskingum Watershed Conservancy District

flood protection, purify water, s m oteretied Com

and maintain and recharge 0

groundwater resources Natural Features, ’ Sandy Cemek
d Areas, & Physiographic b iE tn ame
Regions

BS 7 Natural Features, Areas and Preserves -.
*

0033-20004 Zr.
: ON MICROFILM



i,
ie

hs
i
"

Beis EO. Ha O.:8cE R-bE

Planners with RTCA would continue to work
in corridor communities to further develop
and implement strategies to protect and inter-

pret natural, cultural, and recreation

resources within the corridor, develop linkages
statewide, and identify funding sources.

‘The three existing NHCs have hired NPS
personnel to serve as executive director inter-
pretive specialist, and in other capacities for
their heritage corridor commissions.

The Blackstone in Massachusetts and Rhode

’ Island has NPS interpreters to provide inter-

pretation and visitor services along the
Blackstone River Valley. At Lowell National-
Historic Park in Massachusetts NPS works
with the Lowell Historic Preservation
Commission and the Lowell Heritage State
Park providing technical assistance in historic
‘preservation, maintenance and operations of
visitor facilities and services, and development
of five interpretive sites.

Other Federal Agencies: The US. Army Corp
of Engineers administers programs that deal
with navigable waterways and flood control
and consider affects upon recreation and
water quality. The US. Fish & Wildlife Service
provides technical assistance and funding
associated with the management of fish and
wildlife populations and habitats, Other agen-
cies with roles are, Coastal Zone Management

" Program, Environmental Protection Agency,

Federal Highway Administration, and Soil
Conservation Service.

State Agencies -
Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Potential Involvement; ODNR can play a piv-

otal role in the implementation of the Ohio &
Erie Canal Corridor concept. As the state's
recreation and natural resource management

~ agency, ODNR can assist communities by pro-

viding technical assistance and targeting state
administered funding programs such as the
Land and Water Conservation Fund and
Symms National Recreation Trails Act for

___ corridor projects. The corridor proposal

addresses most of the priorities identified in
the 1986 and 1993 SCORP. ODNR could play
a lead role in acquiring, developing, and man-
aging the segment of the corridor recreation
trail in Tuscarawas County until a county

CANAL

park organization is established. ODNR could
develop linkages to existing state parks,
wildlife areas, and natural areas as part of
the corridor network and pursue land
acquisition opportunities to expand this net-
work and existing parks. ODNR could expand
interpretive services and facilities on state
administered sites and take a lead role in
doing the same in corridor communities.
Along the J&M the Illinois Department-of
Conservation has restored and is managing
the I & M Canal as a linear park with a
recreation trail, interpretive programs,

and natural area protection. The Illinois
Departments of Commerce & Community
Affairs, Transportation, Historical Society,
and Archeological Survey are playing roles

in implementing the I&M plan. Pennsylvania
has created a State Heritage Park
Interagency Task Force including representa-
tives from state departments of Community
Affairs, Commerce/Economic Development,
Environmental Resources, Historic Museum
Commission, Heritage Affairs Commission,
and Counsel on the Arts, This task force
relies on a partnership between local, state,
and federal agencies to highlight the

state's cultural, historie¢, and

recreation resources.

OHS and Ohio State

Historic Preservation Office

Potential Involvement: OHS could expand
programs at their existing sites through

the interpretation of the full story of a

“route to prosperity”, the Ohio & Erie

Canal Corridor. OHS could acquire and
develop additional sites in other corridor
communities, further expanding their pres-
ence. In partnership with ODOT, ODNR,

and state and local tourism organizations,
OHS could develop and manage a “gateway”
visitor center on the southern end of the
corridor off I-77 in the Bolivar/Zoar area.
Both OHS and SHPO could provide expanded
technical assistance to organizations

and communities interested in

developing local interpretive programs

and more actively promote the Certified
Local Government and National Register

of Historic Places programs. OHS and SHPO
could more actively promote preservation and
facilitate the funding process for communities.

CORRIDOR

/|



four county agencies working together with
business, special interests and communities
could take the lead in the development of con
sistent signs and other appropriate means

to promote these resources. Development of
faciliti
visitors centers, restaurants, canoe liveries,
bicycle shops, and lodging is the task of both
the public and private sector. A corridor wide
strategy, initiated by a partnership of the four
county agencies, is needed to support tourism
development that is sensitive to residents and
protects and enhances the values of the Ohio
& Erie Canal Corridor.

munity along the I&M has experi

enced positive econc

such as rest areas, information and

Each ¢

ic growth associated

with increased tourism. Expanded recreation
opportunities have attracted private invest

d jobs. At

5 been

ment x ing
ATHP a technical advis

established to examine ways to coordinate pro-

siness a

y group

ject related marketin,;

ill identify
region's

nine-county ion, This
the role tourism shoulc
overall economy and how economic develop
ment and historic preservation can both be

achieved

Private Nonprofit Organizations

Potential Involvement: These groups should
continue to advocate recognition and appropri
cvcl

ate development of corridor resources

out a

and OECCC must expand the networks they
developed that link different special interests
to this common cause. As a corridor manage-
ment structure evolves, these networks will
be essential in bringing together the partners.
Nonprofit organizations are in 4 position to

assist their political leaders by demonstrating
public support for the project. As
tion begins, these groups could serve as
watchdogs to insure that the goals and
objectives of the corridor concept are adhered
to, NCVCI and OECCC might evolve and
merge into a corridor wide organization that
coordinates grassroots activities and functions
ison with the corridor management
framework. Private nonprofit organizations

implementa

asa li

could increase their role in development and
fund raising for facilities along the corridor,
for example, museums and visitor centers
The (1&M) Canal Corridor Association

managed by a volunteer board of civic

business and industry leaders, has

professional staff with expertise in economic

development, public policy, historic

preser on and land conservation. This

orgar n builds coalitions that act as

catalys' vation

conservation and renewal of the | & M

to stimulate pres

k

r is working to

communities and landscapes. In the B
» Worces
rpret the community's canal

nd

stone, Presé
at

resources increasing public awareness

identify and i

promoting preservation.

River Railroad and Ohio & Erie Canal between Boston and Peninsula



CORRIDOR

E-C ANAL

ac
uu
a)
O
rt
Oo
uu
=
—

’


Laying The Groundwork

landscape of the
rie Canal Corri
dor is the result of human
use of the natural environ-
ment. This was, and still
is, influenced by the geo-
logical formation of the
corridor and the utilization’
and exploitation of the natural resources.

Deposite from ancient inland seas formed the
bedrock that is the origin of oi), gas; salt and
coal. Shales, limestones, sandstones, and
conglomerates of the Appalachian Plateau are
visible as bluffs along the Cuyahoga River;
spectacular cliffs along Tinkers Creek Gorge
National Natural Landmark (NNL); Mill
Creck Falls in Cleveland; and Brandywine
Falls and Ritchie Ledges within CVNRA.

| Canal locks. culverts, and other structures
were built from locally quarried sandstone.
Clay and shale were processed into brick,

tery and tile at a number of facilities
peated in the Mill Creek and Independence
areas. Layered rock salt also underlies areas
of the corridor. These deposits supplied the
salt industries in Cleveland, Akron,

and Barberton.

The Tuscarawas (seen here) and the
Cuyahoga Rivers continue to shape
the landscape of the corridor.

Glaciers contoured the landscape, flattening
hilltops and filling valleys and plains with silt,
sand, clay, and gravel, Weathered, sediment-
formed soils, which tend to be clayey and
poorly drained, are interspersed with pockets
of sand and gravel. Development in the Cuya-
hoga Valley has been limited because of these
unstable soil and slope conditions. Rich valley
floodplains have traditionally been mined for
topsoil and farmed. The continental drainage
divide, south of Akron, was defined by the
fetreating Wisconsin Ice. The Cuyahoga River
Watershed drains north to Lake Erie and the
Gulfef St. Lawrence, while the Tuscarawas
River Watershed drains south to the Ohio
River. Natural lakes, most notably Lake Erie,
are 2 feature of the glaciated landscape, A
series of Wisconsin glacial lakes preceded
Lake Erie, leaving behind’a flat Lake Plain
with ancient beach ridges. Cleveland and its
suburbs are built on the Lake Plain,

The Nature of the Corridor

The Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor contains &
variety of plants, animals, and natural
habitats: Natural systems of forests, fens,

ike bogs, marshes, old fields, streams,
are interspersed with cities, vil-
lages, orchards, and croplands. These systems
rvived with human systems because

The Beaver, once eliminated by settle-
ment from the cotridor, have made a

strong comeback as evidenced by this
dam and pond in the CVNRA.



and examines advantages and disadvantages
of the proposed action. The four alternatives

discussed are No Action; a Regional Initiative.
which relies on a community based regional
framework; a State Initiative, which would
create a mechanism to manage the corridor at
the state level; and a federally authorized
National Heritage Corridor.

im.
State Boat at Ira near Akron
Captain Charles Hatch in charge

Lower Lock, Trenton

87 Miles from
Cleveland to Zoar, Ohio

eee Study Area

ON MICROFILM


German Picnic, from 17 mile lock (Independence Ohio} to Superior Street in Cleveland

The boat was really a powder boat

Erie Canal Corridor is in need of some special
recognition or technical assistance. It has
mechanisms in place for a cooperative
arrangement with the National Park Service
and contributions from other sources to s
long term protection of the resourc
the existing NPS facility in such close proximi
ty, would be able to establish and continue
standard of maintenance, operations, public

ssure

and, with

service and financial ac

countability consistent

applicable to National Park
System units. The Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor
is eligible as a National Heritage Corridor, an

affiliated area of the National Park System.

with requiremen

Draft National Heritage Partnership
legislation, designed to establish a program to
F rve and protect natural, cultural and
historical resources that are worthy of nation-
al recognition but which do not meet the
requirements for full inclusion in the National

Park System, is currently under considera-
tion. This draft legislation suggests a set of
eight criteria better suited for evaluation of
dive yurces such as those represented in
the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor. Not only
does the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor meet
the suggested criteria, but it does, in fact,
represent the very type of resource that the
potential legislation is designed to protect
It is the conclusion of this study that the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor is both suitable

er

and feasible for designation as a component
of the potential National Heritage
Partnership system

This study examined four possible
alternatives for an organization or
framework to facilitate the prote

tion and
management of corridor resources. Each
alternative identifi

a role for private
citizens and various levels of government


——— eS ee.

OH OP ee ERO E

alone, 2.5 million bushels of wheat arrived in
Cleveland and 11 million pounds of merchan-
dise were shipped south. Akron and its
emergence as a grain milling center were a direct
result of the canal. Massillon became a port for
wheat exports, shipping 1.7 million bushels of
wheat and flour north in 1847.

Prosperity was not limited to the larger cities.
The communities of Peninsula, Clinton, Canal
Fulton, Navarre, Bolivar, and Zoar thrived with
increased commerce. Populations increased, with
many of the newcomers immigrating from
around the world. Today, ethnic diversity is a
regional trademark. In the 1850s, coal from the
Tuscarawas River Valley became a major
commodity on the canal, fostering development
of the iron and steel industries in Massillon and
Cleveland. The Ohio & Erie Canal was indeed
the “ditch that brought the world to the wilder-
ness” and an unprecedented “route to prosperity.”
This “route to prosperity” also became a route to
freedom in the 1840s. Slaves from the south
traveled north along a part of Ohio's Under-
ground Railroad network through the corridor
towns of Navarre, Massillon, Akron and Cleve-
land (known as Station Hope) on their way to
freedom in Canada.

The Ohio & Erie Canal
served the state until
1913, although its impor-
tance as a transportation
route began to decline by
the mid-1850s, Just as
canals and dirt roads once
replaced rivers and trails
jarnlbon sired Today eka placraaiel cae
road networks replaced the canals. Industrial
growth continued throughout the entire Ohio &
Erie Canal Corridor in the last half of the 19th
century, but it occurred primarily in
the bigger cities. In 1864 and 1865,

Cleveland received over half of

all the iron ore mined in the =~ 97)

Lake Superior region. (4 4-4

‘The demand for raw or
materials required
additional vessels and by
1865, 44% of all ships
built for use on the
Great Lakes were being
built in Cleveland. Other
industries such as Thomas
H. White's sewing machine company, Henry A-

A. N°A |

ORRELDOR

Sherwin and Edward P. William's
paint company, and Grasselli’s
chemical plant caused Cleveland
to emerge as one of the leading

~ manufacturing centers in the

“nation. Particularly
important was John D.
Rockerfeller’s Standard

~ Oil, which started in

Cleveland in 1870 and
within 12 years con-
trolled 90% of the
nation’s refining capacity,
Standard Oil became
synonymous with indus-

Se trial monopoly and
oe was a major cause of

=" public outrage lead-
ing to the passage of America’s anti-trust laws.
‘These industrialists shared their wealth with the
community, establishing many of Cleveland's
most enduring local institutions, foundations,
public parks and structures, and contributing to
organizations such as the Salvation Army, found-
ed in the Cuyahoga Valley in 1872 as the first
post in the United States.

In Akron, John R. Buchtel's Buckeye Works

and JF. Seiberling’s Empire Works were leading
innovators and manufacturers of farm machin-
ery. B.F. Goodrich opened the first rubber factory
in 1872; soon followed by Firestone, Goodyear,
and others. By 1910, Akron acquired the title of
“Rubber Capitol of the World.” The birth of the
United Rubber Workers of America labor union
was a by-product of Akron’s rubber industry.

Canton experienced significant growth as the
railroads extended the reach of this transporta-
tion corridor. Ironically, while this growth was
occurring, famous Canton resident and Ohio
Governor William McKinley was advocating in
1892 that the state look to modernize its canals,
“in the interest of cheap and better transporta-
tion.” McKinley became the 25th President of the
United States but his dream of a revitalized
canal system never became reality.

In Barberton, Ohio Columbus Barber, the “Match
ed the Diamond Match Company, another
nationally prominent industry. Massillon became
@ major iron and steel center: Even the small
town of Navarre was affected when Herbert H.
Dow established a chemical plant along the canal



ation Canal be a a Corridor

~ Illinois & Michi ational
ce Transportation

Valley bet) ed
Corridor

ODOT -

BCCC - see Ie

Recreation Resources - Canoeing on the

Ohio & Erie Canal at the Continental OHI - Ohio Historic I Inventory

Digi ie woult Akron OHS - Ohio Historical Society

National Significance, Suitability, and RAP. Remeiial Action Pian

‘easibility - The Ohio & Erie Canal

= Historic Landmark. RTCA - Rivers, Trails, and Conservation
Vision - Tuscarawas River near Zoar.

lanagement Alternatives - Canal boat

yetween Bolivar and Zoar.

*

»



* Clinton - The nearby town of Warwick,
incorporated into Clinton, contains a number
of historic railroad structures, and a small
business district gives evidence of the evolu-
tion of transportation from canal to railroads.

* Cleveland to Cuyahoga Valley National
Recreation Area - Many bridges span, or once
spanned, the Cuyahoga River. Today, numer-
ous swing, lift, and jackknife bridges, as well
as the high-level Detroit-Superior (¢.1917) and
Lorain-Carnegie Bridges (c.1927) still span

the river, and one can still find remnants of
the 1878 Superior St. Viaduct

* Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation
Area - The reconstructed Everett Road
Covered Bridge (c.1877), restored iron truss
Station Read Bridge (c.1882), and concrete
arch Route 82 bridge over the Cuyahoga
Valley (c.1939) exemplify the evolution of
roads and highways.

an 1883 Pratt
Truss wrought iron bridge spanning the canal

* Zoar - south of town is

* Zoarville - This community was the
Zoarites link to the railroad built in 1852
Ehler’s General Store, founded in 1835, con-
tinues to operate, but is now located in the
1845 Zoar Custom Mill building.

 Zoarville - An 1868 Fink Through Truss
bridge s; Conotton Creek. The last of its
kind in the nation, this significant structure
has been documented through the NPS His-
toric American Engineering Record program.

Theme XIL BUSINESS

Subtheme:
Manufacturing Organizations

¢ Cleveland to Cuyahoga Valley National
Recreation Area - Sites where industrialists
created the companies and products that
gained international prominence for
Cleveland are identified and still in use
The iron and steel industry, cornerstone of the
Cuyahoga Valley in the last half of the 19th
Century, is stil] a vital part of the landscape.

* Akron - The story of the city’s emergence
as an industrial leader is preserved at sites
such as Quaker Square, birthplace of Quaker
Oats; B.F. Goodrich, Firestone, and Goodyear
Rubber factories; and the Goodyear Airdock

* Akron - The homes of industrialists,
including the 1871 Victorian mansion of John
Hower and the Stan Hywet estate of Goodyear
Tire & Rubber Company founder Frank A.
Seiberling, designated an NHL, further
illustrate Akron’s industrial prominence.

¢ Akron - The complete communities of
Goodyear Heights (c.1912) and Firestone Park
(c.1915), built to provide suitable housing for
mill employees, endure.

* Barberton started as a 550-acre planned
industrial community surrounding Lake Anna
which was laid out in 1891 by Akron industri-
alist O, C, Barber. When Barber moved his
Diamond Match Company to Barberton three
ars later, the city boomed. Five structures
ssociated with the Barber estate, known as
the Anna Dean Farm, are listed on the NRHP.

Subtheme:
Extractive or Mining Industries

* Clinton - West of town are the coal mines
of Rogues Hollow. Coal was hauled to Clinton
on @ tram railroad where it was loaded on
anal bouts and carried north to feed the
developing smokestack industries of Akron
and Cleveland

* Canal Fulton - The discovery of coal
nearby provided the town with continued
prosperity through the mining era, 1880-1920.
This story is preserved through the several
Italianate brick commercial structures


SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY

Heh E OFA Osa EAR: | EUZGrARIN PA
GQrOrR-R DSO ARs 3S aL UD

e
A Route to Prosperity
PREPARED BY THE
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MIDWEST REGION
1709 JACKSON STREET

OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68102

AUGUST 1993



iehre OH LO

Ge ER rE

Two new organizations, NCVCI and OECCC,
have formed to facilitate the interaction of
these diverse groups.

The potential for effective partnership
mechanisms is high. As noted in the previ-
ous criterion, the mechanisms for forming
effective partnerships are already developing.
The regional view of the resources is increas-
ing among the participants. If designated, a
quick start for the comprehensive planning
process would occur, In addition, tangible
results such as new trail segments would
occur during the planning process further
ensuring public support for the project.

The proposal is consistent with and/or
complements continued economic activity
in the area. Industry is an important compo-
nent of the story of the canal corridor, The
continuation of industrial activity is essential
to the character of the corridor and the conser-
vation of the canal would assist several
industries which use canal water for industri-
al purposes. Several industrial concerns have
expressed support for the corridor study.

Outside of the industrial areas, many of the
communities would like to increase the
tourism component of their economies. With
improved marketing, interpretation, and
visitor services, the corridor communities
could capture a larger share of the tourism
market in a densely populated section of the
United States,

The resources important to the principal
themes of the areas retain their integrity.
There are numerous resources in the corridor
which exemplify the principal themes and do
retain their integrity. One segment of the
Ohio & Erie Canal is designated an NHL, in
part due to its integrity. Other sections of the
canal are watered and retain a high degree of
integrity, too. There are numerous canal
related structures which retain sufficient
integrity to be listed on the National Register
of Historic Places. Several of the historic
districts and the villages such as Boston,
Everett, Peninsula, Clinton, Canal Fulton,
Massillon, and Bolivar are sufficiently intact
to convey a sense of life during the canal era.

CANAL

GrO-Rk' RIB O R

Many historically important industries still
operate within the corridor, while others are
represented by intact, but unused, factory
structures. Other neighborhoods and residen-
tial structures that exemplify the lives of the
residents of the corridor are on the

National Register.

Based on these suggested criteria, the Ohio
& Erie Canal Corridor is suitable and feasible
for designation as a component of the poten-
tial National Heritage Partnership system.

Public Interest & Support

There is widespread support for designation of
the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor as a National
Heritage Corridor or, ifestablished, a compo-
nent of the National Heritage Partnership
system. This study process and the activities
of OECCC and NCVCI have provided many
opportunities for public input. Individual
landowners, municipalities, industrial neigh-
bors, state agencies, recreation groups,
historical societies, small businesses, and local
governments have all expressed overwhelming
support for the project.

Identified below are some of these organiza-
tions and interest groups and their current
involvement with corridor related projects.
Potential involvement of these partners, based
on their mission and responsibilities, and
examples of comparable partnership commit-
ment at existing heritage corridors/areas are
found in Appendix D, Examples of the many
resolutions of support for designation of the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor are located in
Appendix E.

Federal Government
Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area

Twenty-five percent of the corridor is within
the boundaries of CVNRA. CVNRA’s manage-
ment partners exemplify the partnership
approach so important to the heritage corridor
concept. In the fall of 1993, the 19.4-mile
multi-use Towpath Trail along the Ohio &
Erie Canal will be completed. The park offers


The importance of the Ohio & Erie Canal to
all Americans was acknowledged in 1966
when a four-mile section of watered canal in
southern Cuyahoga County was designated as
a National Historic Landmark (NHL). This
designation recognized Ohio's canal network
as one of America’s most extensive and suc-
cessful systems during a period in history
when canals were essential to the nation’s
growth. The Ohio & Erie Canal was Ohio's
first canal, completed in 1832, and was the
first inland waterway to connect the Great
Lakes at Lake Erie with the Gulf of Mexico
via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers

The national importance of a portion of the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor was again recog-
nized with the authorization of CVNRA in
1974. This 33,000-acre NPS unit was desig
nated for the purpose of, “preserving and
protecting for public use and enjoyment
the historic, scenic, natural, and recre-

The Village of Zoar, Ohio

ational values of the Cuyahoga River and
the adjacent lands of the Cuyahoga Val-
ley and for the purpose of providing for
the maintenance of needed recreational
space necessary to the urban environ-
ment...” The enabling legislation for CVNRA
evolved from an earlier bill, the “Ohio Canal
and Cuyahoga Valley Recreation Development
+,” which proposed a network of three sepa
rate but interrelated units: “a 28,000-acre
park in the Cuyahoga Valley along the
river and canal, a recreation corridor fol-
lowing the canal south of Akron through
Summit, Stark, and Tuscarawas Coun-
ties, and designation of the Cuyahoga
River upstream from Akron as a recre-
ation river under the National Wild and
Scenic River Act.” In a 1975 NPS Suitabili-
ty/Feasibility Study, Proposed Ohio & Erie
Canal, which explored the historical signifi
rand tegrity and recreational potential of
the entire 308-mile canal, the NPS concluded



it EO. Ai ROY ee ERE GeAON AL CaO) Re Der

$175,000 for the National Park Service
(NPS) to conduct a study of the Ohio &
Erie Canal Corridor from Cleveland to
Zoar, Ohio. The intent of the study
is to provide information to
Congress to guide decisions
concerning the future of the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor.
The study identified resources along
the 87-mile corridor from Cleveland to
Zoar and analyzed alternative ways to
preserve, interpret and manage these
resources. An analysis of the corridor’s
national significance and its suitability
and feasibility for inclusion as an
affiliated area of the National Park
Service or as a unit of the potential
National Heritage Partnership system
was also conducted.

I fiscal year 1991, Congress appropriated

The Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor study
area includes Ohio & Erie Canal lands
in Cuyahoga, Summit, and Stark
Counties and a portion of canal lands
in northern Tuscarawas County. The
87-mile corridor originates at the
shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland

and runs south to the village of Zoar.
The east/west boundaries of the study
area are defined in the northern

third by the Cuyahoga County
Planning Commission's North
Cuyahoga Valley Corridor Study, 1992
and the designated boundaries of the
Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation
Area (CVNRA). South of CVNRA, the
study area is defined by the route

of the Ohio & Erie Canal,

associated landscapes,

communities, and related R
cultural, natural, recreational, A Route To Prosperity
and industrial resources of the
region. Included in the study area Ohio & Erie Canal
are the cities and communities of :

Cleveland, Cuyahoga Heights, sseeeeeees Corridor Study Area
Garfield Heights, Newburg Heights,
Brooklyn Heights, Independence, Valley
View, Bedford, Brecksville, Peninsula

and Boston Township, Richfield, Bath,
Cuyahoga Falls, Akron, Barberton,
Clinton, Canal Fulton, Massillon, Canton,
Navarre, Bolivar and Zoar.

co
033- 20003
ON MICROFILM



ett EO. HOF GE REE GIA IN-ACL

a management framework is necessary to
coordinate the efforts of Ohio & Erie

Corridor partners and to provide
a forum where different interests can
have a voice. Several possibilities exist for
an organization or framework to facilitate
the protection and management of the

_corridor’s resources. Each action alternative

assumes a role for private citizens and each
level of government.

Potential roles for partners include ownership,
jurisdiction/authority or management of
resources, funding, advocacy for one or more
resource themes, and responsibility for devel-
oping plans that impact the corridor, This
analysis will define management framework
options. In a 1992 “Partnerships in Parks”
paper, the NPS Director for Planning and
Development suggested that any management
framework must accomplish the following:

* Protect important corridor resources
through local stewardship
© Facilitate an effective regional partnership
© Interpret the themes of the corridor
© Balance resource protection with
economic growth

~ © Enhance the quality of life in

corridor communities

Any management organization should
have the authority necessary to achieve
legislated objectives, including:

ability to hire staff
© meet at least quarterly
* contract for experts and consultants

ag accept personnel detailed from state and

federal agencies on a reimbursable basis

* hold hearings

© use federally appropriated funds as a
nonfederal match

* accept donations

© accept real property by gift, with funds
designated for that purpose, or from a
willing seller, transferring any lands toa
public/private land managing agency for
public purposes

© plan or modify a plan

* enter into cooperative agreements to
carry out the plan

* implement the plan

¢ make loans and grants to protect resources
ona matching basis

* assist in the preparation of grant
applications to other federal and
non-federal sources.

ALTERNATIVE #1 - NO ACTION

No Action implies that no attempt would be
made to consolidate interests for a unified
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor. Local initiatives
would continue to recognize, protect and
develop community resources individually.
CVNRA would continue to protect resources
and develop facilities and programs within
current park boundaries.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Uncoordinated planning and land use regula-
tion would result in communities continuing
to develop in ways that may diminish the
natural, cultural, and recreational resources
of the corridor. Natural resources, such as
wetlands, would become further fragmented.
This would reduce the corridor’s value as a
wildlife migration route and erode aesthetic
qualities. Water quality improvement along
the Cuyahoga River would continue through
the efforts of the remedial action program,
but water quality improvement efforts in the
‘Tuscarawas basin would suffer without

a framework for communication that would be
provided by a regional planning effort.

This same lack of coordination could have a
negative impact on the cultural resources.
‘There would not be a corridor-wide body to
develop common policies on cultural resource
protection. Without a corridor-wide focus,
continued loss of historic structures and
archeological resources would contribute to
the decay of the region's identity. Important
links in the physical resource and continuity
of the corridor’s heritage could be lost.

Corridor-wide recreational opportunities
would not be easily realized. Without an
overall organizing group, a trail along the
entire corridor would be difficult to co-
ordinate. The lack of a coordinating group
would also make interpretation of the entire
corridor difficult.

Each community's individual potential for
natural, cultural, and recreational

GLOPRSRSIEDIG ek



The Mustill Store, seen here, and Cascade
Locks Park is one example of a coopera-
tive project involving the nonprofit
Cascade Locks Park Association, City of
Akron, Metro Parks, Serving Summit
County, the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources and National Park Service

groups and their current involvement in
corridor-related projects. This regional effort
to protect and enhance corridor resources has
been strengthened by NPS involvement, but
formal cooperative agreements could assure
long term success, The NPS could provide
funding and resources that would leverage
other public and private investment, and

could offer additional assistance in areas
such as historic and natural resource
preservation, interpretation, public affairs
planning
The NI

house for federal environmental and

and design, and administration

3 could also serve as a clearing
resource compliance requirements

Existing affiliated NHCs are administered
through commissions, which provide a means
s the
entity through which federal appropriations
are distributed

of cooperative endeavors and serve

An area must be able to establish and
continue a standard of maintenance,
operations, public service and financial
accountability consistent with require-

An example of the design standards used
along the Towpath Trail in CVNRA

ments applicable to National Park

System units. In many ways CVNRA has
established standards of operations, mainte.
nance and public service that have been
carried beyond park boundaries. One example
is the Towpath Trail. In October 199%
CYNRA will complete construction of a 19-
mile multi-use trail along the route of the
Ohio & Erie Canal. The standards established
for this trail, from construction to support

facilities and signage, are being adopted by
communities and the metropolitan park dis
trict to the north and south as they begin
planning the linkages to this trail. The
CVNRA represents an NPS entity that is

sady managing resources in the area, and

dily available to provide on-site

ples and technical expertise.

The Cultural Heritage and Land Management
Plan for the Blackstone River Valley NHC
states, “Congress established the National
Heritage Corridor as an affiliated area of the
National Park System to make the NPS tradi-
tion of management available to t
Blackstone River Valley,” At all three NHCs,
the Director of the NPS is represented on the
operating commission and the majority of
staff has come from park service ranks. This
arrangement has assured that NPS standards
are established and will be continued even
after the tenure of the commissions



Laying The Groundwork

oday the landscape of the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corri-
dor is the result of human
use of the natural environ-
ment, This was, and still
is, influenced by the geo-
logical formation of the
corridor and the utilization
and exploitation of the natural resources.

Deposits from ancient inland seas formed the
bedrock that is the origin of oil, gas, salt and
coal. Shales, limestones, sandstones, and
conglomerates of the Appalachian Plateau are
visible a8 bluffs along the Cuyaboga River;
spectacular cliffs along Tinkers Creek Gorge
Nationa! Natural Landmark (NNL); Mill
Creek Falls in Cleveland; and Brandywine
Falls and Ritchie Ledges within CVNRA.

) Canal locks, culverts, and other structures
were built from locally quarried sandstone.
Clay and shale were processed into brick,
ry and tile at a number of facilities

ited in the Mill Creek and Independence
aréns, Layered rock salt also underlies {reas
of the corridor, These deposits supplied the
salt industries in Cleveland, Akron,

and Barberton.

MK

The Tuscarawas (seen here) and the
Cuyahoga Rivers continue to shape
the landscape of the corridor.

Glaciers contoured the landscape, flattening
hilltops and filling valleys and plains with silt,
sand, clay, and gravel. Weathered, sediment-
formed soils, which tend to be clayey and
poorly drained, are interspersed with pockets
of sand and gravel. Development in the Cuya-
hoga Valley has been limited because of these
unstable soil and slope conditions. Rich valley
floodplains have traditionally been mined for
topsoil and farmed. The continental drainage
divide, south of Akron, was defined by the
fetreating Wisconsin Ice. The Cuyahoga River
Watershed d north to Lake Erie and the
Gulfof St. Lawrence, while the Tuscarawas
River Watershed drains-south to the Ohio
River. Natural lakes, most notably Lake Erie,
area feature of the glaciated landscape. A
series of Wisconsin glacial lakes preceded
Lake Erie, leaving bebind’a flat Lake Plain
with ancient beach ridges. Cleveland and its
suburbs are built on the Lake Plain,

The Nature of the Corridor

The Ohio & Erie Canal Corridar contains a
vanety of plants, animals, and natural
habitats. Natural systems of forests, fens,
kettle lake bogs, marshes, old fields, streams,
and lakes are interspersed with cities, vil-

lagesy orc

The Beaver, once eliminated by settle
ment from the corridor, have made a
strong comeback as evidenced by this
dam and pond in the CVNRA



Once a tavern and store at Lock 38, this
restored structure now serves as the
Canal Visitor Center in CVNRA.

interpretive programs that focus on the
natural, cultural and recreational resources
of the corridor.

Facilities include the Happy Days Visitor Cen-
ter (focusing primarily on natural history and
recreation), Canal Visitor Center (exhibits and
programs on the 12,000 year human history of
the valley with emphasis on the canal era), a
500-acre resident Environmental Education
Campus, the Kendall Lake Winter Sports
Information Center, self-guiding trails, and
wayside exhibits.

NPS staff from the Rivers, Trails, and Conser-
vation Assistance Program (RTCA),
administered through the Midwest Regional
Office and working out of CVNRA, provide
technical assistance to corridor organizations
and communities and conducted this study.
RTCA staff also provide assistance to commu-
nities and organizations in Ohio, Michigan,
and Indiana.

State Agencies
Ohio Department of Natural Resources

The ODNR currently manages all state-owned
canal lands within the Ohio & Erie Canal

Corridor and maintains leases on these lands.
The Division of Water manages a seven-mile
segment of watered canal, controls water
levels for Portage Lakes State Park, and
oversees hydraulic leases. The Office of Real
Estate and Land Management administers
planning activities for state-owned canal
lands. The Division of Parks and Recreation
operates Portage Lakes and the Cleveland

Zoar Lake Wildlife Area is one of the
many sites maintained by the Ohio
Department of Natural Resources in the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor

Lakefront State Parks. Beach City and Zoar
Lake are public wildlife areas managed by the
Division of Wildlife. The Division of Natural
Areas and Preserves administers Tinkers
Creek State Natural Area, Karlo Bog and
Portage Lakes Wetland, Jackson Bog State
Nature Preserve in Stark County preserves
and interprets this Ice Age relic. The ODNR
and the Flats Oxbow Association recently
completed a master plan that calls for recreat-
ing the Ohio & Erie Canal basin as a
recreational feature and development of a her-
itage visitor center in the Cleveland Flats.

Ohio Department of Transportation

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Effi-
ciency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), administered by
ODOT, includes provisions for funding trans



of the region's physiography. People have con:
gregated in the valleys and on level spots
while valley walls, ravines, floodplains, and
wetlands have been left to nature

The corridor lies on a biological crossroads in
the transition zone between the Appalachian
Plateau to the east and the Central Lowlands
to the west. The Portage Escarpment forms
the boundary between these two provinces.
The 87- mile corridor transects three regions:
Lake Plains, Glaciated Plateau and Unglaciat
ed Plateau. The result of this convergence is a
great diversity in plants and animals and a
textbook example of forest communities and
habitats.

The primary forest communities associated
with the Glaciated Plateau are beech-maple,
oak-hickory, and hemlock-beech. The rich
beech-maple forest is most common. Ice Age
relic hemlock-beech forests are found in
ravines, while oak- hickory communities are
found atop ridges and in drier a The
Tinkers Creek Gorge NNL contains a rare
presettlement hemlock-beech forest on the
moist valley floor.

Both rolling hills and steep valleys character
ize the Unglaciated Plateau, Ohio's oldest
landscape. Oak-hickory forest is the most
common community in this part of the corridor.

Some of Ohio's larger mammals, almost
eliminated by settlement, have made a strong
comeback within the corridor. Most noticeable
in the area are beaver, coyote, and white-
tailed deer. Migratory birds, such as great
blue herons, are returning to the corridor as
water quality improves and habitat is pre-
served. A complete listing of 2300 species of
vascular fora and 350 species of vertebrate
fauna of CVNRA, representative of the
corridor, can be found in the Environmental
Assessment of CVNRA, 1976.

There are no federally listed threatened or
endangered species found within the corridor.
The 1992 Natural Areas and Preserves data
from the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources (ODNR), list three Federal
Category 2 plant species; Butternut, Marsh
Spear-Grass, and Glade Mallow, Plants and
animals with this status are those which the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicate are
possibly appropriate to list as endangered or
threatened species, pending further research
and information on biological vulnerability
and threats. See Appendix B for the complete
State and Federal listing.

The Rivers of Change

s

Significant progress has been made
toward cleaning up the once severely
polluted Cuyahogo River.

Rivers, the key natural features of the Ohio
& Erie Canal Corridor, continue to shape the
landscape and influence current land use.

The 100-mile Cuyahoga River originates only
30 miles east of its mouth in Cleveland. The
Cuyahoge River was seriously polluted but
significant progress has been made toward a
clean, natural river. The upper 25 miles of the
Cuyahoga River is designated as a state scenic
river. The lower Cuyahoga is one of 43 “Areas
of Concern” in the Great Lakes Basin identi-
fied by the International Joint Commission

In 1987, the Ohio Environmental Protection
Agency was directed to develop a “Remed
Action Plan” (RAP) to identify problems and
guide actions for river restoration. An assess-
ment of key problems caused by poor water
quality or physical alteration of the river and
adjacent lands has been completed. The
second phase, now in progress, will
recommend remedial actions



arent EOLA |EO o8e iE R

Natural resource interests are working with
the historic preservation interests, recreation
interests, industry, local governments, state
agencies, and the federal government on a
project providing common ground that will
link communities, protect resources, and
improve the quality of life for the residents
of northeast Ohio,

NPS has long realized that CVNRA must
develop linkages with the urban communities
of Cleveland and Akron to fulfill the purpose
for which the park was created. NPS has
worked with NCVCI to promoted the concept
of linking Cuyahoga County and the City of
Cleveland with CVNRA. These linkages will
serve the people of Cuyahoga County by pro-
viding recreation access not only to CVNRA
but also to Cleveland Metropark’s “Emerald
Necklace”, a nationally prominent park sys-
tem that circles the city. NCVCI was
instrumental in working with the Cuyahoga
County Planning Commission and the George
Gund, Cleveland, and BP America Founda-
tions in producing the North Cuyahoga Valley.
Corridor Study, in April of 1992.

The alternative tion initiative can
be met in the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor by
developing an 87-mile multiple Use recreation
trail connecting Cleveland's lakefront with the
North Country National Scenic Trail in Zoar.
This trail will provide an opportunity for
people to walk or ride a bicycle to other parts
of their community, If they walk or ride to
work they might enhance the region's quality
of life by reducing traffic, pollution and noise
and improve their health at the same time.
Potential rail linkages may provide another
transportation alternative. Interest in the
canal corridor is evident in communities from
the southern boundary of CVNRA to Zoar,

Another administration initiative is concerned
with improving the quality of life in urban
areas. The Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor can
provide-close-to-home, safe, family, recreation;
preservation of open space; and preservation
and interpretation of local heritage, instilling
a sense of place in communities.

An important task of government is to be
aware of the needs of minority populations.
The Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor provides two

E CARNAL GC ORR ED-O-R

opportunities to reach urban minority popula-
tions. First, the corridor will provide access to
recreation and interpretation for people who
live in corridor communities. Second, a goal
of the corridor partnership is to involve all
citizens in the planning process to make sure
that the needs of culturally diverse communi-
ties are incorporated into corridor plans

Preservation of wetlands is an important
initiative, Ohio ranks second in the nation in
allowing the destruction of wetlands. The
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor includes many
wetlands associated with the Cuyahoga and
Tuscarawas Rivers as well as watered seg-
ments of the canal. These wetlands, some
present even in urban and industrial areas,
are some of the most important resources of
the corridor because they support diverse
populations of plants and animals.

APPENDIX D -
PARTNERS, POTENTIAL ROLES
AND EXAMPLES

Listed below are examples of the potential
commitment the partners identified in the
“Public Support” section of the study could
make to implement the Ohio & Erie Canal
Corridor concept based on their current mis-
sion and responsibilities, Also included are
samples of the involvement of comparable
partners at existing heritage corridors/areas
and other partnership parks,

National Park Service

Potential Involvement: An increase in
CVNRA’s role in the Ohio & Erie Canal
Corridor is likely. ‘The park staff of planners,
interpreters, resource managers, engineers,
landscape architects, maintenance employees
and law enforcement specialists would provide
technical assistance to communities along the
corridor. CVNRA could potentially provide
direct support in developing, operating, and
maintaining facilities outside the park
boundaries and developing interpretive
materials. For example, the Cuyahoga County
Planning Commission's
Valley Corridor Study recognizes CVNRA as a
funding and planning source, and the manag-

ing agency for a proposed heritage center in
the industrial flats of Cleveland.


_ Land Use & Population
Historical Background
Cultural Resources

Natural Resources fi

Recreation Resources

NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE, SUITABILITY, & FEASIBI

EVALUATION OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

USING CRITERIA
PARK SERVICE

Alternative #1 - No Action

4 Alternative #2 - Regional Initiative a
- Alternative #3 - State Initiative 65
“ e #4 - Federal Initiative 66
7" “eee oo
i. ony
i Ne 7 67
-_s hee Pilsconteasd & Endangered Species
-Special Initiatives & Considerations o
Te - Partners Potential Roles & Examples ' 70
eT: Sample Resolutions of Support 4
* 2 F- Study Team Members & Consultants 76

8, MES eS beet


any cultural resources of the Ohio &
Erie Canal Corridor have been sur-
veyed by the Ohio Historic

Preservation Office through the Ohio
Historical Inventory (OHI) and Ohio Archeo-
logical Inventory (OAL). The OHErecords

places of historic or architectural merit and
the OAI records prehistoric and historic
archeological sites. These inventories current-
ly provide the most complete listing ofthe
corridor’s cultural resources.

The OHI listsaver 1400 historical structures,
encompassing 8 time span from the late, 1700s
to the mid 1900s, thint interpret nearly all
aspects of life in'the Ohio & Erie Canal
Corridor. Some of the most significant
structures are the remnants of the Ohio &
Erie Canal itself, visible throughout nearly
90% of the corridor, sAlthough modified in the
early 20th century When the state attempted
to restore the canal, the 19th century ¢harac-
ter of these structures still remains

Not only do the remains of the canal help to
define the phySi¢al boundaries of the

corridor today, but the original canal defined
the growth and evolution of this region. Thus
the resources identified through this study are
intimately-tied'té the Ohio & Erie Canal itself:

the completion of the canal changed agricul

ture from a mere subsistence activity to a
prosperous business and this initial prosperity
made the area attractive to industry. Industry
brought employees of wide ethnic diversity to
the region, which resulted in the remarkable
array of distinct neighborhoods and architec-
tural styles that are found throughout the area.

The story of one of
Canton’s most famous
residents, 25th President
William McKinley, is
preserved at the Saxton
House (c.1841) where he
lived for 19 years and at

his final resting place
the 75-foot high, domed, granite McKinley
Memorial NHL. In Navarre, the J, D. Defines

Grocery is the site where McKinley, as a

young lawyer, tried his first case.

The study area also contains over 200 struc
tures that are included on the National
Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

Many more properties are considered to be
potentially eligible for the NRHP. In addition,
the William McKinley Tomb in Canton, Stan
Hywet Hall in Akron, and a four-mile watered
section of the Ohio & Erie Canal in CVNRA
have received NHL designation because of
their national significance.

hietultaral resources of the study area

éan be griuped according to the various

themés outlined in History and Prehis-
tory in the National Park System and the
National Landmarks Program. Because of the
tremendous diversity of resources in the study
area, Many themes are represented. Resources
related to the mOdst important themes are

described below,

‘Theme XIV. TRANSPORTATION
Subtheme: Canals

* Cleveland to Cuyahoga Valley National
Recreation Area - The first five: miles of the
Ohio & Erie Catial, now buriédgander railroad
tracks, are still used as a transportation corr
dor. A canal er@Warehouse remains in the
Cleveland Flats. South to CVNRA am fiveamile
watered sectionofcanal retains much of ifs
integrity, including Lock 40 and the Mill
Creek Aqueduct

Canal Commissioner Alfred Kelly, who
gave up his Cleveland law practice for
eight years to survey and manage the
construction of the canal



er ES Oc He [Os BoE REISE YE“ AENNAcL="CiGr R Rel DeO Rk

Recognition of the Ohio & Erie Canal
Corridor will fulfill many of the goals
set forth in the 1987 Report of the

5
Qutdoors. The report noted that by the
year 2000, 80% of all Americans will live
in metropolitan areas, This same study
pointed out that people are seeking
recreation more frequently and close to home.
The concept of corridors, referred to as “green-
ways” in this report, was a significant strategy
that is achievable within the Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor.

ANOKA
Recognition of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor will t
realize the full potential of CVNRA and NPS to the .
region. The original bill to establish CVNRA called for the
recognition and designation of a “recreation corridor following
the canal south of Akron through Summit, Stark, and Tus-
carawas counties.” With the designation of CVNRA in 1974,
only part of this vision was achieved. A partnership of the
private and public sector at all levels can pursue the type

of management that will preserve the corridor’s resources,
interpret the nationally significant stories, and enhance

the image and quality of life in the region.

The Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor ties the region together.
The corridor is a blend of outstanding cultural, natural
and recreational resources within a landscape where a
people work, live and play; a “living landscape.” These
resources can be physically linked by trails, roads,
rivers and rail. With packaging and marketing, the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor can be a place for N + eS
tourism and compatible economic development. ;

A committed public/private partnership is
growing stronger. Local communities have W )E
shown strong support by participating in 3

this study and adopting resolutions favoring :

the corridor concept. An alliance of grass- s

roots advocacy has been initiated with Le

the formation of North Cuyahoga Valley The Vision
Corridor Inc. and the Ohio & Erie Canal

Corridor Coalition. These organizations Hiking

have identified the following mission: G® Bicycling

“stimulate public interest and support % Canoeing

for the protection, preservation, : Visi ,
Ietakopmaant andl enka: J of i) Heritage ini Centers

the historical, cultural, natural, sssr+s+ Recreation Trail

industrial, commercial, and recre- ———-- Cuyahoga Valley Line
ational resources along the route of 7
the historical Ohio & Erie Canal.” “~~ Scenic Byway

A partnership of federal, state, and local
governments, business and industry, foundations, private nonprofit organizations,
and individuals will make the vision of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor a reality,



pe rE

Or © “ee> iE RE Ac TAcE

transportation linkages, recreation, and open
space preservation along the northern seg-
ment of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor.

The ODNR’s 1993 SCORP establishes
“general priorities as a guide for specific
actions to be taken to resolve major issues
identified in the SCORP planning process.”
One of these is to, “extend trail related
recreation opportunities by acquiring
and developing a network of greenway,
trails, corridors, and linear recreation
resources, and by cooperation with public

GrO>RIR 4D O: 8

agencies, trail user groups, private orga-
nizations, and advocacy groups.... The
concept of acquiring and developing
greenways and trails to provide a
multitude of environmental, recreation-
al, and economic benefits gained
national attention during the delibera-
tions of the President's Commission on
Americans Outdoors.”

Public interest in the preservation, interpreta-
tion and recreational! potential of the Ohio &
Erie Canal Corridor is not a new idea.

APPENDIX B - LIST OF THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES

TYPE COMMON NAME OF SPECIES STATUS
Plant Butternut Federal Category 2
Plant Marsh Spear-Grass
Plant Glade Mallow
—
Bird American Bittern State Endangered
Bird Least Bittern
Bird Canada Warbler
Bird Common Barn Owl
Bird _ Golden-Winged Warbler
Bird Hermit Thrush
Bird ‘Sedge Wren
Fish Great Lakes Muskellunge 2
Fish Blackehin Shiner
Plant Canada Hawkweed
Plant Bullhead Lily
Plant Bog Willow
Plant Fries Pondweed
Plant Villous Panie-Grass
Plant Small Purple Fringed Orchid
Plant Flat-Leaved Rush
Plant Hooded Ladies’-Tresses
Plant Small Purple Foxglove
Plant Wolffiella
Plant Few Seeded Sedge
Plant Greene's Rush
Plant Large-Leaved Mountain-Rice
Plant Drooping Wood Sedge
Bird Carolina Catchfiy State Threatened
Bird Upland Sandpiper


Pr HE OH 10

any individual sites within the study

area have gained state or national

recognition. As noted earlier, the OAI
identifies over 550 archeological sites within
the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor. Six prehis-
tori¢ and one historic site are listed on the
NRHP because of their state or local signifi-
cance, The OHI lists over 1400 historical
structures, encompassing a time span from
the late 1700s to the mid- 1900s, that inter-
pret nearly all aspects of life in the Ohio &
Erie Canal Corridor. Over 200 of these struc-
tures are significant enough to be included on
the NRHP; many more are potentially eligible.

© ‘The William McKinley Tomb in Canton; Stan

Hywet Hall in Akron, and a three-mile
watered section of the Ohio & Erie Canal in
CVNRA have received National Historic
Landmark designation, In 1974, 22 miles of
the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor were declared
nationally significant under NPS new area
criteria with the designation of Cuyahoga
Valley National Recreation Area. The
Tinkers Creek Gorge, located in the
Cleveland Metroparks, is designated a
National Natural Landmark.

Due to the size and configuration, its diverse
land ownership patterns, and multitude of

~ jurisdictions, it was not considered practical
to use the criteria for NPS-managed units to
evaluate suitability and feasibility of the corri-
dor, Evaluation criteria for affiliated areas,
released in the 1990 NPS Report on Criteria
for Affiliated Areas and suggested criteria in
the draft National Heritage Partnership
legislation are better suited for analysis of the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor, The suitability
and feasibility analysis of the Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor in this study was conducted
using these sets of criteria.

Evaluation Of
National Significance

In 1975, a Proposed Ohio & Erie Canal

_ Suitability/Feasibility Study was conducted by
the National Park Service. In that study, the
statement is made that, “As a historic enti-
ty, the Ohio & Erie Canal has been judged
to have national significance. The Valley

&VERTE CANAL

View section near Cleveland, designated
by the Secretary of the Interior as a
national historic landmark, exemplifies
the national level determination.”

The national historic landmark designation form,
written in 1975, identifies the “condition” of
the four-mile section of the Ohio & Erie Canal
in Valley View as “good, fair, altered, [and
on its} original site.” The “areas of signifi-
cance” identified in the nomination form are
“Commerce” and “Industry.” The statement
of significance states,

The State of Ohio's canal system, one of the
most extensive and successful antebellum
aystem[s] in the Nation, spurred the rapid
development of the State. Created in the
decades between 1820 and 1845, the water-
ways stimulated the growth of population,
establishment of towns and Cities, expansion of
trade and commerce, and a rise in land
values.....the Ohio & Erie Canal contributed
significantly to such growth....The Ohio &
Erie and the Miami & Erie Canals served as
the State's primary-means of commercial
transportation until the construction of a
network of railroads,

Although only four miles of canal were
included in the landmark designation, this
quote makes it clear that the statement of
significance refers to the entire Ohio & Erie
Canal. Nowhere is it suggested that the Valley
View segment is the only significant portion of
the canal. The Valley View section is referred
to only as “one of the more interesting and
better preserved parts of the canal...”

Integrity

In the 1975 study, the Ohio & Erie Canal was
found to be lacking in integrity. In that study
it is stated that “present conditions indicate
that the canal channel has been modified by
natural and manmade forces, and most locks
are overgrown with vegetation, buried, or
reduced to ruins.”

However, the focus of the 1975 study was “the
narrow 308-mile channel known as the
Ohio & Erie Canal connecting Cleveland
on Lake Erie with Portsmouth on the Ohio
River.” Although, in that study, it is stated

CORRIDOR




g

that, “The channel has undergone severe
alteration through intensive agricultural
activity, highway and railroad construction,
and housing development..,” it is important
to note that the most severe alterations to the
canal have occurred primarily south of the 87-
mile segment within the corridor.area that is
the subject of the current study.

Although discrediting the integrity of the
overall canal, the 1975 study identified many
remnants in the §7-mile segment now under
study, as “outstanding examples of well-
preserved canal and related facilitie:
That study recommended the six-mile section
through Canal Fulton and a four-mile section
from Bolivar to Zoar for preservation. One of
the alternatives for preservation and interpre-
tation called for a grouping or “cluster of
sites” and suggested “the major thrust
should be allocated to the Tuscarawas
River section south of Akron, including
the [36-mile] area from Clinton to Zoar.
The predominantly rural character of the
area has had a positive effect on preser-
vation of the canal channel and
structures, as well as the retention of a
degree of canal era flavor of the
surrounding area.”

Within the current study area, only small seg-
ments are gone: the northern most five miles
of canal in Cleveland is-buried under railroad
tracks and short sections in Akron, Massillon,
and Bolivar have been built over. Still, over
90% of the canal is visible within the
corridor today, retaining much of the
original design, workmanship and
materials of the canal era.

While resolving the issue of integrity, it is also
helpful to look more closely at the definition of
the word itself. Integrity is defined in Appen-
dix C of the 1975 study. The definition
includes the following criteria:

For a historic or prehistoric site, integrity
requires original location and intangible
elements of feeling and association

For a historic or prehistoric structure, integri
ty is a composite quality derived from original
workmanship, original location, and intangi-
ble elements of feeling and association.

The Ohio & Erie Canal
south of the village of Clinton

Fors historic district, integrity is a composite
quality derived from original workmanship,
original location, and intangible elements of
feeling and association.

These definitions suggest that integrity is far
more than just the “condition” of the
resource; intangible elements such as feeling
and association are also important elements
The concept of integrity has been even more
thoroughly developed in the years since the
1975 study. In National Register Bulletin

#30 (no date), integrity is defined as

“the composite effect of seven qualities:
location, design, setting, materials,
workmanship, feeling, and association.”
In 1993, the NPS has come to realize that
structures cannot always be evaluated in iso-
lation; settings, feelings, and associations are
just as critical as the condition of the struc-
ture itself, This means even if many locks are
gone and vegetation fills much of the canal,
the setting and feelings of the canal and
related structures are still apparent.

Finally, with these definitions in mind, it is
helpful to compare the subject of each study,
While the 1975 study evaluated 308 miles of
canal channel, the current study evaluated 87
miles of canal corridor, i.e., the canal, its
setting, feelings, associated structures, and
the landscape that was shaped by the exis-
tence of the canal. In many places, the once



Two canal; boats loading timber at Old Portage, just north of Akron
g ge, |


THEME

AMERICAN WAYS OF LIFE

* Cleveland to Cuyahoga Valley National
Recreation Area - Residential neighborhoods
built by foreign immigrants employed by
industries surrounding the valley retain
much of their historic appearance. Archwood
Avenue, Broadway Avenue, Ohio City, and
Warszawa are Historic Districts on the
National Register.

¢ Zoar - Founded in 1817 by German Sepa
ratists seeking religious freedom, Zoar was a
self-sustaining community by 1830. The
Village retains a great deal of its 19th century
ch: ter and much of the community is now
a National Register District. Most of this
district, including the Number One House
{c.1833), the Tin Shop (c.1825), the Green-

house (c.1835), and the formal garden on the
village square, has been restored and is man-
aged by the Ohio Historical Society. Many
privately owned structures have been
preserved or restored. The fields surrounding
Zoar, remnants of the communal agriculture
practiced by the Zoarites, are important land
scape components of the settlement

* Seventy-two historic archeological sites
are recorded within the corridor The Irish-
town Bend district in Cleveland is an example.
The NRHP nomination for this district states
* drishtown Bend district during the 19th
century was an economically and socially
homogeneous ethnic working class neighbor
hood... Today the area is a “preservation

window” in which cultural deposits associated
with the community appear to have been pre
served... (Continued investigation) may lead to
revisions in the social and economic history of
Cleveland.”

THEME I. CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS:
INDIGENOUS AMERICAN
POPULATION:

Five prehistoric cultures made this region
their hunting ground and home. They include
Paleo Indians, Archaic Indians, Adena and
Hopewell, both mound builders, and Whittle
sey, Extensive investigation within CVNRA
provides a sense of the rich archeological
resources found within the corridor. Dr. David
Brose, former Chief Curator of Archeology at
the Cleveland Museum of Natural History,
stated during a 1979 interview

“artifacts deposited in the valley are repr
sentative of every prehistoric period, from the
Paleo-Indian through Terminal Late Wood
land.” He suggested the significance beyond
CVNRA boundaries when he said, “it is
probably most correct to say that at pres
intially important
(north-south) transition corridor.”

the valley represents a pe

The Ohio Archeological Inventory (OAL)
identifies over 550 prehistoric and historic
archeological sites within the Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor. Since there has never been a
systematic corridor-wide archeological survey,
there is the possibility that many more sites
exist. Six prehistoric and one historic
archeological site are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places.

° Bolivar - The area around Bolivar served
as the capital of the Delaware and Tuscarawas
Indian Nations during the 1700s, Also located
near here is Fort Laurens State Memorial and
Museum, a NRHP archeological site which
preserves the location of Ohio's only
Revolutionary War fort

The cultural resources of the Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor are numerous and diverse.
This cultural landscape has changed over time
while retaining an ambiance of the past, It is
a living landscape that integrates cultural
resource protection with changes necessary
for viable commun:



The Powerhouse in the Cleveland Flats is
an excellent example of the economic
benefits that can be derived from adap-
tive restoration of historic structures

historic structures will contribute to the revi-
talization of corridor communities, stimu
lating economic development and building
community spirit. The many abandoned ware-
house and manufacturing structures in the
corridor also provide tourism opportunities

An interpretive plan prepared for the
Blackstone River Valley National Heritage
Corridor by Timelines, Inc. identifies the

prominent role of preservation and
interpretation:

“maintaining and enhancing quality of life for
the corridor’s residents through comprehensive
preservation and interpretation of the corri

dor’s historic and natural resources fosters

quality development as well as quality

tourism, leading to quality economic

development and growth.”

Recognition of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor
will encourage the protection of natural
resources, providing an environmental
education classroom within easy reach of
millions of residents and visitors. Protection

of wetlands and other ecosystems will help
sustain biological diversity in the region,
affording new and expanded education and
recreation opportunities.

Recognition of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor
will foster a regional approach to econom-
ic growth, Sluggish economic growth in the
region follows the decline of the smokestack

industries of rubber, steel, and oil. A shift to
service-based and light industry and reemer-
gence of some of the smokestack industries is
slowly taking place. The cities and rural com.
munities within the corridor find it increas--
ingly difficult to compete alone. In a speech
entitled “Strengths Through Regionalism,”
Richard W. Pogue, Chairman of the Greater
Cleveland Growth Association, pointed out
that even though it is the 25th largest city in
the United States, Cleveland is having trouble
competing for economic development projects.
The “super region” of Cleveland/Akron/Can-
ton, which has a population of 3 million and is

the country’s 12th largest metropolitan area,
is much more competitive

Recognition of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor
will promote regional economic growth.
Identification, packaging, and marketing of
amenity resources (aspects of the

the region’
rural and urban environments in which resi

dents and visitors may find beauty, pleasure.
and experiences that are unique to the area),
will lead to increased tourism. Amenity
resources can also enrich local communities
by bringing a sense of stewardship and pride
nd become an impetus

residents,

to arex
for resource protection. A planning philosophy

that seeks balance between economic
development and resource protection and
enhancement will result in an improved
quality of life for corridor residents.

The Ohio & Erie Canal between Akron
and Barberton is an example of close to
home recreational opportunities the
corridor provides for residents in
metropolitan areas


Pere E = OUHs Om, é2 ER

E CANAL CORR

STATUS
State Threatened

TYPE COMMON NAME OF SPECIES

Fish Lake Chubsucker

Fish Paddlefish

Plant Bearded Wheat Grass:

Plant Bebb’s Sedge

Plant Broad-Winged Sedge

Plant Buckbean

Plant Canada Frostweed

Plant Canadian St. John's Wort |

Plant

Plant

Plant

Plant =

Plant

Plant

Plant

Plant

Plant

Plant

Plant

Plant

Plant

Plant

Plant <

Plant Pointed © te é

Plant Rose Pagonia

Plant Round-Fruited Pin

Plant Seaside Arrow-Grass

Plant Silvery Sedge

Plant Swamp Birch Me fa!

Plant Tufted Hairgrass

Plant Thin-Leaf Sedge —

Plant Wild Rice

Plant Variegated Scouring-Rush
——--—--

APPENDIX C - a

SPECIAL INITIATIVES

AND CONSIDERATIONS

Special Directive 92-11, on the topic of
special resource studies, suggests that
initiatives and considerations be taken into
account when evaluating significance. This
appendix contains a list of initiatives that
could be addressed within the Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor.

One initiative focuses on partnerships and vol-
unteerism. When the idea of an Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor was conceived, it was apparent

that a united effort on the part of the various
public agencies and the private sector was
needed for success. No one entity could suc-
ceed in doing all that is necessary to ensure
recognition, protection and proper develop-
ment of corridor resources, Three partners
have emerged to carry on this work.

In September of 1989, a volunteer organiza-
tion was formed, OECCC, to promote the
corridor concept in Summit, Stark, and
Tuscarawas counties, With the partnership
between NPS, NCVCI, and the OECCC, peo-
ple are working together to make the Ohio &
Erie Canal Corridor a success.

DOR





Ri Oat Os Be BUR EE

that reflect the traditions, customs, beliefs,
and folk lives of a variety of cultures. The
earlier agrarian settlement is represented by
many farmsteads in the southern end of the
corridor that date from the mid-19th century.
Burfield Farm near Bolivar is a notable exam-
ple. Canal period settlement and development
are represented throughout the corridor. Vil-
lages and towns that retain much of their
canal-era flavor include Clinton, Canal Fulton,
Boston, Everett, and Peninsula.

The residential neighborhoods that grew up
around factories reflect the origins of the for-
eign immigrants who settled there. Cleveland
neighborhoods such as Archwood-Dennison
Avenue, Broadway Avenue, Ohio City, and
Warszawa are national register districts which
retain their historic appearance. Akron con-

" tains two neighborhoods, Goodyear Heights

and Firestone Park, that were originally

" developed by the respective corporations to

provide suitable housing for employees. The
life styles of the wealthy industrialists are
also represented in the corridor by sites such
as the Stan Hywet Estate (Goodyear founder
Frank A. Seiberling’s home) and the Anna
Dean Farm (Diamond Match founder O, C.
Barber's estate).

At the south end of the corridor is the village
of Zoar. Founded in 1817 by a German reli-
gious sect, the village and surrounding fields
still reflect the communal agricultural prac-
tices of the Zoarites.

Several other social institutions originated
in the canal corridor and gained national

prominence, The Salvation Army founded it

first post in the United States in Cleveland
with financial assistance from the city's
wealthy industrialists. Alcoholics Anonymous

was founded in an Akron school. The

National Footbal! League was founded
in Canton in 1920.

It provides outstanding opportunities to
conserve natural and cultural features,
link them to provide educational and
recreational benefits, enhance biodiversi-
ty, improve air and water quality, and
emphasize other attributes to human
health and welfare. A coalition of govern-
ment agencies and community groups

CANAL

representing all areas of the canal corridor
could act in concert to conserve the natural
and cultural features of the corridor. The corri-
dor contains important resources for
Northeast Ohio, including wetlands and flood-
plains, historic structures, and archeological
sites. A management plan for the corridor
which can coordinate activities across jurisdic-
tional boundaries would help prevent further
fragmentation of wildlife habitat, identify

and set priorities for conservation of impor-
tant historical structures, and assist with the
clean up of the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas
Rivers. Coordinated planning and implemen-
tation could ensure that a full range of
recreational opportunities are available and
that the important resources and stories in
the corridor are interpreted for the public.

The coalition formed to study the corridor is
beginning to make headway on these issues.
Development of a regional trail along the
canal is underway in some towns. The coali-
tion is working to improve public awareness of
the Cuyahoga River as a part of the efforts to
clean up the river. The communities in the cor-
ridor are beginning to take a regional view

of the Ohio & Erie Canal and its corridor.

It is an archetypical example of a natural
region or process. The study area lies on the
natural boundary between eastern mountains
and western prairie as well as between the
glaciated Central Lowlands and non-glaciated
Appalachian Plateau. The drainage divide at
Akron was formed by the retreat of the Wis-
consin Ice. South of Akron, the Tuscarawas
River valley forms part of the Appalachian
landscape. This combination of landforms cre-
ated a “biological cross roads,” and resulted in
the human adaptations apparent in the

area today.

There is evidence of strong local support
for the study from a diversity of landown-
ers, business interests, nonprofit organ-
izations, and governments within the
proposed study area. As evidenced by the
numerous letters and resolutions in appendix
D, there is strong local support for this project,
and the support comes from landowners, busi-
ness interests, governments, and nonprofit
organizations. More significantly, these groups
are already coming together to address issues
discussed in this study.

CO! RERED: OER


Similar designation for the Ohio & Erie Canal
Corridor could result in the adoption of NPS
standards in such areas as the development
of recreational trails and visitor ices,
interpretation, and resource protection and
compliance.

While the size, complexity, character, and
dynamic nature of the Ohio & Erie Canal
Corridor make it unfeasible for consideration
a8 a traditional unit of the }
tem, the corridor is feasible for inclusion as a
National Heritage Corridor, an area affiliated
with the NPS system.

Analysis Of

Compatibility Using
Potential National Heritage
Partnership Criteria

Since 1991, the National Park Service has
been discussing with state and local govern-
ments and with cultural resource conservation
groups, ways of conserving regional heritage
or landscapes without precluding economic
development. The Service has circulated two
versions of a discussion paper and held public
meetings across the country to get ideas and
concerns regarding the heritage partnership
proposal. The Service is currently drafting
legislation for a heritage partnership program.
The drafters of the legislation have developed
eight criteria for national heritage partner.
ships. The criteria are.

(D the planning area represents, in physi-
cal form, an important theme or themes
in United States history;

(2) it reflects values such as traditions,
customs, beliefs, and folk life in the
physical features of the landscape;

(3) it provides outstanding opportunities
to conserve natural and cultural features,
link them to provide educational and
recreational benefits, enhance biodiversi-
ty, improve air and water quality, and
emphasize other attributes to human
health and welfare;

(4) it is an archetypical example of a
natural region or process;

Burfield's Farm in Bolivar exemplifies an
agrarian setting reflecting the canal era
common in the southern end of the corridor

The watered canal between Akron and
Barberton provides outstanding recreation-
al and educational opportunities for
residents of both communities

(5) there is evidence of strong local
support for the study from a diversity of
landowners, business interests, nonprofit
organizations, and governments within
the proposed study area;



County and Metropolitan

Park Districts

Potential Involvement: Metropolitan park
districts are the logical agencies to plan,
acquire land, and develop, as well as operate
and manage, respective segments of the multi-
purpose Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor trail.
They could provide assistance to communities
in parks and recreation planning, These
districts have outstanding natural history
interpretative programs which could be coor-
dinated throughout the corridor to reach
further into communities outside of the formal
park systems. Metropolitan Park districts
could take the lead in the acquisition of key
parcels of land for protection, park develop-
ment, and enhancing public awareness and
involvement pertaining to resource protection.
The canal corridor concept could be a major
focus of any long range planning effort under-
taken by these park districts.

Along the northern section of the 1&M,
towards Chicago, county forest preserve dis-
tricts provide most of the recreation and
interpretive opportunities. County park dis-
tricts manage important components of the
Lackawana Heritage Valley and Delaware &
Lehigh in Pennsylvania, Lake MetroParks, in
northeast Ohio, has sponsored a series of Open
Space and Sensitive Development workshops
that focus on resource sensitive development.

Municipalities

Potential Involvement: One of the primary
goals of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor is to
have each corridor municipality recognize its
resources and become stewards for resource
protection. As the public and decision makers
become more aware of resource values and
linkages to other communities they should
take a corridor wide perspective when design-
ing infrastructure improvements, tourism
information, long-range planning projects,
education curricula, special events, and neigh-
borhood programs, Corridor community
governments could forge the necessary part-
nerships with business, industry, and private
nonprofit groups to implement corridor
protection and enhancement on a local level.
The City of Wheeling, West Virginia envi-
sioned a planning process with the state and
NPS to develop a “Wheeling Heritage Concept
Plan”. Through a Memorandum of Under-

BE Oo VOUNETE RALEWC A NATL GS OR RD OR

standing the city, state, and NPS share
responsibility in creating this plan for con-
serving, interpreting and developing
Wheeling’s heritage. The town of Cumberland,
Rhode Island is working to clean up and inter-
pret a mill site to provide public open space in
the downtown core.as part of the Blackstone.
In Lowell, the City Development Authority
took the lead to insure that major community
improvement projects were consistent and
Supportive of the urban park concept.

Business and Industry

Potential Involvement: Private sector involve-
ment of business and industry throughout the
corridor is critical. Business and industry
understand how the quality of life is affected
by and, in turn, has an effect on the availabili-
ty of recreation, transportation, education,
and impacts business. Without the support

of the private sector, preservation of the nat-
ural, cultural and historical heritage of the
corridor will not happen. Business and indus-
try can take the lead by innovative and
efficient reuse of the wealth of historic struc-
tures as building stock for future development.
They can also take a lead role in the preserva-
tion and interpretation of their own industrial
history. The corridor project provides a forum
for business and industry to work cooperative-
ly with partners from the historic preservation
and environmental interests in protecting and
properly developing corridor resources,

The Blackstone Commission is working with
business and industrial leaders to adapt his-
toric mill buildings for modern industrial,
commercial, retail, cultural and residential
uses. Several regions along the I&M have
been designated Illinois Enterprise Zones,
qualifying them for incentives from the state.
The America’s Industrial Heritage Partner-
ship (ATHP) in southwestern Pennsylvania,
identifies the participation of businesses
through private investment in

rehabilitating historic buildings as one

of the projects most valuable assets,

Tourism Industry

Potential Involvement: A successful corridor
plan must include strategies to effectively
market corridor resources. The state and local
tourism agencies must play a major role in
developing and distributing information. The


Population

Over 45% of Ohio's total population of
10,847,115, approximately 5 million people,
lives within fifty miles of the Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor, The corridor is within a
half-day’s drive of approximately 25 million
people, including those located in the
population centers of Youngstown,
Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Toledo,
Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Buffalo, New York;
Indianapolis, Indiana; and Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania

According to 1990 census data, population of
the four counties in the study area is as fol-
lows; Cuyahoga ~ 1,412,140, Summit
614,990, Stark - 367,585, and

Tuscarawas - 84,090.

The urban areas of the corridor have large
concentrations of ethnic and minority people.
Overall, minority groups represent approxi-
mately 10% of corridor residents. Over 50
ethnic groups are represented in Greater
Cleveland alone. Neighborhoods such as Fleet,
a Slavic settlement; Broadway Avenue, a Czech
settlement; and the multi-ethnic Tremont with
Puerto Rican and Appalachian immigrants, are
examples of the ethnic diversity repeated in
communities throughout the corridor.

Despite the small decline in the region’s popu
lation during the 1980s, the accelerated urban
sprawl that is now underway in the communi
ties on the outer boundary of Cuyahoga County
has created the framework for an emerging
megalopolis. Rapid urbanization, without
appropriate protection and planning, threatens
the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor resources

Methodist Church picnic, near Cleveland. Captain Frank Lyons, Owner.


his study has led to a shared
regional vision of what the Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor could become

Recognition of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor
will foster local stewardship and spawn
public/private partnerships to preserve,
enhance, and interpret the cultural, natural
and recreational resources within the corridor
which will create a sen

place, promote
nhance the

economic deve

ypment, and ¢
image and quality of life in the region

Recognition of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor
will promote the expansion of transporta-
tion and recreational opportunities and
the linkage of existing facilities.

Hiking along the Ohio & Erie Canal

¢ An 87-mile trail for hiking and biking from

Cleveland to Z

r following the route of.

connect with a pro-
em to the north and
t Seer

posed
the
Tre

the northern segment of the Ohio to E

ry Nationc

trail will also serve'as

ie Trail

's three largest urban cen

ting the stat

Columbus, and Cleveland.

¢ In Stark Cou trail linkages from this

“canal trail” to Cantor

residents of that metropol

ole ud development of
byway ! provide scenic road
linkages r re es, benefiting
both visitors r vsident.

the Tus

rs within the

on the water resources

© A focu

carawas and C

ahoga f

corridor will raise public awareness, resulting

in clean up and increased recreational use

Unique recreational opportunities are
possible with the expansion of the
Cuyohoga Valley Line into Canton

Valley Line

ion Railroad north to downtown

Extension of the Cuyahog

Cleveland and south to Canton is another

ble recreation and commuter linkage
within the corridor.

Recognition of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor
will provide an overall interpretive frame-
work to link the diverse yet interrelated
corridor resources and themes, This com-
prehensive approach to interpretation could

serve to improve existing services and identify
the need for new facilities. A holistic approach
n of the corridor would gener-

to interpreta
ate a better understanding and appreciation of
the corridor’s heritage and result. in a con-
stituency of informed and enthusiastic

rs who realize their role as stewards

supporte
of the corridor’s resources

Recognition of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor
will promote the preservation, restoration,
and reuse of historic structures that illus

trate the cor
tion is a proven method of cost-effective neigh

or themes. Historic preserv

borhood revitalization that retains original
building materials and preserves a sense of

¢. Preservation and reuse of the



ALTERNATIVE #3 -
STATE INITIATIVE

State legislation could create a heritage com-
mission or other mechanism to coordinate the
management of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corri-
dor at the state level. A commission could
consist of representatives from each corridor
community, appropriate local, state, and
federal agencies, and the private sector. State
funding of specific projects might be supple-

_ mented with federal money and contributions

from the private sector. In this scenario, NPS
could be offered a seat on the commission
to provide technical assistance.

Advantages and Disadvantages

State designation would give high visibility to
the corridor. State leadership would bring
experience in managing complex regional and
Statewide resources. A state commission
might be able to overcome obstacles to inter-
governmental cooperation through incentives
and staff mediation. The professional staff

_assigned to support the commission could

devote more focused effort to obtaining techni-
cal assistance and funding through state and
federal programs. Some federal programs,
such as ISTEA and the Land & Water Conser-
vation Fund, are being administered on a
state level, and the state enabling legislation
could direct the state administrators to
provide assistance.

A state initiative has the potential for positive
impacts on natural and cultural resources.
Formal state designation could invoke more
stringent criteria on permit requests and
grant proposals that might harm the corridor’s

_resources, The ODNR and the SHPO have the

organization and experience necessary to
manage the natural and cultural resources of
the corridor. The ODNR currently manages
programs relating to air and water quality,
wetlands, game and nongame wildlife, and
threatened and endangered species. It also
administers the state park system and is

a primary state level provider of recreation.
The SHPO manages the OHI, OAI, and
provides technical assistance to communities
regarding historic preservation concerns,
Both agencies are currently corridor manage-

me) HE O HOO “Se ERA EC AN AE [COR R I-D'ORR

ment partners, with ongoing operations

at stale park and state memorial facilities.
Under this alternative, the ODOT might
play a larger role in the funding of projects
through administration of ISTEA programs
and promotion of the corridor through high-
way signs and their Bureau of Travel
Information. Ohio's Department of Develop-
ment, Division of Travel and Tourism would
be more likely to promote the corridor
regionally and nationally.

Communities would benefit from the state's
role in expanding and linking local
recreation facilities. Corridor landowners
might welcome the state as a credible facility
manager, alleviating operational concerns.

The ability of the state government to
increase its role in existing and new
programs has been hampered by a lack of
funds. Existing state programs may not be
adequate to implement plans in corridor
communities. Increased state government
presence might not be necessary or desired
in communities where a strong local
government is willing to protect and
manage resources. However, this lack

of interest in state management could reduce
overall coordination within the corridor,

State initiatives in heritage preservation
are working in other states, Pennsylvania
and New York, for example, The State of
Ohio does not have an institution to
effectively manage a project that involves
such a wide array of resources. The State of
Ohio is not in a position to effectively
coordinate activities that relate to the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor. Today, the
State of Ohio is a full partner in the
project and perhaps its role will evolve

as the project develops.

Federal expense associated with this
alternative might consist of the costs relating
to CVNRA participation on a state heritage
commission. Participation would involve staff
time associated with providing guidance and
technical assistance relating to planning,
resource management, and interpretation

at an estimated cost of $50,000 annually.
This money would come from the park's
operating budget.



Pte oe

Fully laden canal boats

near Navarre


Lock 17, Akron,
about 1905

Heritage areas are

. greenlined areas of
public interest...with
many outstanding
natural and cultural
resources, possessing an
associated identity.

They are landscapes and
townscapes where people
work, live and play; they
are dynamic, yet depict an
essence of character
identified in

time and place.”

“

Robert Thornberry,
State of Illinois

Division of Planning


Stitability, &
Pease.)

ie Lock 37
's) Mill




that grace Main Street. Recent restoration of
Main Street and many building fronts will be
followed by restoration of the backs of thes
Structures that face a still watered section of
the Ohio & Erie Canal

Yavarre - In the 1850s, locally mined coal
became a major commodity on the canal that
fostered the growth of the iron and steel
industry in Massillon and Cleveland

The remnants of these mines, near Navarre.

are significant historical resources.

* Zoarville - On the grounds of Camp Tus-
cazoar, founded in 1926 and in continuous use
since then, are the remnants of the mines
Which provided iron ore to Zoar

THEME XI. AGRICULTURE

* Cleveland Flats - a mid-1820s grain
elevator is still in use

* Massillon’s agricultural heritage is
exemplified by Spring Hill, the restored
homestead and farm of Thomas Rotch, built
in 1521. Now on the NRHP, Spring Hill was
& stop on the Underground Railroad in
the 1850s

* Navarre - The Surbey Feed Mill (mid 1830s
is one of the few remaining mills built to
process, st nd ship grain on the
Ohio & Erie Canal

© Navarre/Bolivar - Many of the farm-
Steads in this area appear to date from the
mid 19th century and are representative of

Cultural Resources

@ Historic Structure(s)/ District

MY Bridgets)

dy CUYAHOGA

VALLEY

NATIONAL
RECREATION

CANTON
hea

TUSCARAWAS IVER



The alternatives
presented in this
study have

been neither
approved nor
disapproved by
the agencies and
organizations
involved in their
preparation.
The purpose of
this study is to
provide planning
information

for further
consideration,
and it may

be revised as
additional ideas
are presented.


portation/recreation bicycle paths and scenic
byway projects. The ODOT is responsible for
information signs along state roads and high
ways and its Bureau of Travel Information

maintains visitor information centers on inter-

state highways, distributing information on
corridor resources and attractions.

Ohio Historical Society and
ate Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)

The OHS manages two state memorials with-
in the Ohie & Erie Canal Corridor. Zoar
Village State Memorial in Zoar interprets life
in an early 1800s communal society through
restored buildings, a formal village square,

The museum at Fort Laurens State
Memorial displays artifacts from Ohio's
only Revolutionary War site

exhibits, tours, and publications. Fort Laurens
State Memorial, in Bolivar, preserves Ohio's
only Revolutionary War site. A museum
displays artifacts from this site as well as
clothing and weapons typical of garrisoned
soldiers. OHS staff lead hikes along remnants
of the Ohio & Erie Canal from Zoar to Bolivar,
highlighting its significance to the area. The
manager of these two sites has been actively
involved with the OECCC in promotion of the
corridor concept, The SHPO administers the
NRHP program and provides technica
tance advice in preservation related activities
such as the section 106 process, SHPO offers

| assis:

support to communities interested in the Cer-
tified Local Government Program, a program
that recognizes a communities commitment to
preserving its historic resources, The SHPO
also maintains the OHI and OAI

Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District
(MWCD)

Conservancy districts in Ohio are independent
local agencies of state government responsible
for multi-purpose water resource development
within a geographic area. In the case of
MWCO, one fifth of in Ohio including the
southern end of the corridor is under its juris-
diction. The MWCD manages 10 lakes and
surrounding lands that provide numerous
resources and opportunities for participation
in recreation activities

Other State Agencies: The Ohio Cooperative
Extension Service is a source of technical

assistance.

Metropolitan Park Districts

Cleveland Metroparks; Metro Parks, Serving
Summit County; and Stark County Parks cur
rently manage numerous park units that
preserve and protect important resources of
the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor. Each park
district has participated in meetings and
events to raise public awareness and has
provided resolutions of support for the corri-
dor. All are examining potential roles in
further developing and maintaining compo-
nents of the corridor’s cultural, natural,

and recreational resources. Public input in
the Cleveland’s Metroparks 2000 planning
process identified the canal corridor as a
high priority. Summit and Stark county
park districts have recognized their roles
in operation and management of the
proposed 87-mile corridor trail

Cleveland Metroparks offers a diverse array of
interpretive opportunities at five nature cen-
ters. Nature exhibits and programs including
hikes, talks, demonstrations, and a variety of
special events, focus primarily on the ar
natural history. The Brecksville and Garfield
Park Nature Centers are within the Ohio &
Erie Canal Corridor, but most Metropark facil-
ities are connected by over 100 miles of
parkways, Cleveland Metroparks sponsors





TG 'E H |

commemorates the birthplace of America’s
industrial revolution through the theme “the
river at work, the people at work.” Designated
in 1988, the Delaware & Lehigh Navigation
Canal NHC (Delaware and Lehigh), in eastern
Pennsylvania, celebrates the Delaware &
Lehigh River valleys’ natural and cultural
heritage. All three of these areas represent
unique situations with special resource protec-
tion needs. They consist of complex resources
existing within the context of a living, work-
ing, linear landscape. The linear nature of each
NHC features rivers and canals that became an
integral part of each region's heritage.

A watered section of the Ohio & Erie
Canal south of the Cleveland Flats.

The Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor demonstrates
many of the same characteristics as the three
existing NHCs. The corridor is an exceptional
blend of natural, cultural, and recreational
resources that collectively offer outstanding
opportunities for public use and enjoyment.
The corridor is an excellent example of a
diverse landscape that tells the story of how
transportation affected the way America was
Settled and how America continues to develop.
Preserved in this corridor are the remnants of
acanal system that was the first all-water link
between the Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico;
remnants of the first of a canal network in
Ohio that was one of the nation’s most exten-
sive and successful. For this reason, the Ohio
& Erie Canal is in need of special recognition.

Recognition of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor
would also advance the overall mission of the
National Park Service. CVNRA was estab-
lished in 1974 under the Urban Parks
Initiative to bring parks to the people. Recog-
nition of the corridor and development of
recreational linkages would tie the park to

the surrounding communities it was estab-
lished to serve, Recognition of the corridor
would provide a forum to address external
threats to the park by fostering local steward-
ship and spawning public/private partnerships
to resolve conflicts. Recognition of the corridor
would provide a holistic interpretive frame-
work to link the diverse, yet interrelated
resources and themes. Recognition of the Ohio
& Erie Canal, beyond park boundaries to the
north and south, would lead to protection and
enhancement of this nationally significant
resource and associated cultural landscapes.

Staff from CVNRA currently provide as much
assistance to corridor communities as is
possible, given the demands of the day-to-day
operations within the park, Other National
Park Service programs such as the Recre-
ational Resources Assistance Division and
Preservation Assistance Division provide addi-
tional technical assistance to the Ohio & Erie
Canal Corridor, but this assistance is limited
by regional demands. The complexity of the
corridor resources and the number of
communities in the area are such that their
needs cannot be adequately addressed
through these existing programs.

An area must document that a coopera-
tive arrangement with the NPS and
contributions from other sources will be
adequate to assure long term protection
of the resources. Cooperative agreements
with the NPS have been shown to be effective
means of resource protection as exemplified by
the successes in such areas as Lowell National
Historic Park, IM Canal NHC, and Ebey’s
Landing National Historic Reserve.

A willingness to enter into partnerships to
protect the resources of the Ohio & Erie Canal
Corridor has already manifested itself in
several cooperative projects. The “Public
Interest and Support” section of this study
identifies many organizations and interest



at Hank Minick's coal chute, Trenton.
Hank is on the boat with
Johnny Reicher, Captain.



——y

Lock 21 near the junction of Merriman Road and Riverview Road in Akron. About 1890

that the Ohio & Erie Canal had national
significance but that the physical remains

of the canal lacked integrity. The canal was
identified as being “an open corridor of sub-
stantial recreation potential.” A\though

the canal remains overall were said to be lack

rents of the canal

ing in integrity, two seg!
fied as “outstanding examples
of well-preserved canal and related facil-
ities”; both of these segments are within the

were ide

boundaries of this study

Protection and enhancement of the diverse

resources of the Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor

are

not new ideas (Appendix A), Mechanisms

exist today to re-evaluate broad natural and

cultural landscapes such as those found in the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor, and to consider
new types of protective des

gnation that rely

on Jocal ownership and management of re

tration with the NPS. Varying
of protection can lead to Affiliated Area
status and draft National Heritz

sources in coor

level.

Partner

ship (NHP) legislation suggests criteria be

| resources. The
of the Ohio
& Erie Canal Corridor conducted in this study

tited for evaluation of car

suitability and feasibility analy

s both sets of criteria



|
:

|
E
;

aa H-E-O

OB ER

APPENDIX A - NOT A NEW IDEA...

Tn 1925, the Metropolitan Park Board of Sum-
mit County commissioned the Olmsted
Brothers to conduct a survey and study of
Summit County for a system of public parks,
reservations and parkways. In their report,
they recognized the potential of the Ohio &
Erie Canal as a boating link between Barber-
ton and Akron, and they saw the opportunity
for a continuous parkway along the canal from
Clinton north through Akron and up the
Cuyahoga Valley with connections to the
Cleveland Metropolitan Park System. This
report also recommended,

“..for three miles or so at its southern

end, the parkway should be wide enough
to inelude the river and canal and most of
the valley bottom, making essentially an

elongated park.”

The Stark County Regional Planning Comniis-

_ sion role in the canal corridor spans three
~ decades. The 1962 Park Land Resources
| Study led to the formation of the Canal Lands

Development Advisory Committee. This group
‘was instrumental in having the State of Ohio
transfer canal land ownership to county and
municipal governments. A 1964 management
plan for these newly acquired lands con-
tributed to the creation of the Stark County

Park District and is a major reason most of

Stark County’s canal resources remain.

~The Ohio Department of Natural Resources

{ODNR) contracted a study in 1970 entitled

| ‘Tuscarawas River and Ohio & Erie Canal
Recreation and Development Study, In this

study, the department looked at the recreation

* potential of the Tuscarawas River Valley and

presented a plan for development and conser-
vation indicating that,

“..sections of the Tuscarawas River and
the Ohio & Erie Canal in Summit, Stark

and Tuscarawas Counties could be devel-

oped as a recreational parkway...
Character of the river, canal traces,
historical sites and access roads indicate
that a lengthy river corridor with activity
nodes at selected locations would be most
appropriate... Facilities may be varied -
offering picnicking, camping, canoeing,
hiking, nature study, or historical

E CANAL

interest... The river-canal parkway would
serve the Akron-Canton metropolitan area
as a regional system.”

‘The national significance of a portion of the
Ohio & Erie Canal Corridor was recognized
with the authorization of the CVNRA in 1974.
‘This 33,000-acre NPS unit was designated for
the purpose of, “preserving and protection
for public use and enjoyment the historic,
scenic, natural, and recreational values
of the Cuyahoga River and the adjacent
lands of the Cuyahoga Valley and for the
purpose of providing for the maintenance
of needed recreational space necessary to
the urban environment...”

In 1979, the City of Akron and the Metropoli-
tan Park District, through a cooperative
agreement, developed a master plan of the
1500-acre Cascade Valley Park. The plan
called for seven units in North Akron along
the Little Cuyahoga and Cuyahoga rivers to
be developed by the city and managed and
maintained by the Park District. Two units
have been developed and two additional units,
including the Riverview Unit which will pro-
vide a bicycle link with the CVNRA, are
currently undergoing final planning. The Cas-
cade Valley Park represents an important step
in the realization of the 1925 Olmsted Broth-
ers Akron regional open space plan.

In 1990, the Ohio Bicycle Advisory Council
endorsed a cross-state, off-road, contiguous,
multi-purpose recreation and transportation
trail, stating,

“Most of the trail will be built on railroad
right-of-way and on the towpath of the
old, state owned Ohio & Erie Canal...
Following the canal route it will pass
through (Tuscarawas), Stark, Summit,
and Cuyahoga Counties where sections

of the canal still contain water.”

The recently released Cuyahoga County Plan-
ning Commission's “North Cuyahoga Valley
Corridor Plan” makes specific recommenda-
tions for implementing a heritage corridor
along the Cuyahoga River from its mouth at
Lake Erie to the northern boundary of the
CVNRA. The plan identifies significant
resources and stories, as well as the potential
for economic development, heritage education,

ORRIDOR


Cleveland Metroparks plans to develop
Mill Creek Falls, seen here, providing
wblic access while creating a linkage
tween the corridor and the eastern
suburbs of Cleveland.

the Institute of the Great Outdoors, offering
hands-on recreation skills workshops.
Metroparks Zoo exhibits over 3100 animals
and provides comprehensive education pro-
grams for all ages. The Emerald Necklace
newsletter highlights these events as well as
the resources of the Cleveland Metroparks.

Metro Parks, Serving Summit County's F_A.
Seiberling Naturealm offers an introduc
to the area's diverse natural history. Natu
ists provide interpretive hikes and talks
throughout the park system and within the
surrounding corridor communities, A monthly
newsletter, Green Islands, includes a schedule
of events

The Stark County Park District maintains a
variety of recreation facilities including fifteen
miles of the Ohio & Erie Canal and restored
Lock 4. Periodic programs, publications, way-
side exhibits, and bulletin boards provide
information and interpretation.

Municipalities

Many corridor municipalities and metropoli
tan and county planning organizations have
recognized the importance of the Ohio & Erie

Canal Corridor by adopting resolutions of sup-
port for the corridor study. The North:
Ohio Four County Regional Planning & Devel-
opment Organization, Tuscarawas Planning
Commission, Stark County Regional Planning
Commission, and Summit County Planning
have all embraced corridor concepts of re-
source sensitive development and regionalism
The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission's
1992 North Cuyahoga Valley Corridor Plan
has been adopted and is being implemented by
Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.

Akron is aggressively planning and funding
projects focused on its canal resources.
Through ODOT, the city has applied for
ISTEA funding of $375,000 to produce a mas-
ter plan of the Canal Corridor through the
city, and $1,957,000 to complete planning and
begin development of a bike-hike trail that
will link CVNRA to the Cascade Valley Park
Akron has committed nearly $500,000 as the
local match for these projects. The city has

The City of Barberton is preparing a
comprehensive historic preservation

plan leading toward restoration of its
historic downtown

committed an additional $50,000 for develop.
ment of trails along the Cascade Locks,
$25,000 for planning the Memorial Parkway
Unit of the Cascade Valley Park and, with $1
million from ODOT’s Bike Trail Fund, will



A major effort is underway fo preserve
these Huelett Ore Unloaders, an impor-
tant part of Cleveland's industrial history

from nearly all of the political subdivisions
along the canal route.

Numerous other private nonprofit groups are

_ involved at the grassroots level. They include,

among others, Cascade Locks Park Associa-
tion, Summit County Historical Society, Stark
Preservation Alliance, Friends of the Crooked
River, Navarre-Bethlehem Township Canal
Coalition, Cuyahoga Valley Association, Zoar
Community Association, Canal Society of
Ohio, Cuyahoga Valley Line Railroad, the
Cuyahoga Valley Trails Council, Broadway
Area Housing Coalition, and The Ohio to

Erie Trail.

Private nonprofit organizations also show
their support through the operation of facili-
ties that interpret the themes of the corridor.
On Cleveland's lakefront is the William G
Mather Museum, « 1925 ore boat that illus-
trates the history of Great Lakes shipping.
Hale Farm and Village, operated by the West-
ern Reserve Historical Society in CVNRA, is a
living history museum that interprets rural
life in the mid 1800's through exhibits, guides
in period costumes, and craftsmen practicing
the trades of carpentry, blacksmithing, glass-
blowing, pottery making, and spinning.

The planned Great Lakes Museum of Science,

Environment, and Technology and Rock and
Rol! Hall of Fame will add new interpretive
opportunities. The North Cuyahoga Valley
Corridor Plan calls for a Cuyahoga Valley
Heritage Center that would interpret the
transportation, industry, and immigration
history of the Cuyahoga Valley. The plan also
calls for the development of interpretative
wayside exhibits throughout the North
Cuyahoga Valley Corridor, highlighting

its heritage and natural history.

The Summit County Historical Society
operates the 1837 Perkins Stone Mansion
and the John Brown House. Tours through
these structures, exhibits depicting the history
of Akron and the Ohio & Erie Canal, publica-
tions, and special events are available to
visitors. The Akron Art Museum features &
permanent collection of American and Euro-
pean Art since 1850, The Goodyear World of
Rubber Museum traces the history of
Goodyear-and the rubber industry, Akron’s
role in America’s industrial development has
attracted the soon to be constructed National
Inventors Hall of Fame,

The Heritage House/Old Canal Days
Museum in Canal Fulton.

Heritage House/Old Canal Days Museum
operated by the Canal Fulton Heritage Society
exhibits a collection of canal and canal-era
memorabilia. A 2 1/2- mile round trip tour on



Brecksville railroad depot, 1923