County Artifacts Walk
Each of Ohio’s 88 counties have contributed an artifact to represent their county in the Heritage Garden. The artifacts here are as diverse as a simple, locally made clay brick from Columbiana County to a large sandstone panel from the chimney of the Darke County courthouse.
The stone from Adams County is taken from a section of the original sidewalk in West Union, Ohio, the county seat. Dating to approximately 1875, the dolomite was quarried in or near West Union.
Adams County
The current Allen County courthouse was erected in 1882 and is the third to serve the county. On July 24, 1974, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This brick and many others provided street access to citizens of Allen County for nearly three quarters of a century.
Allen County
This piece of marble was part of an original countertop in the Ashland County courthouse. The county courthouse—the second for the county – was constructed in 1928. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Ashland County
The Ashtabula County stone features a covered bridge. The county is home to 17 covered bridges, including the longest covered bridge in the nation.
Ashtabula County
Athens County is represented by four bricks: a Trimble brick, a Nelsonville brick, a Star brick, and the County Block. All were manufactured in Athens County by various paving brick companies.
Athens County
This brick was laid for the entrance to the Auglaize County courthouse. This courthouse—the second for the county—was constructed in 1894 of Berea sandstone and tile.
Auglaize County
This stone was a piece of the original street curbing in the City of Martins Ferry. Martins Ferry was Belmont County’s first settlement and remains the oldest permanent settlement in Ohio.
Belmont County
The limestone rock representing Brown County was pulled from the shores of the Ohio River, along the edge of the Cincinnati Arch, which is a large geologic feature centered on the city of Cincinnati.
Brown County
Butler County was founded on March 24, 1803, only a month after Ohio gained statehood. This brick is intended to symbolize that, from Ohio’s earliest days in the Great Miami Valley, the people of Butler County have built the state’s transportation systems, houses and industries brick by brick, transforming the Western frontier in a dynamic that continues today.
Butler County
Four brickyards operated in and around Malvern, Ohio, in the late 1800’s and the area was known as the “Paving Brick Capital of the World.”
Carroll County
This is a piece of original sandstone sidewalk from the village of St. Paris in western Champaign County. It was cut from the original sandstone from the sidewalk and is representative of an enduring walkway.
Champaign County
Clark County sits on top of a large limestone deposit, which was mined in the 1800's and used to construct many of the buildings in Springfield, Ohio. Granite was selected as the closest resemblance to limestone in color and appearance to be added to the County Artifacts Walk.
Clark County
The stone representing Clermont County is an original brick from the Old County Home, which was constructed in 1882. During its time, it served as an infirmary and orphanage. The building had over 100 rooms and included an open-air courtyard in the center.
Clermont County
This brick came from Clinton County’s courthouse. The courthouse was built in 1918 and is of the Second Renaissance Revival style architecture.
Clinton County
The rocks nearest the surface in Columbiana County consist of shale, limestone and sandstone with intermingled layers of coal and commercially important clays. Because of this, kilns and pottery are the most distinctive industries in the county, and have been as far back as 1939.
Columbiana County
This brick is from the Coshocton Brick Company, which produced the beautiful, red “Coshocton Brick.” The plant was in operation from 1904 through 1928, employed 35 men and turned out 40,000 bricks daily.
Coshocton County
Years ago, saltwater seas and ocean creatures covered most of Ohio. As a result of this, deposits of calcium and magnesium known to form limestone accumulated in the Crawford County area. This limestone from Crawford County features a beautiful fossil visible within the stone.
Crawford County
This brick was manufactured and stamped by a local Cuyahoga manufacturing company and symbolizes Cuyahoga County’s history as a center for manufacturing, building and industry. The rust color was chosen to symbolize the historic steel industry of Cleveland, which flourished in the late 1800s.
Cuyahoga County
The construction of the Darke County courthouse was completed in 1874, and in 1976 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The stone donated is a piece of one of the original sandstone veneer panels from one of the chimneys. It commemorates the Treaty of Greeneville, which was signed in 1795 in what is now Darke County.
Darke County
This stone is from the Miami-Erie Canal, which took 20 years to complete and connects the Ohio River with Lake Erie.
Defiance County
One prominent type of stone found in Delaware County, Ohio, is limestone. This piece of limestone was collected from a limestone quarry in the county.
Delaware County
Erie County rests on a layer of limestone, only inches below the topsoil in some places, formed by prehistoric glaciers. Because of its abundance, many buildings in the county are constructed of stone quarried locally.
Erie County
This piece of Fairfield County native sandstone was part of the foundation of Rock Mill—Ohio’s oldest and largest surviving mill with the largest overshot waterwheel in the state at 26 feet in diameter.
Fairfield County
This brick comes from Main Street, which dates back to 1884. All the earliest streets were paved with bricks and many are now covered with asphalt.
Fayette County
Franklin County’s stone is Columbus limestone, a variety recognized by color, texture and visible fossils. Quarried locally, Columbus limestone was the building block of the county seat and this piece formerly served as a part of the Ohio Statehouse.
Franklin County
In 1850, the County of Fulton was erected. Defiance Street became the first paved street in the area in 1897, when the first brick was laid in the village of Archbold.
Fulton County
Two bricks from this country are inscribed “E. Betz & Son, Gallipolis, O.” and were made during the 1800s in a foundry.
Galia County
This stone of Sharon Conglomerate was deposited in Geauga County by a glacier thousands of years ago. The high purity mineral (99.56 percent silica---the highest quality found in Ohio) is engraved to celebrate Geauga County’s Bicentennial, 1806-2006.
Geagua County
This rock came from Williamson Mound, which was built over 2000 years ago by prehistoric Adena Indians. The mound stands 30 feet high and is more than 100 feet in diameter. It is one of only five such mounds left standing in Ohio, which were believed to be either used for burial mounds or lookouts.
Greene County
This stone represents the Guernsey County “S” Bridges, which were constructed as part of the National Road c.1828. The “S” Bridges were built as right angles to the stream flow.
Guernsey County
This stone was taken from a piece of granite cut from the foundation of the Hamilton County courthouse. Dedicated on October 18, 1919, the courthouse was constructed of New Hampshire granite and Bedford limestone in a Renaissance revival style.
Hamilton County
This stone is a small piece of the original marble steps taken from the Hancock County courthouse. The current courthouse was completed in 1888 and funded primarily by the oil and gas boom.
Hancock County
This brick is from the Hardin County Armory—Ohio’s oldest standing armory.
Hardin County
This brick was made for the Harrison County Commissioners by Bowerston Shale, which has operated for over 75 years, producing quality architectural, commercial, and residential clay products.
Harrison County
These two bricks are from Henry County’s concrete arch bridge, which span the north and south side of the Maumee River.
Henry County
The Highland County brick is part of a project spearheaded by the Hillsboro High School Class of 1941 to honor three of their classmates who were killed in World War II. The project has grown to include a memorial bench and a brick walkway listing veterans who served from Highland County.
Highland County
The Hocking Block Company brick was made in the late 1800s and bricks of its type were used to make streets for many years. The clay rain barrel and steppingstone represent the beauty and generosity of nature.
Hocking County
Glenmont is in the southeast corner of Holmes County and has been home of The Briar Hill Stone Company since 1917, when Robert Blum, a stone carver from Amherst, recognized the potential of the colorful, durable stone located in the area and purchased a quarry.
Holmes County
Spherical concretions are confined to the Huron River and only three other creeks in the State of Ohio. The lower part of the Huron River contains the large, spherical concretions, which have been referred to as “Huron boulders.”
Huron County
This brick is from the Kinnison School, which was torn down in the spring of 2005.
Jackson County
This rough-cut native sandstone was found at the archaeological excavation at the historic Fort Steuben in Steubenville, Jefferson County. Fort Steuben was originally constructed in 1786 to protect the surveyors of the Northwest Territory as they laid out the townships of the first Seven Ranges.
Jefferson County
This keystone comes from the former Knox County jail, which was built in 1913. The jail was replaced in 2002 by a new facility at a different location. The keystone was cut in Franklin County for its use at the jail and is fine grain limestone.
Knox County
The Lake County courthouse has symbolized the county since its construction and dedication in 1907. During renovations to the courthouse, completed in 2005, the original steps leading to the front entrance were removed and replaced, yielding this block of Berea sandstone.
Lake County
This rock was part of the LaGrange Furnace, which was a pig iron furnace. Many consider Ironton the “iron capital of the nation” when this industry was booming during the 1800’s, specifically the Civil War era.
Lawrence County
Bowerston Shale has produced high-quality clay products for architectural and residential face and paving bricks since 1950. Licking County is the site for four of the top industrial parks in Central Ohio as well as a diverse community of universities, retailers, hospitals, arts and theater, amidst an agricultural community.
Licking County
This rock was discovered in the southeastern part of Logan County by a National Emergency Grant work crew cleaning up from the ice storm of January of 2005. This gneiss, brought from Canada by the glaciers 10,000 years ago, reminds us of the geological processes that formed the landscape in this county. It is because of these processes that Logan County is home to Campbell Hill, the highest point in Ohio.
Logan County
This piece of rosebud-variegated sandstone is from the Kipton Quarry. Kipton Quarry began operations in 1889 and was the world’s leading producer of grinding wheels during the 1940s.
Lorain County
This stone was designed using glass to represent the region, which is often referred to as the "Glass Capital of the World.” The floral rendering in the stone is of a wild blue lupine, a threatened wildflower native to Northwest Ohio. Blue lupine is the sole host plant for the Karner Blue butterfly, a federally endangered species.
Lucas County
Madison County’s stone is from the Madison County courthouse, which was constructed in 1890. The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Madison County
This sandstone comes from Mill Creek Park, which was Ohio’s first park district.
Mahoning County
This stone is from Edison Middle School, which was one of the first schools built in Marion County. The building was still being used until it was determined of no further use in 2003.
Marion County
This brick was part of the original building of the A. I. Root Company, the first major industry in Medina.
Medina County
This brick came from the Chester Court House, built in 1823, which is the oldest standing courthouse in Ohio. The Chester Court House is on the National Register of Historical Places and is currently being used as an Appalachian Cultural Center, sponsoring concerts and educational programs.
Meigs County
This stone is a sample of the highly polished marble floor of the Mercer County courthouse rotunda. The courthouse was completed in 1923 and has been referred to as a “veritable marble palace.”
Mercer County
This sandstone was taken from the original sidewalk in front of the Miami County courthouse. The sidewalk was installed while the courthouse was being built in 1887.
Miami County
This original sandstone was quarried in Monroe County and used in the construction of the county courthouse.
Monroe County
Montgomery County’s stone is a piece of “Dayton Marble,” locally quarried between 1847 and 1850 for construction of the Old Court House. Located in downtown Dayton, the Old Court House is one of Ohio’s most significant buildings of Greek revival architecture.
Montgomery County
The brick representing Morgan County is from the Rieckler Complex, which is now home to a variety of community development offices in downtown McConnelsville.
Morgan County
The Morrow County stone was located in the front walkway to the Morrow County Infirmary, later known as the County Home.
Morrow County
The present structure, dedicated in 1877, is the third courthouse on the same corner and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Muskingum County
The Noble County stone comes from the Noble Brick Company, the county’s most long-lived plant.
Noble County
Limestone quarrying began in the mid-1800s, and today, the Standard Lafarge Corporation of Paris maintains the quarry this stone came. This limestone is also fossilized.
Ottawa County
Paulding County’s stone is a “blue” stone, chosen because of its hard quality, much like marble.
Paulding County
This stone comes from the Somerset Cut Stone Company, which was started in 1972 as a limestone quarry operation.
Perry County
This brick is from the Pickaway County Memorial Hall, which first opened in 1891.
Pickaway County
This rock was a product of the Silurian Age, formed over 400 million years ago. Composed mostly of the mineral Dolomite (calcium magnesium carbonate), it is commonly referred to as the Peebles Formation.
Pike County
The Portage County rock is a flagstone rock donated by Lucky Sand & Gravel Company. It is most likely part of the outwash carried by the Ice Age glaciers, which created many glacial lakes in the area.
Portage County
This stone is from the Preble County courthouse, which was built and constructed of granite and Pennsylvania marble.
Preble County
This stone is from the wall of Lock 30—one of the 130 locks along the Miami- Erie Canal, which was completed in 1845.
Putnam County
The county stone from Richland County is native sandstone that was obtained from an historic quarry near Mansfield. Because of the exceptional color and pattern in the rock, it is often called “picture sandstone.”
Richland County
This stone was removed from the Ross County courthouse in 2006 during a restoration project. The current courthouse stands on the site of the original courthouse where Ohio’s first constitution was written in 1802, and Ohio’s first General Assembly convened in 1803.
Ross County
Sandusky County’s stone was excavated from the foundation of the James and Elizabeth Whitaker cabin. The Wyandot Indians gave Whitaker a large tract of land three miles north of lower Sandusky, which made the hope the earliest known, permanent homestead in Ohio.
Sandusky County
Many important pieces of infrastructure in North America were built using Scioto County stone, similar to this stone. A specific layer of stone became so popular with architects and builders in Cincinnati that it was known as the “City Ledge.”
Scioto County
This granite piece was chosen to symbolize the flooring of the old 1884 courthouse.
Seneca County
A piece of limestone from along the Miami-Erie Canal represents Shelby County because of the impact the canal had on the settlement of the county.
Shelby County
This piece of sandstone is an original stone removed from the renovated Stark County courthouse clock tower cupola. The courthouse was built during the late 1800s and was renovated in the late 1990s.
Stark County
This stone is a glacial erratic collected from the Yellow Creek, a tributary to the Cuyahoga River.
Summit County
This granite boulder was found in Swine Creek in Trumbull County. The creek follows a course influenced by the Wisconsin glacier some 14,000 years ago, which rerouted ancient river courses, formed large glacial lakes and carved steep gorges. The glacier bulldozed through, then receded and left many beautiful types of granite behind in large deposits that our streams have carved out, exposing these ancient rocks.
Trumbull County
This stone was provided by the Belden Brick Company and adorns the county courthouse dome within an outline of the county.
Tuscarawas County
Union County’s stone comes from the West School Building, which served as a high school, grade school, junior high and middle school from 1915-1990. This stone commemorates the strong educational history of the State of Ohio.
Union County
The Van Wert County stone was found in Section 25, Harrison Township. Van Wert was originally part of the territory set aside for the Indians by the Treaty of Greeneville.
Van Wert County
This stone is from the terrace of the Hope Lodge at the Lake Hope State Park.
Vinton County
This pink and black granite stone was found in Warren County and likely was a product of glacial drift deposited during the last Ice Age.
Warren County
For over 150 years, the grindstone business thrived in Washington County. During the early years, grindstones were quarried and hauled by oxen to the Ohio River where they were loaded on boats, later replaced by trains. This stone was quarried at the Constitution Stone Company in the county.
Washington County
Early records indicate that the manufacturing of bricks in Wayne County began around 1872. “Wooster Pavers,” like this one, were used as curb bricks.
Wayne County
This piece of marble wainscoting is from the interior of the Williams County courthouse. This piece is from the area on the first floor where the elevator shaft was installed in 1957.
Williams County
This sandstone carved face, replaced during an exterior renovation project, is from the roofline of the Wood County courthouse, erected between 1893 and 1897.
Wood County
This brick was originally laid as part of an inside wall in the Harpster School in Wyandot County and was retained when that original structure was dismantled.