National Register reference number.76001386- the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.
Then and now
1913 to 1994
The ground this property stands on, surveyed
81 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are
United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.
The Regular Associated Baptist Chiu-ch of Gallon, Ohio, was organized on the 14th day of January, 1859. There was no regular pastor for the church until the month of April, 1861. At this time. Rev. J. B. Sutton became the Pastor of the young church. Prior to this, and on the 29th day of December, 1859, the Regular Baptist Church of Galion met, and while so convened entered into the following agi-eements: "We, the undersigned, members of the Regular Baptist Church, in the Mohican Association, for our mutual good and the promotion of the cause of Christ, do covenant and agree with each other, in church capacity, and as a branch in Galion of the Bloomfield Church, in the Mohican Baptist Association, to maintain the apostolic order of the church in its primitive purity.
The first schoolhouse erected in Gallon was ' located in the near vicinity of C. Scrim's residence, on West Main street, in 1822. There I was no district formed. No pai-liamentarj' j point obstructed the progress. No red tape or circumlocution hampered the completion of | the work. This was a commimity of primitive ways and simple habits. There was a ' sudden awakening to the necessity of educa- i tion, and of having a schoolhouse, and an instinctive impression that it could be built and a school supported. Acting upon this spontaneous impulse, the citizens came together with their teams, axes, and all the tools and apparatus required. It was a round-log schoolhouse, with a clapboard roof. Poles were crossed on the ceiling and stuffed with moss; over this was plastered clay. Sections of logs were cut out for windows, of which 1 there were three. Frames were made for these windows by Mr. George Wood, who was a carpenter; and, that the force of this remark j may not be lost, we will merely state that the frames were an advance upon the ordinary foi-m of window, which was generally a hole in the cabin, with greased paper covering it in the winter. A large fire-place, opening into | a chimney of sticks and clay, occupied one end of the building. The seats were of split logs, or slabs with the flat side up, holes bored slanting near the ends, and long pegs di-iven in to form benches. The most difficult of all feats to perform was to keep all four legs on the floor at one time. A few boards were stv cured, which were attached to the walls around the building, to be utilized as wi-iting desks. The building, when finished, was rude and uncouth in appearance, somewhat dai-k in the interior, but warm ; but it was the beginning of school. The germ of education was planted in the midst of the settlement; how well it took root, and grew fi'om year to year; how it was carefully nurtured and cared for, and the grand result, the perfection of the school system, till now there seems little more to do - is evident to all. Mr. David Gill pos.sessed an education, and a knowledge of business forms, in advance of his associates in Gallon. It was conceded by all that he should first have the honor of teaching the youth of Galion. Accordingly, we find him duly installed, with full authority at once with the book and the birch. The pay for the teacher and support of the school did not come from assessments, biit by subscription. No regular set of books were studied. The Bible was frequently the reader, and Webster's old spellingbook was in requisition.
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. The
federal wildfire occurrence database
lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Central Hotel, Hackedorn and Zimmerman Building
in 2019, burning about 9 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson.
Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted
here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
Reported cause
Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
3
The most recent of
them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service
that recorded it.
Date
Cause
Size
Reported by
Name on the report
13 October 2019
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
3.0 acres
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
15306
13 October 2019
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
4.0 acres
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
15305
13 October 2019
Missing data/not specified/undetermined
2.0 acres
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
15307
Specimens collected near this property
12 of 85 shown
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. Museums hold 85 specimens
collected within 10 miles of Central Hotel, Hackedorn and Zimmerman Building between 1896 and 1971: 72 Animalia, 7 Plantae, 4 Fungi, 2 Chromista.
12 distinct Species records are shown.
Collected by Chase, H. (Hazel), F. L. Stevens, F.L. Stevens and others. Each is a
physical object with a catalogue
number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was
collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be
concluded from a species being absent.
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists
2 workings within 5 miles of Central Hotel, Hackedorn and Zimmerman Building: 2 past producers.
None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the
map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring
settlement's page as well.
Regional context, not property-specific
evidence. The National Weather Service names
Galion, the town this property stands in, in 58 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 39 thunderstorm wind, 13 hail, 2 flash flood, 2 flood.
No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office
filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date
opens the federal record of that event.
An EF1 tornado touched down in Galion near the intersection of Orange and Grand Streets. Many trees in the area were snapped or uprooted. The tornado continued east northeast across the city and damaged three homes as it crossed Union Street. Two of the homes lost some facia, siding and roofing but the third had a fallen tree damage a wall. A warehouse on Market Street lost a section of roofing. A second warehouse along Columbus Street also lost some roofing material. A few blocks to the east two homes were damaged on South Washington Street. One of the homes had it's roof detached and the second lost some roofing and siding material. The tornado then intensified to EF2 as it crossed the southern end of Pierce Street. At least four properties on Pierce Street were damaged. Three of the homes were classified as having major damage and had their roofs torn off in addition to having broken windows and lost siding. Two of the properties also had detached garages destroyed. The fourth house had a porch damaged. Significant damage also occurred a block to the east along Riblet Street. An auto repair shop lots it's roof and had three masonry walls collapse. Bricks from the building were found of the roofs of houses nearby. Three other commercial buildings on Riblet Street lost large sections of roofing. One of the three also sustained damage to an exterior wall. Four homes were damaged on the southern end of East Street. One of the homes sustained major damage in the form of a detached roof. The other three houses sustained lesser amounts of roof and siding damage. The tornado continued east for another block and finally lifted as it reached Walnut Street. Many trees, limbs and utility poles were downed along the damage path which was just over a mile in length and up to 200 yards in width. A total of 21 structures were damaged in Galion with one destroyed and five sustaining major damage. There were no injuries.
Seventeen days of consecutive rain brought widespread flooding to Crawford County. The hardest hit towns were Bucyrus and Crestline. In Bucyrus, the Sandusky River came out of its banks resulting flooding of the Harmon Park soccer complex, and surrounding homes on Clinton and Lane Streets. North Sandusky Ave and Water Street were closed. Elsewhere in the county numerous roads were closed and part of Ohio 19 and Brokensword were closed. Most of the county had received between 3.5 and 7 inches of rain over a 48 hour period, with the heaviest rain falling over Crestline. In Galion numerous roads were closed.
Widespread flooding was reported in eastern Crawford County. In Galion, the water inundated Heise Park as the Olentangy River tributaries were overwhelmed. Ohio 309 from North East Street at Chalres Street to Harding Way East was inundated and closed. A house on Olentangy Court was inundated in the first floor. In Bucyrus, it was the Sandusky River that came out of its banks flooding several basements. A vehicle was damaged as the driver entered flooded Knauss Road. North Sandusky Ave, River Street, Temple Road, and Bethel Roads were closed. All of this flooding was the result of 2 to 4 inches of rainfall from the evening of the 8th.
Thunderstorm winds destroyed a garage and a small shed along Monnett-New Winchester Road west of Galion in Whetstone Township. A fence and many trees were also downed in the area.
Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees and leveled a small shed in Galion. A barn on Millsboro Road just west of the Richland County line was also damaged. A home nearby sustained damage from a fallen tree. Many trees were also reported down along Blooming Grove Road.
Numerous trees were reported down across the southern half of the City of Galion. One tree was reported to have fallen onto a house causing major damage.
Damaging winds originating from a supercell thunderstorm downed four 8-foot sections of fence. Several large trees and numerous large tree branches were downed.
An EF-0 tornado touched down on North Columbus Street. The tornado lifted and touched down again two more time on Harding Way East and on 2nd Street. The tornado path was a little over a mile long. There was minor damage to outbuildings and tree tops snapped.
Heavy rain and rapid snow melt led to a rapid rise in the Sandusky River at Bucyrus, which reached a 100 year crest of 10.86 feet. The only official rainfall observation was in Galion where 2.38 was reported. Six to ten inches of heavy snow was on the ground at the onset of the rain. This snow rapidly melted as temperatures warmed into the 50s on the 28th. Up to an additional inch of water equivalent rainfall was released from the melted snow. Several people had be rescued from homes and vehicles as the water came up. About 30 homes in Bucyrus were flooded as the Sandusky River came out of banks. Countyline Road was one of the most affected areas where at least a dozen homes were damaged. Several dozen new cars were destroyed as flood waters inundated a car dealership. Several homes flooded as well in Galion.
United States Geological Survey topographic
sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then
testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.
When this property was proposed for the
National Register, someone wrote the case for it: what the building is,
and why it matters. That document is a federal record in the public domain.
It is quoted below word for word, never summarised. The text was read off the scanned case file by machine, so the
occasional stray character is the recogniser's and the 1970s
typewriter's.
Description of the property
The earliest of the buildings is the Central Hotel (Ritchey House Hotel). Built in the rear additions. The west portion of the facade (1869) houses two stores. earlier portion of the hotel. The storefronts on the first floor have To the right of the building the storefront has a wide metal store sign above the The second and third stories are divided into three recessed rectangles which have plain stone lintels and sills. Originally this separation into three portions DATE multi-paned window. modern glass tile and plate-glass windows.
the three-story brick hotel utilizes the original portion of the structure and The various first floor windows and doorways are 1940's alterations.Also added dentiled wood frieze.Plain wood brackets support the molded wood cornice.A The upper stories are little altered. Form No. 10-300a (Rev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FOR NPS USE ONLY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE JUL 30 1976 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NOV 1 3 197F INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM and west sides of the building each had two tall interior chimneys. These have A center door on the street level leads to a stairway to the second and third doorway, each opening into a different store.
Cast iron columns with Corinthian GPO 892 455 PAGE RECEIVED added to this side necessitating the third story window in the northeast corner CONTINUATION SHEET porch and staircase addition arestsion the brick addition and stretches across the second and third floors. Central Hotel-Hackedorn Building-Zimmerman Building flat-roofed brick addition. ITEM NUMBER the fire escape.The original entrance in the northeast corner of the first floor and the center window of the second floor being changed into doorways opening onto capitals divide the storefronts and doorways.
Located in Galion at the southwest corner of the public square, these three brick commercial buildings and hotels were built. In 1851 Joel and David Riblet opened a dry goods store at the southwest corner of that date are listed as Cherry and Pomphrey. The hotel was said to have 66 that the 1869 addition of the hotel was on a portion of Zimmerman's property, so Fellows Lodge in 1928. The Odd Fellows sold the building in 1940. at Milan, Ohio (birthplace of Thomas Edison) states that Thomas Edison was once a 1600-1699 RELIGION ART LAW X1800-1899 EDUCATION SIGNIFICANCE BUILDER/ARCHITECT EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT PERIOD AGRICULTURE ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC THEATER PREHISTORIC SCULPTURE MILITARY INDUSTRY until recently.
Additional historical notes are associated with the hotel.Documentation _COMMUNICATIONS when numerous railroads crossed through Galion and the town prospered from their -CONSERVATION sound transmissions.They hoped to prove with the softer voices of children that _PHILOSOPHY right to use the west wall of the Central Hotel.Investigation eventually showed The Hackedorn Building was completed in 1865 by N.E. Hackedorn and remained in the -1500-1599 The Zimmerman Building was built in 1874.Daniel Zimmerman had to acquire the - TRANSPORTATION guest.Alexander Graham Bell isreported to have tested telephone equipment by LITERATURE sound did indeed travel through the lines and wasn't simply carried by its volume.
Quoted from the National Register nomination
for reference 76001386, 17 pages, held by the National Archives in Record
Group 79. See the
catalogue record.
Listed places nearby
6 within 8 miles
Other National Register properties close
enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both
positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties
to their map sheets.
Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.
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