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It is the year 1823. Edward Howard and his three sons are building homes on the south side of the river. They are the first white settlers in the area.

In 1832 a New Englander, John O. Graham, plots a tiny village. It is christened Gilead and a community develops. For a time the village is overshadowed by Providence, a rival canal town on the north side of the Maumee River.

As the railroad cuts through the Great Black Swamp, thundering steam locomotives, the ones that will help us build our great nation, have yet to cross the prairies. The canal and the railroad both play vital roles in the development of this untamed land.

The head of the Great Rapids of the Maumee has been a gathering place of people for centuries. Aborigines, heroes and villains of the settlement period, dreamers, and entrepreneurs have all drifted in and out of the history of the Maumee Valley. Law and order is meeted out by the sharpest eye and the quickest draw.

Cholera decimates Providence in 1854 and Gilead begins to thrive as a commercial site. To reflect more prosperous times, Gilead's name is changed to Grand Rapids in 1868. Despite past fires and floods, today Grand Rapids is a beautifully restored Victorian village that encompasses history, commerce, and a sense of community.

The canal and the iron horse would forever change our way of life, but Edward Howard and others would be proud to know that our history lives on into this twenty-first century as is evidenced in our beautifully restored canal town.

The Historical Society of Grand Rapids, Ohio was chartered in 1976 and works to preserve the history of our village and community. Our Website is designed to promote a better knowledge and understanding of our village history, inform others of the Society's goals and activities, and promote the community events that we sponsor each year. Our major event of the year, the Applebutterfest, is in its 25th year. We hope you will join us this year for this fabulous fall celebration of our history.

If you have questions regarding our village or area history, or Historical Society activities, please contact us.


Mail Us: Box 124, Grand Rapids, Ohio 43522 E-mail us: information@applebutterfest.org

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information@applebutterfest.org