MEDINA COUNTY OHIO - Brunswick Trivia

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Brunswick Trivia

Brunswick Old Fashioned Days, Thursday, August 19, 1982

Did you know?

Here is some Brunswick trivia.

	Simple people who had the courage to face the unknown typifies the early settlers of 
Brunswick.  Among the first settlers were brothers, Solomon and Frederick Deming who built 
crude log cabins in Brunswick Township.
	Interesting historical facts about Brunswick can be found in such books as "Brunswick:  
Our Hometown," written by Brunswick Sun Times reporter "Sam" Boyer.  We'd like to share 
some interesting tidbits, found in that book, with you.
	Did you know that?
?	The name Brunswick is derived from a principality in Germany, so that our pioneers must 
have been influenced by German descent to have liked that name the best of those submitted 
for consideration.
?	In the year 1819, the first semblance of a store was opened by Thomas Stearns.  Just one 
room of his log cabin represented the store at first, but the demand of the travelers on the 
Cleveland-Columbus turnpike compelled him to extend this to include a tavern as traveling 
in those days was quite a dusty and thirst-provoking experience.  Five years later, the first 
real store was built by Archibald Mills and Brunswick also boasted a distillery founded in 
1828 with a capacity of 12 gallons daily.
?	The first telephone office started in 1899 with the first toll line between Cleveland and 
Brunswick.  Local lines were installed two years later.  The line went from Brunswick to the 
Valley City B&O depot so residents could find out if goods had been delivered by freight.  
By 1918, telephone manager Dennis M. Johnson had more than 100 customers.
?	Barber shops (no beauty parlors, ladies) were strictly for men, and Bernie Hunt had a shop at 
the Aylard block while George Sharvat had one at Bennett's Corners.  Frank Case had an ice 
cream parlor in the front room of his home in the site now occupied by Walt's Pizza at Pearl 
Road and Manhattan Circle.  The first "real" restaurant was started in the 1930s by Irene and 
Tom Hogue.  "The Village Inn" was just south of the center.
?	In December, 1942, the first local fire truck arrived – a 1942 Ford.  In that same year, fund 
raising activities began – a tradition that still continues.  Department members brought in 
scrap metal (it was wartime) worth $380.  Active and reserve members totaled 41.
?	The first schoolhouse was built in 1817 and was located about a quarter of a mile west of 
Brunswick center.  Then in 1824, a log building was erected at the center of town to be used 
for a schoolhouse, church and town hall.
?	In 1915, the school board purchased its first "kid wagon" from a firm in Wadsworth for 
$166.  Two school routes were established.  One route transported pupils north of the center 
of town and the second picked up pupils living south of the center of town.  Drivers were 
paid about $30 a month.
?	Brunswick had an Agricultural Fair in the month of October annually for many years.  The 
first one was in 1858 which lasted two days and was held in the Town Hall and surrounding 
grounds.  There were more than 200 classifications of entries of which live stock comprised 
the principal feature.