TIFFIN, Ohio — One of our northwest Ohio communities celebrated a landmark day on Monday.
Though created in 1820, Seneca County was officially organized in April of 1824. What began as a community that grew on the remains of Fort Seneca and Fort Ball, the county now boasts a population of over 55,000.
Much like how this community celebrated the city of Tiffin's bicentennial 2 years ago, leaders now want to acknowledge the entire county and its 15 townships.
Which is why county officials attended a kickoff ceremony Monday for the year-long Seneca County Bicentennial celebration.
"It's very important to the citizens to know what other townships are doing, what's the significance, and then how we come together to create our county," Theresa Sullivan, executive director of the Seneca County Museum, said.
For many officials in attendance Monday morning, much of the planned year of events will focus on the communities and their pasts, with the weekend-long Be a Tourist in Your Own Town later in April. During the event, residents can enjoy free admission to most museums and galleries in the county.
"The hardships that our ancestors had to go through to clear the woods, drain the swamp, build the ditches and the canals," Seneca County Commissioner Tyler Shuff said. "I mean, it's pretty impressive the things they used to do with little technology or power equipment."
Other county leaders also want to use this celebration as a chance for people to connect with how the community grew and use that understanding as a launching off point for future developments and initiatives.
"It helps you to move forward, it creates that sense of identity for where you came from," Sullivan said. "We have very many different ethnicities that settled here; from the Germans, to the Irish, to the Italians. So in sharing all, I think it inspires people to then move forward."
To help grease the wheels and help get people out and about and visiting the entire county, leaders have also launched a historical driving tour with at least one historic spot in all 15 of Seneca County's townships.
