- Allen
- Auglaize
- Crawford
- Darke
- Defiance
- Erie
- Fulton
- Hancock
- Hardin
- Henry
- Huron
- Logan
- Lorain
- Lucas
- Mercer
- Morrow
- Ottawa
- Paulding
- Putnam
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- Williams
- Wood
- Wyandot
The city of Kenton was originally platted out on the north side of the Scioto River as they were directed to do back in the 1830s by the Ohio state legislature for the new Hardin County seat. The new town was to be named Kenton in honor of Simon Kenton, who was one of Ohio's most energetic and influential explorer, trader and fighter on the western frontier.
When the town was first laid out there were just a few cabins here, plus the aging Fort McArthur located a few miles west of what was the town square. Fort McArthur that constructed by Col. Duncan McArthur in 1812. This fort was along the trail that General Hull's men created as they marched toward Fort Detroit and promptly surrendered at the onset of the War of 1812. Today there is still a cemetery of those that died at the fort. Duncan McArthur would later be elected to the office of Governor of Ohio. For many years up until Kenton was firmly established as a going concern, Fort McArthur remained the only sign of civilization in the area including a post office.
The present day county courthouse is the third building to claim that title. At the time the first county courthouse was constructed, Hardin County was not much more than swampy land, plenty of large trees, very few roads and even fewer people. It was estimated that during those days there were fewer than 1000 people living in the entire county.
The Schine's Kenton Theater was part of a chain of movie theaters dating back to the later 1920s and 30s. The Kenton Theater actually opened in 1929 and was originally designed with a Spanish motive out of brick. The original upper facade was torn down but recent renovations has greatly improved the feel of the original theater. Today the theatre is still active and shows first run shows.
As most people know, Kenton has a strong relationship with the movie industry and in particular one actor named Gene Autry. During the early days of Autry's career he made an appearance at the theater and rode his horse on stage to the cheers of the loving audience.
Schine's, also known as the Schine Circuit, controlled a group of theaters across the country. They helped revolutionize the movie theater industry because of the efforts to introduce the new talking picture in the theaters they owned and managed by bringing the necessary equipment to show the talkies to their audiences.
Over the years the Schine brand was tarnished when the company was charged with conspiracy that made it difficult for independent theater owners to compete. The case dragged on for years and effectively brought an end to the Schine Circuit of Theaters.
The county got its name from John Hardin, an American Revolutionary War veteran, an Indian fighter in the Ohio Territory. In 1792 President Washington requested that John Hardin negotiate a peace with the Shawnee in western Ohio in what is today Shelby County located just southwest of Hardin County. Hardin met with a party of Shawnee who said they would escort him to their village. However, during the night as John Hardin was sleeping, they murdered him as he slept. Twenty-eight years later, in honor of his service to his country and the Ohio Territory, Hardin County was named for him.
It was a difficult land to try and farm and those willing to make the effort were rewarded with greatly shortened lives, and little else to show for their efforts, except that they were the beginning of what would some day become a very prosperous area, but that would take roads, lots of roads, and tile lots of tile. Most of the county was marsh land that came and went with the weather. In the summer months the swampy land would mostly dry up, but during the rest of the year, it would remain a swampy muck that not only made it impossible to farm, but next to impossible to live-in because mosquito borne diseases. That's why tile became such an important product for the citizens of Hardin County. Hundreds of miles of individual drainage tiles were laid to drain the swamps. Eventually the swamps were drained, the trees were cleared and roads were built.
THE GREAT LOCOMOTIVE CHASE
Jacob Parrott died of a heart attack while walking down South Main Street in Kenton Ohio. He was 66 years old at the time and was one of five surviving members of the original 24 Andrews Raiders. Forty-four years earlier he was the youngest of the group of Ohio Volunteers that made their way south to a small town just north of Atlanta, Georgia. Disguised as passengers the Andrew Raiders took control of the train that had stopped to take on fuel and water and made their way north, cutting telegraph wires and destroying bridges where they could. Eventually the train ran out of fuel and the men abandoned it to make their way on foot. They were soon overtaken by Confederate soldiers. Of the original participants in the train's capture, 8 were convicted and hung, 8 escaped and the remainder released in a trade for captured Confederate soldiers being held by Union forces. Parrott was in the latter group. He suffered extreme beatings during his confinement in an attempt to get him to divulge information about the other participants.
Jacob Parrott was born in Fairfield county in 1843. His parents both died when he was young. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the army in 1861. After the Great Train Chase and recovery from the effects of his beating, Parrott would take part in many battles and would later be with William T. Sherman (another Fairfield County boy) on his march through Atlanta and on to Savannah. Young Parrott would become the first recipient of the Medal of Honor. After the war he remained friends with Wilson W. Brown, another member of Andrews Raiders and fellow recipient of the Medal of Honor.
Soon after the war Jacob moved to Kenton and married Sara Lawrence in 1866. They lived on the south side of Kenton and had only one son named, John, who would later marry the daughter of Jacob's good friend Wilson W. Brown. Jacob is buried in Grove Cemetery on the southern side of the cemetery in Section 1W.I
Like many small towns across America Kenton was really feeling the effects of the Great Depression eight years after that economic disaster first began to grip the country. Plants were closing, jobs were getting hard to find. This meant that even for families with a regular pay check, there wasn't money that could be spent on luxuries like toys.
Mural of Gene Autry in front of the Kenton Hardware Co.
The 30 x 80 foot mural was pained by Keith Hasenbalg and dedicated in 2004.
In Kenton there was manufacturing plant, The Kenton Hardware Co. that made toys, quality toys, but the writing was on the wall. Sales had dropped off the chart. The company had cut back staff and hours to just 2 days a week.
Then in 1936 the Kenton Hardware Co. received a contract to manufacture a toy cap gun that was about as authentic as a cap gun could look for a new film actor that was capturing the minds of young boys across the country who wanted to be like him. Millions of toy cap guns were sold over the years and the Kenton Hardware Co., (Kenton's largest employer at the time) was saved. A real life drama with a happy ending.
The person responsible for this happy ending was Gene Autry, a long time country singer who had been discovered by Hollywood as a white-hat cowboy that could sing. Marketing executives wanting to capitalize on his stardom came up with the idea of selling cap guns with holsters to the millions of his fans. As a result of this demand the Kenton Hardware Co. was saved from closing and the city of Kenton was saved as well.
Gene Autry remained a film star for many years and before becoming a regular favorite on the new broadcast television. His Saturday show lasted a long time as well. Kenton celebrated the connection between Gene Autry and Kenton for a number of years with an annual festival known as "Gene Autry Days". While that festival is no longer, the history of the singing cowboy will forever be connected with Kenton.
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