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Springfield is the county seat of Clark County in the State of Ohio. It is situated on Mad River and Buck Creek, 45 miles west of Columbus. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 65,358, but in 2005, the population was down to 63,302. Springfield is home to Wittenberg University, a private liberal-arts college of approximately 2000 students. In 2004, Springfield was chosen an "All-American City." In 1983, Newsweek featured Springfield in its 50th anniversary issue, entitled, "The American Dream." It chronicled the impact of the past 50 years on five local families. History
Springfield was founded by James Demint, a former teamster from Kentucky, in 1801. When Clark County was created from parts of Champaign, Madison and Greene Counties, Springfield was designated as county seat in 1818. Springfield beat out the village of New Boston two votes in the state legislature. The first jail in town was guarded by a black bear. Springfield traces its early growth to the National Road, which ended in Springfield for approximately 10 years as politicians wrangled over the path it would continue. Dayton and Eaton, Ohio, wanted the road to veer south after Springfield but President Andrew Jackson made the final decision to have the road continue straight west to Richmond, Indiana. During the mid and late 1800s Springfield was dominated by industrialists including O. S. Kelly, Asa S. Bushnell, James Leffel, P. P. Mast and Benjamin Warder. To promote the products of several of his agricultural equipment company, P. P. Mast started Farm and Fireside magazine. Mast’s publishing company, Mast, Crowell, and Kirkpatrick grew to become Crowell-Collier Publishing Company best known for Collier's Weekly. In 1894, The_Kelly_Springfield_Tire_Company was founded. At the turn of the century Springfield became know as the "Home City." Several lodges including the Masonic Lodge, Knights of Pythias and Odd Fellows built homes for orphans and aged members of their order. In 1902 A.B. Graham, then the superintendent of schools for Springfield Township in Clark County, established a "Boys' and Girls' Agricultural Club." Approximately 85 children from 10 to 15 years of age attended the first meeting on January 15, 1902 in Springfield, Ohio in the basement of the Clark County Courthouse. This was the start of what would be called the "4-H Club" within a few years, quickly growing to a nationwide organization. The first "projects" included food preservation, gardening and elementary agriculture. Today, the Courthouse still bears a large 4H symbol under the flag pole at the front of the building to commemorate its part in founding the organization. The Clark County Fair is the second largest fair in the state (Ohio State Fair is #1) in large part to 4H still remaining very popular in the area. In March 1904 a race riot occurred in Springfield after the murder of a white policeman. A mob marched to the jail, dragged the prisoner from his cell, and proceeded to hang him. After that the mob moved to a part of Springfield known as the Levee where the mob set businesses and homes on fire. The same kind of riot happened again in February 1906. From 1916 to 1926, 10 automobile companies operated in Springfield. Amongst them: The Bramwell, Brenning, Foos, Frayer-Miller, Kelly Steam, Russell-Springfield and Westcott. The Westcott, know as the car built to last, was a six-cylinder four door sedan manufactured by Burton J. Westcott of the Westcott Motor Car Company. Burton and Orpha Westcott however, are better known for having contracted the world renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design their home in 1908 at 1340 East High Street. The Westcott House, a sprawling two story stucco and concrete house has all the features of Wright's prairie style including horizontal lines, low-pitched roof, and broad eaves. It is the only Frank Lloyd Wright prairie style house in the state of Ohio. The property was purchased in 2000 by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy (Chicago, IL), and as part of a prearranged plan, the house was then sold to a newly formed local Westcott House Foundation. The Westcott House Foundation managed the extensive 5 year, $5.3 million restoration, the house was fully restored to its original glory in October 2005, when it officially opened to the public for guided tours. Research Tips
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