Maple City Bicentennial-Norwalk, Ohio

I have lived in Norwalk, Ohio for the last 33 years and 9 months, that is 15 years longer than I lived in West Virginia. Norwalk is a great small Midwestern city with strong embedded roots to New England. Part of the Firelands or Fire Sufferer’s Lands of the Connecticut Western Reserve it is an area that was set aside for the colonists that were burned out of their homes and towns by the British militia during the Revolutionary War. The names of the townships, towns, villages and cities are all names brought with the settlers after 1809. Norwalk came into existence when Platt Benedict settled the town in July of 1817, following him were many other settlers from Connecticut that brought along with them their lifestyles, culture and architecture that makes Norwalk, Ohio the truly unique city it is today. When I arrived here in 1983, downtown or as it has been referred to in recent years, Uptown Norwalk had a vibrant business district. Clothing stores, jewelry stores, several shoe stores, a Woolworths, a few places to eat lined Main Street from Milan/Woodlawn Avenues to Case Ave and was the center of both Huron County political and economic activity, it’s where the citizens come to do their business and purchases their goods. However, during the mid 1980’s Norwalk experienced as did many small cities at that time a loss of businesses as the Wal-Mart’s and Kmart’s took over our shopping habits, a couple of shopping plazas opened on the north side and numerous fast food restaurants arrived on the horizon, threatening the existence of our locally owned stores and eateries. A move was started to revitalize the Uptown District and we saw the installation of new street lights, revamped traffic patterns, the addition of beautiful flower beds and overall fresh look to our business district while maintaining the historical significance of our “Maple” city. Today, in 2017 after 200 years of existence, Norwalk boasts a population of 17,000 residents within its 9.2 square miles of area. We are the birthplace to some famous Norwalkians such as Ban Johnson (1865) who became the first president of baseball’s American League. Alice Jordan Blake (1816) was the first female law graduate of Yale University. Fred Baker (1854) founded the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, was a physician, a Cornell graduate of engineering and the co-founder of the San Diego Zoo…who knew? But probably our most famous Norwalkian might be Paul Brown, born in 1908 he was a football coach and executive in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). Paul Brown was both the co-founder and first coach of the Cleveland Browns, a team named after him, and later played a role in founding the Cincinnati Bengals, which play in Paul Brown Stadium. Brown’s teams won seven league championships in a professional coaching career spanning 25 seasons, he also coached the Buckeyes at The Ohio State University from 1941-1943. In 2009 the Norwalk St. Paul Flyers played in the Division 6 Ohio High School Football State Championship against the Delphos St. John Blue Jays, winning 24-21 in the Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon, Ohio. It was a heartfelt win for the Flyers playing in the stadium named for a fellow Norwalkian, capping off a perfect 15-0 season. I was there that night and the thrill and excitement of the game, win and community support will always be with me. In contrast to that victory my youngest daughter, Mallory, now a Buckeye at OSU, cheered for the Flyers in the 2014 Division 7 championship game at Ohio Stadium, a memory of a lifetime in a stadium where Paul Brown also coached, however not winning the title – 2nd place isn’t anything to be ashamed of either! I’m very proud to call Norwalk my home, I’m proud of our small-town ethics and our big city thinking attitudes. I’m happy that I can stop into Berry’s Restaurant for the best rice pudding this side of Greece or a patty melt at the very popular Freight House, or that I can enjoy Asian cuisine in three styles, from the menu at Peking House, from the buffet at Brian’s or with sushi at Sakura. Norwalk boasts two Mexican restaurants, six pizza parlors, a new Dunkin’ Donuts where I treat myself every Friday to an Iced Coffee or on any given day a great coffee and a scone from Sherri’s Coffee House. Who can resist a frozen treat from Vargos or H&B Hop in the summer months. Norwalk has a lot going on and to not take advantage of the offerings is a loss to anyone that doesn’t see the value of Imagine Norwalk, Light Up Norwalk, the Strawberry Festival over Memorial Day Weekend, the Huron County Fair in August or the multitude of drag racing events at the Summit Motorsports Park Raceway; just to name a few. We even have a UEC theater with 8 screens and the most relaxing automated reclining seats ever. Norwalk is in a prime location to afford her residents easy access to big city (Cleveland 51 miles east / Toledo 59 miles west and Columbus 101 miles south) entertainment and explorations to great relaxing and fun filled days on Lake Erie, Cedar Point (12 miles north) and the Lake Erie Islands of Kelly’s and South Bass home to the Key West of the north coast, Put-In-Bay. Norwalk was also the home to one of the largest trucking companies in the world, Norwalk Truck Lines, for which the Norwalk Truckers is named. We also have the oldest Historical Society Museum in Ohio having opened in 1857 and we are just south of the historic village of Milan, birthplace of Thomas Edison and home to one of the best museum campuses in the state at the Milan Museum. If you’re out and about, maybe on your way to Cedar Point, don’t just drive through The Maple City of Norwalk; that is celebrating its Bicentennial, stop and pay a visit, you’ll be glad you did! Local artists have created a beautiful mural depicting Norwalk on the corner of S. Linwood Avenue and E. Main Street.

Yes…I’m a true West Virginian in my heart those mountains are in my blood, but I’m also very proud and extremely happy to be able to call Norwalk, the Maple City, my home sweet home!