Ashland is a city in Ashland County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is approximately 66 miles (106 km) southwest of Cleveland. The population was 19,225 at the 2020 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Ashland County.
At a Glance
- County: Ashland County
- County seat of Ashland County
- State: Ohio
History of Ashland
Ashland was laid out by William Montgomery in 1815. Ashland was originally called Uniontown, but in 1822 the city was compelled to adopt a new name because another city in Ohio was already named Uniontown. The new name of Ashland was selected by supporters of the Kentucky congressman Henry Clay, from Ashland, his estate near Lexington. Later, "Henry Clay High School" was considered as a name for what is now known as Ashland High School.
In the mid 1800s, Ashland pioneers traveled to Oregon, naming a settlement after the town. In 1878, with financial assistance from the city, the German Baptist Brethren Church opened Ashland College. Ashland became an early center of manufacturing in Ohio. In 1870, brothers Francis E. Myers and Philip A. Myers went into business selling farm equipment and operating a repair shop. They secured the patent for a double action pump that delivered water in a steady stream rather than spurts. By 1915, F.E. Myers & Bro. had 800 workers. Myers was the largest of the 47 factories in Ashland at that time. Other factories included Reliable Match Co. ("Strike Anywhere Matches"), Kauffman Mfg. Co. (manufacturer of folding chairs used in Union Army encampments), Dr. Hess & Clark (veterinary supplies and disinfectants) and T.W. Miller’s Faultless Rubber Co. (rubber sundries, surgical goods and bicycle tires).
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Ashland, Ohio, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.