Ada in Hardin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Ohio Northern University
Henry Solomon Lehr founded Ohio Northern University in 1871 as the Northwestern Ohio Normal School. Its purpose was to train teachers and to provide higher education to the people in Northwest Ohio. In 1885, the school became Ohio Normal University. The new name recognized that the institution drew students from all over Ohio and the nation, and offered courses in many disciplines, including literature, music, business, telegraphy, and law, as well as teacher training. Beginning with 131 students, the institution's enrollment grew rapidly during its first thirty years of existence. Buildings on the early campus included Dukes Memorial (left), built in 1905; the Normal School Building, built in 1871 and demolished in 1915 to make way for Lehr Memorial (center); and Hill Building (right) finished in 1879. The Methodist Episcopal Church (predecessor to the United Methodist Church) assumed control in 1899. Ohio Normal University became Ohio Northern University in 1903. On June 3, 1910, President William Howard Taft delivered that year's commencement address near this spot.
Erected 1998 by The County Connection Club, Ohio Northern University, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 14-33.)
Marker series. This marker is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection marker series.
Location. 40° 45.933′ N, 83° 49.4′ W. Marker is in Ada, Ohio, in Hardin County. Marker is at the intersection of Main Street (Ohio Route 235) and College Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Main Street. Click for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 525 S. Main Street, Ada OH 45810, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Ada Civil War Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Ada Passenger Depot, 1887 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Hog-Creek Marsh (approx. 5.2 miles away); Village of McGuffey / Great 1934 Onion Strike (approx. 5.3 miles away); USS Texas (CGN 39) (approx. 6.4 miles away); Harrod Veterans Memorial Park (approx. 6.4 miles away); 1905 Shay Engine (approx. 6.4 miles away); Workman's Crew Caboose (approx. 6.4 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Ada.
Also see . . .
1. Ohio Northern University. (Submitted on March 23, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. History of the O.N.U. by Dr. H. S. Lehr. (Submitted on March 23, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. A Brief History of ONU. (Submitted on March 23, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
1. Dukes Hall at Ohio Northern University
Dukes Hall was donated to Ohio Northern University by Louis Dukes, brother of Eli Dukes, my husband's great great grandfather, in 1902.
— Submitted April 3, 2011, by Donna McLean Young of Springfield, Ohio.
Categories. • Education • Notable Buildings • Notable Persons •
Credits. This page originally submitted on , by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,165 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on , by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016.