EUCLID TOWNSHIP - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
EUCLID TOWNSHIP, incorporated in 1809, originated from actions taken by Gen. MOSES CLEAVELAND† several months after beginning the surveying of the Western Reserve. Forty-one CONNECTICUT LAND CO. surveyors who were camped at Conneaut Creek demanded considerations in excess of their original contracts, because of nearly intolerable working conditions. Cleaveland drew up a new contract on 30 Sept. 1796 for the surveyors' joint purchase of a township of 25 sq. mi., at $1 per acre. Each man was granted lakefront property, as well as a farm back in the rocky hills and plateaus. The surveyors were obligated to clear land, erect houses, sow wheat and grass, and settle a specified number of families during the next 3 years. The new owners named the area Euclid Twp. in honor of the Greek mathematician, considered the "patron saint" of surveyors.
The area was first settled in 1797. Its western boundary began at approx. E. 140th St.; the southern limit was near what is now Cedar Rd. The eastern limit was near present-day Winchester Rd., with Lake Erie on the north. In 1828 township trustees created 9 school districts, adding two more in 1900. Farming, fishing, and their allied trades supported area residents during the 19th century, along with income from quarries, sawmills, and shipbuilding. In 1900 the population was 3,573. On 15 Aug. 1899, the northwest portion of Euclid Twp. incorporated separately as Nottingham Village (now part of Cleveland). Other portions of the township were later incorporated into Cleveland, EAST CLEVELAND, EUCLID (1903), CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, SOUTH EUCLID (1917), LYNDHURST (formed as Euclidville in 1917), and RICHMOND HEIGHTS (founded as Claribel in 1917). Euclid Twp. ceased to exist as a political entity in 1917.
Last Modified: 16 Jul 1997 10:50:02 AM
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