History of Van Wert County, Ohio

Isaac Van Wart (1760-1828) was one of three captors of Major John Andre, a British officer who, with Benedict Arnold, had concocted a plot for taking the vital American fort at West Point during the American Revolutionary War.  Van Wart, of Dutch descent, had been a farmer in West Chester County, New York.

Caught inside American lines near Tarrytown, New York, on September 21, 1780, Andre discarded his uniform and tried to slip away in civilian clothes.  But an alert Van Wart (along with companions John Paulding and David Williams) captured and searched him and found that he possessed secret documents belonging to British General, Sir Henry Clinton.

Van Wert County was named after Van Wart, but due to a mistake on the part of those preparing an act of Congress recognizing his contribution to the American victory, the name appeared erroneously as Van Wert and the new spelling stuck.

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Van Wert, Ohio, is part of the territory lying at the southern edge of what was known as the Great Black Swamp, which abounded in furbearing animals, especially the beaver - the fur of which commanded the highest prices in the capitals of Europe.  In fact, it was the competition between France and England for control of the fur trade of the Black Swamp that brought the first known white man to what is now Van Wert County

During the winter hunting season, this region was a paradise for the Indian hunter who knew the trails through the swamp.  The Shawnees, after a desperate struggle with the Miami's, regained the area of the headwaters of the Maumee Valley, which they had lost to the Iroquois many years before, and the hunting grounds which now comprise Van Wert County fell under their control.  In this quiet retreat, Indian warriors often left their families while conducting many of the battles of those days.  Many of these battles were fought against General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, and relics of Indian living and burial grounds are found in all sections of the county.  This district, of which Van Wert County is a part, occupies the center of a triangle formed by three rivers - the Maumee, the Auglaize, and the St. Marys, on whose banks the struggle for possession of the Northwest Territory was fought.

In 1790, General Joshia Harmar marched with his army to build an American fort at Kekionga (now Fort Wayne, Indiana) and the Van Wert County headwater creek area was used by the Indians as a sanctuary for their women and children away from the war trails.  But Harmar suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Indian Confederation under Chiefs Little Turtle and Blue Jacket.

In 1791, General Arthur St. Clair marched towards this region, but did not even reach the St. Marys River, as his army was massacred by the Indians at what is now Fort Recovery, in Mercer County.  During the next two years, the Indian trails through Van Wert County were alive with Indian runners carrying plans and orders of the great Indian Confederation to defeat the army of General Anthony Wayne, which was forming at points on the Ohio River.

In his march north from Fort Washington (Cincinnati), Wayne traversed Van Wert County in August, 1794, and camped twice in this area with his army of 5,000 men.  After his victory over the Indians at Fallen Timbers (near what is now Maumee, OH), the Indians lost the hunting grounds of their forefathers. In 1820, our part of the old Indian lands became Van Wert County.

We have proof that the "Mound Builders" did live here in the mounds and earthworks they left behind.  Only one in Van Wert County was large enough to be generally known.  A considerable mound was once located where the Marsh Hotel now stands in Van Wert.  This mound was leveled when the hotel that preceded the present brick building was built.

Van Wert County land, especially the northern part, is particularly fertile due to having been swampland for probably several centuries.  The present Lincoln Highway and Main Street in Van Wert, is built on a visible ridge that reportedly was the banks, in past centuries, of what is now Lake Erie.

Van Wert city history starts in 1834, when James Watson Riley bought 240 acres of  land for the location of a town in the center of Van Wert County.  In 1838, the General Assemblyof Ohio transferred the county seat from Willshire in the southwest corner of the county, to this new location under the name of Van Wert..

Also, about 1835, George Marsh, Sr., was given a tract of land by the County Commissioners and he, in turn, erected a grist mill.  With the county seat here, Van Wert became the principal trading center of the county.

Van Werters are predominantly German, Dutch, and Welsh.  They have always been a very religious and conservative people.  They have also always been warm, friendly, and generous.

Today, with a city population of approximately 11,000 (and about 30,000 in the county) Van Wert treasures its past while continuing to seek and encourage industrial and commercial growth.

 

 

 

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Historical Attractions

Central Mutual Antique Fire Equipment Museum In 1876 Central Insurance Company was founded in Van Wert as a fire insurance company. The threat of disastrous fire was always very real in rural communities and the equipment used to fight fires was primitive. The president of Central Insurance Company. from 1964 to 1994, F. W. Purmort, Jr., took an interest in collecting fire equipment. He was particularly proud of Central’s heritage and gradually built Central’s Fire Museum into one of the finest privately held collections in the United States.

There is a large collection of antique fire toys, a wardrobe of antique fireman helmets and uniforms, a collection of leather buckets dating back to the 1700s and a rare and valuable collections of “firemarks” dating back to 1720.

The Central Fire Museum is open to the public and is located at 800 S. Washington St. For more information, call 419-238-1010 or visit their website at www.central-insurance.com.

 

Brumback Library The Brumback Library was built with funds bequeathed to Van Wert County residents by John Sanford Brumback, a former resident of Van Wert. Mr. Brumback’s will directed that enough funds from his estate be devoted to the building and furnishing of a library as a gift to Van Wert County if the county would provide books and maintenance. The Brumback Library stands as the first county library formed in the United States.

The cornerstone of the building was laid in 1899 with dedication on January 1, 1901. In 1991, a 10,500 square foot addition was added along with a complete renovation of the existing structure. The architecture is a combination of Gothic and Romanesque.

With turreted towers and a Ludowici tile roof, the library is nestled amid the trees of the park where it is located. It contains an excellent Children's Department that provides meaningful reading related activities for the youth of the area. The library's total holdings, now numbering over 181,000 items, cover every imaginable topic and genre. There are also 5 branches of the library serving the small villages of Van Wert County. The Brumback Library is located at 215 West Main Street and is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. For more information, call 419-238-2168 or visit their website at www.brumbacklib.com.

Van Wert Historical Museum The Van Wert Historical Society was organized in 1953. Local attorney and teacher, William Fosnaught, donated a building, which was erected circa 1896 by the John Clark family, to the Society. This original property has been maintained as a Victorian home and features many displays.

The 1986 Annex building depicts other phases of early Van Wert history. This building features a historical walking tour of early Van Wert with Native American artifacts, a display of items from war times and pictures of old Van Wert, among many other attractions.

Additional exhibits are on display in a 1951 Pennsylvania Railroad caboose, a 1906 one-room school, an 1860 log house, an 1875 gazebo which originally stood in front of the Van Wert County Courthouse, and the newest addition – a big, red barn which is used to house agricultural related items.

Museum hours are Sunday from 2:00 – 4:30 p.m., March through November or by special appointment. The Museum is also open for many community events throughout the year. It is located at 602 N. Washington Street. For additional information, call 419-238-5297 or see www.geocities.com/vanwertmuseum.

Van Wert County Court House Built in 1876, the Van Wert County Court House celebrated its 130th birthday in 2006. The structure remains today much as it was when built at a cost of $110,174. The pressed brick used to construct the Court House was made locally at a mill which had been located about where the Van Wert County Fairgrounds is today. The building contains a clock whose bell weighs 2,000 pounds and whose clapper weighs 430 pounds. The Court House is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings.

The Van Wert County Court House is located at 121 East Main Street. For further information contact the Van Wert County Commissioners at 419-238-6159.

Delphos Canal Museum This folklore museum features exhibits on canals (and the Miami-Erie Canal in particular) and canal boat history, as well as artifacts from life in Delphos, Ohio from 1851 on. The museum also includes a 1902 Sears Buggy Roadster, antique tools and manufacturing equipment along with many other displays depicting the history of business, industry, schools, churches, events, homes and more. Exhibits include the only preserved canal boat in Ohio. The museum is located at 111 W. Third Street in Delphos, Ohio (16 miles east of Van Wert). For more information call 419-695-7737.

Marsh Foundation Homestead The Marsh Foundation provides humane, effective behavioral health care to children, adolescents and their families in a variety of settings and modalities. From its beautiful campus situated on the outskirts of Van Wert at 1228 Lincoln Highway, the Marsh Foundation has three residence halls, allowing specialized treatment programs for children and adolescents based upon age and needs, and a school for students in grades 2 – 12.

The Marsh Foundation was a gift from early Van Wert industrialist, George H. Marsh, who in his last will and testament said, “I depart this life in the hope that the Foundation shall become an instrument of enduring and ever increasing benefit to mankind.” The home of the Marsh family, containing original furnishings from the late 19th century, is open for tours as is the campus itself. For more information contact the Marsh Foundation at 419-238-1695 or visit their web site at www.marshfoundation.org.

Delphos Postal Museum - NOTE:  The muesum is temporary closed while the contents are being moved to the mueum's new home at 339 N.Main Street in Delphos.  The meuseum is expected to re-open in the fall of 2008.

Experience through sight and sound, the development of transportation from the days of horse drawn wagons to sorting mail on trains and buses. Learn about the evolution of letters, envelopes, manuscript postmarks, and special cancellation of rare stamps. Explore the role of the U.S. Postal Service in WWII. Would you believe there are rules for mailing students' dirty laundry or regulations for the care of cats to keep mice out of the post office? Most items are property of the US Postal Service. Many displays are on long term loan from the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC. 

The Postal Museum is located at 339 N. Main Street in Delphos (just 16 miles east of Van Wert). The Museum is open from 8:30 - 11:30 AM on the first Saturday of each month or appointment for large groups or alternative viewing hours. Admission to the museum is free although donations are always accepted. For more information call the Delphos Postal Museum at 419-695-2811.  You can also visit their website at www.postalhistorymuseum.org

 

Convoy Living History Museum The citizens of Convoy, Ohio, located 9 miles west of Van Wert, have established their own Living History Museum. The museum contains artifacts and memorabilia of the Convoy area donated by local citizens. Displays include post cards, model cars, military items, model train layouts, fire department equipment, home appliances and farming equipment.

The museum is located at 103 West Tully Street in Convoy. Hours of operation vary. For more information call the Museum at 419-749-1315 or museum trustees at 419-749-2735.

Starr Commonwealth and Montcalm School It’s been almost a century since a young man named Floyd Starr purchased a ramshackle barn and forty scrub-covered acres in Albion, Michigan and began what would eventually become one of the nation’s most respected child and family charities. Floyd Starr founded Starr Commonwealth as a refuge for "homeless, dependent, neglected and delinquent boys." It strives to change personal outcomes, one individual at a time.

Starr Commonwealth- Van Wert is dedicated to helping boys with social, emotional and behavioral problems turn their lives in new directions.  Boys attend the on-campus Lincolnview-Langley school, which for many students, is their first successful academic experience.  This accredited, residential treatment program has an 80% completion rate.

One of Starr's brightest new programs is Montcalm School for Girls located within the Van Wert campus.  This is a private, therapeutic residential treatment facility for young women ages 12 - 18 who have experienced the pain of abuse, depression, behavioral or academic problems.  The school provides a natural, healthy environment where the girls can step back and take the time they need to heal and grow. 

The Van Wert campus is located at 15145 Lincoln Highway, east of Van Wert. For more information about their programs or to schedule a tour phone them at 419-238-4051 or visit their web site at www.starr.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Van_Wert_Office.

Cemeteries While some may think that hanging around cemeteries is a bit ghoulish, we know that the records and headstone inscriptions found there can be incredibly rich sources of historical data. . Information on tombstones could include, maiden names, birth and death dates, relationships, town of origin, military service, and possibly religious affiliation. All of this can lead to other record sources that can further your search. Some ethnic groups even have photographs embedded in the tombstones.

If you’d like to visit the cemeteries of our area, the Van Wert County Ohio Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society has provided an online map of cemeteries in Van Wert County at www.rootsweb.com/~ohvwogs/CemeteryMap.html   Directions to the cemeteries can be found at  www.rootsweb.com/~ohvwogs/cemetery.html.

Download: What Can You Learn From a Cemetery?

 

 

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Family Adventures

Y.M.C.A. The Van Wert YMCA has been an important part of the community since its founding in 1917. Today the "Y" features aquatic programs in its pool; volleyball, indoor soccer, gymnastics and tumbling, and basketball in its 5 gyms; fitness classes and personal training programs in its wellness center; and racquetball courts. Outdoor programs include tennis, flag football, and outdoor soccer. Out-of-town visitors may use visit the "Y" for a Guest Pass or use their "Y" membership card from their hometown YMCA. For more information you may visit their website at www.vwymca.com or call the Y at 419-238-0443

Y.M.C.A. – Camp Clay  Situated on 252.6 acres of land just west of the city of Van Wert, Camp Clay offers many activities for lots of family fun. Included at Camp Clay is Lake Rotary, a 5-acre lake in the shape of Ohio. Boating, fishing, and swimming are encouraged. A shelter house next to the lake provides shade and picnic facilities. Clay Center is a multi-purpose gym area equipped for indoor soccer, roller skating/hockey, and indoor tennis. The camp also features the Rotary Nature Center housing a live bee hive, snakes, turtles, fish, mice, and other animals as well as rock, leaf, insect, and other environmental displays. A 1-mile hiking trail through a wooded area and a Challenge Course consisting of 35-foot high obstacles provide opportunities for leadership and team building events. Camp Clay is located at 9196 Liberty-Union Road. For more information call the YMCA at 419-238-0443.

Y.W.C.A. For many years Van Wert was reportedly the smallest community in the country with both a YMCA and a YWCA. The local YW provides transitional housing for women and children, a highly successful travel program, swimming lessons, aquatic and land fitness, volleyball leagues, gymnastics, a summer food program and Kid’s Day Out Events. The building offers a child care center, gymnasium, fitness center, aerobics center, a warm water pool with a moveable pool floor, whirlpool, and sauna. The YW would love to welcome any visitor coming though town by offering them a place to stop and get rejuvenated. The YWCA is located at 408 E. Main Street. They may be contacted at 419-238-6639 or by email at vanwertywca@earthlink.net

 

Kernel Coopers Corn Maze Climb aboard and get lost in the corn during the 6th season of fun at Kernel Cooper's Corn Maze.  This season's maze is a train - an engine, coal car, and passenger car.  Come and take the "lines" through the maze and stop at all 18 "depots" along the trail.  Stop at the "Whistle Stop" and grab something to eat and drink as you hang out around the "ole train yard."  Come, get your tickets, and climb aboard for a load of family fun and adventure.  Coopers Corn Maze opens Friday, September 5 and ends on Saturday, November 3. Hours are Fridays 7 pm until 12 midnight, Saturdays 12 noon until 12 midnight, and Sundays from 1 pm to 9 pm. Visit their website at www.kernelcoopers.com to call them at 419-968-2536 for more information.

Children's Garden & Vera Bradley Butterfly House This garden, located in Smiley Park on the southwest side of Van Wert, provides a hands-on learning facility for the children of Van Wert County. A gazebo is positioned in the center with several theme gardens radiating out from this structure. The first garden, currently being constructed, is a large butterfly shaped garden outlined by flagstone and incorporating vibrant plantings that butterflies love. A walkway through the center of the garden leads you to the colorful Butterfly House that will have lush plantings of aromatic flowers that attract the many multihued butterflies which will be making their residence in the House. The garden is a work in progress, so be watching for colorful additions to the Children’s Garden.

 

Old Fashioned Farmers Day Visit the Van Wert County Fairgrounds the July 4th weekend, where you can take a brief walk back in time and take a look at the history of farming. Events include a tractor parade, tractor pull, auto racing and demonstrations all using antique equipment. There are also craft displays, a flea marker, and a trading post. Visit their website at www.vanwert.com/offa/ for more details.

Van Wert County Fair The Van Wert County Fair was first held in 1855 and is one of the largest county fairs in Ohio. This award-winning fair was named as a Blue Ribbon Fair in 2003. It draws young and old alike for a week of livestock shows, thoroughbred and standard bred horse racing, pari-mutual betting, concerts, demo derby, tractor pulls, and midway rides. Go to www.vanwertcountyfair.com for more information or call them at 419-238-9270.

Hat Creek Rodeo Hat Creek Rodeo operates from November to May and offers bull riding at its best on Saturday nights. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the action starts at 7:30 pm. The rodeo features a heated arena, and kids’ activities. Located at 8020 Richey Road, just north off historic Lincoln Highway near Van Wert. Call 419-238-6588 or visit www.hatcreekarena.com for more information.

Van Wert County Fruit Growers' Apple Festival Held annually the third weekend in October at the Van Wert County Fairgrounds, the Apple Festival offers fun, food, wagon rides, a flea market, crafts and entertainment for all ages. All the apples, cider, apple dumplings, apple fritters and more than you care to eat are available. Admission is free! Call the Van Wert Area CVB (877-989-2282) for more information or visit the Van Wert County Fair website at www.vanwertcountyfair.com

 

Lincoln Ridge Lincoln Ridge is the home of the Lincoln Candle Company where they use proprietary blends of natural soy wax and scents for their unique high-fragranced candles. They also hold a Fall Mum and Pumpkin Festival every weekend in October featuring a corn maze, hay wagon rides to the pumpkin patch for picking your own, and thousands of fall mums, wreaths, and decorations. Lincoln Ridge is located on historic Lincoln Highway at 6837 Lincoln Highway in Convoy, Ohio. Email them at lincolncandleco@yahoo.com for more information.

Agri-Tourism Sites Van Wert County has a wide array of farms - small and large, specialized and diversified, crop and livestock, part-time and full-time, integrated and independent, as well as niche and broad market producers. Van Wert County’s products have shown up all over the world, thanks to public and private efforts that take advantage of marketing opportunities in foreign lands. Please contact the Van Wert Area CVB at 877-989-2282 or by email at info@visitvanwert.org if you are interested in any of these agri-tours.

Gina Dairy Farm. Jan and Gina Fokker and their four children relocated from Veendam, the Netherlands to Van Wert County in 2002. They operate a dairy farm with over 650 cows. A visit to their working dairy operation will show how a family, with the use of new technology, can handle such a large herd of dairy cows.

• Where does milk come from ( PDF Download)

Walnut Tree Farm for Fun and Profit This tour will introduce visitors to the business of establishing and maintaining walnut trees as an investment.

Wetland Mitigation Project See how a local farmer has taken an area of farmland and converted it into a natural planting, water filtering ecosystem.

Flat Farm Pheasants A challenging hunt for everyone to enjoy. Flat Farm Pheasants is a member of the nation’s leading habitat organization, making a difference for habitat and conservation education in the community.

Self-Guided Native Tree Tour This tour is located at the Marsh Foundation School. Personnel at the Marsh Foundation have identified and signed 30+ mature, native trees of Ohio.

 

 

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Driving, Flying, Factory, and Walking Tours

Historic Driving Tours - America’s Main Street: The Historic Lincoln Highway

 

    A twenty-six mile section of the first paved coast to coast highway in the United States travels through the heart of Van Wert County.  This 3,000 mile “Main Street Across America,’ constructed in 1913, stretched from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, California. 

How the Lincoln Highway Began 1

    By 1910, America was mass producing automobiles and selling them to wealthy individuals for recreation.  Automobiles were only good for a short drive in the city as long as you didn’t stray too far out, because there were no good roads, gas stations, or repair shops.  The roads weren’t marked, there were no real maps, and so the automobile was just a toy for the upper class to be used on Sundays around town.  Auto manufacturers knew that if auto sales were to be expanded to the common man, it had to be practical transportation, and for that to happen the country needed a whole network of good roads.

    They reasoned that if a single, good road were to be built connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific, communities close to the highway would building connecting roads to it.  They believed that eventually, more distant communities would build additional roads to hook up with the new connecting roads, and soon a whole national network of roads would be built on the backbone of the Lincoln Highway, making the automobile a practical form of transportation for everybody.

    The history of the Lincoln Highway officially begins September 14, 1913, with a grand announcement of the route of this proposed Lincoln Highway.  The driving force behind this effort were industry leaders Henry B. Joy of Packard Motor Company; Frank A. Seiberling of Goodyear Rubber; and Carl Fisher, founder of Prest-O-Lite Company, maker of carbide car headlights, and founder of the Indianapolis Speedway in 1911.  This first cost-to-coast route began at Times Square I New York, and ended 3,389 miles westward in Lincoln Park, San Francisco, passing through a corridor of the United States somewhat similar to the route of today’s Interstate 80.  The Lincoln Highway route in Ohio followed a path through several county seats across the North Central part of Ohio by way of the best roads at that time.  These cities included East Liverpool, Lisbon, Canton, Wooster, Ashland, Mansfield, Galion, Bucyrus, Upper Sandusky, Lima, and Van Wert.

   Soon, the success of the Lincoln Highway inspired the creation of other transcontinental routes and connecting roads, which sped up the much-needed network of roads.  Like the Lincoln Highway, these routes and trails were typically marked with symbols and colored stripes, usually on utility poles.  With hundreds of different trails throughout the United States (many overlapping), the resulting maze of symbols and colors caused more confusion than convenience.  In 1926, the federal government saw the need for a national network of numbered routes and designated much of the Lincoln Highway as U. S. Route 30; the now-familiar federal highway shields started going up, and the signs with symbols and stripes started coming down.

    The highway was completed in 1915 at a cost of ten million dollars.  Funding for this project came from cash donations from auto manufacturers and accessory companies of 1 percent of their revenues. The public could become members of the highway organization for five dollars.

    With state and federal governments soon in the business of road building, the Lincoln Highway Association ceased its operations in 1927.  As a final tribute to the historic road and as a memorial to Abraham Lincoln, nearly 2,500 concrete directional posts were set on the transcontinental route, with 241 set in Ohio, some of which can be found yet today.

    On September 1, 1928, Boy Scout troops from cities and towns along the highway performed the task of placing the posts.  Each of these markers had a smaller version of the traditional red, white, and blue Lincoln Highway logo, a medallion with a bust of Lincoln, and the inscription “This highway dedicated to Abraham Lincoln” embedded into each post.

    This era of American history changed us significantly.  It helped give rise to the middle class, and changed how and where we live. 

1 Taken from brochure of the Ohio Lincoln Highway Historic Byway

Brochure available by connecting www.historicbyway.com

A Driving Guide to the historic Lincoln Highway through Van Wert County is available by contacting the Van Wert Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.   

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A second driving tour, along which you can visit the many small villages and historical markers in the county, has also been developed. Beginning at the Van Wert County Courthouse in downtown Van Wert and weaving around the county on highways and rural roads, you’ll make your way around our scenic county. Using the script and map available from this site or from the office of the Van Wert Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, you’ll learn much about the settlement and history of Van Wert County.

• Driving Tour Map (PDF Download)
• Driving Tour Instructions (PDF Download)

Flying Tours

    For a unique perspecetive on the area, get a bird's eye view.  For a very modet price you can now take a flying tour over Van Wert County.  Tours are available from licensed pilots at the Van Wert County Regional Airport.  Contact the airport manager at 419-232-4500 for more information.

Walking Tours

      Van Wert is experiencing a rebirth of its downtown area.  Our community has received nationally certified Main Stree Program status. Please accept our open invitation to visit Main Street Van Wert as we bring back to life the buildings and the streetscape. Main Street Van Wert is more than a destination. It’s an attitude.  A walking guide to downtown Van Wert will soon be available from the Convention & Visitors Bureau office.

Hiking Tours

An educational hiking experience can be found by following the Miami and Erie Canal from Delphos, in Van Wert County, to Fort Loramie, in Shelby County. Information about hiking this 40-mile stretch can be found at www.hiking.ohiotrail.com

Industrial Tours

     The Van Wert community is justifiably proud of its industries.  We have a variety of area businesses that produce high quality products.  Our industries and their employees are equally proud of their work, and there was a time when they were eager to share with the general public insight into their businesses.  Times have changed, and with the volatile nature of the world today, all industrial enterprises are required to take extreme measures to protect their safety, the well-being of their employees and the integrity of their products.  All industries are severely limiting access to their facilities.  Listed below are the major industries of the Van Wert area and a brief description of their business.  If you are viewing this website as an leader of a group or organization or a tour operator, please contact the Van Wert Area CVB and we will make every attempt to assist in organizing an industrial tour, but we give no guarantee that such tours will be available.

• Baker Built Products – a quality custom fabricator of various items such as racks, carts, and tables; cutting and shaping of aluminum; manufacturing and modification of parts and dies, etc. including Air Wings air deflectors for Honda motorcycles.
• Braun Industries – a manufacturer of handcrafted ambulances.
• ThyssenKrupp Budd – produces sheet metal stampings and assemblies, chassis modules and frame components, and bumpers.
• Bunge North America – a primary supplier of high quality agricultural commodities and value-added, specialized food and feed ingredients and food products to the global marketplace.
• Cooper Foods – wholesale producer of quality turkey products.
• Custom Assembly – over 15 years of assembly experience in ATV, Motorcycles, Snowmobiles, Jet Skis and other recreational vehicles.
• Eaton Industries – a respected name in fluid power components and extruded plastic products, recognized throughout the world among mobile and industrial, aerospace and automotive customers.
• Eisenhauer Manufacturing – aluminum, brass, copper, sheet metal,  and stainless, steel stampings.
• Elmco Engineering Ohio – a leading manufacturer of new and rebuilt P/M equipment of all makes and sizes.
• Federal Mogul – a supplier of automotive components and sub-systems serving the world's original equipment manufacturers and the aftermarket.
• Greif Brothers – produces and sells shipping containers and materials, such as fibre, steel and plastic drums, multi-wall bags and other related items.
• Golden Heritage Foods – processes, packages, and markets premium honey products under the brand names of Busy Bee and Stoller’s Honey.
• Haviland Drainage Products – manufactures clay drain tile.
• KAM Manufacturing – custom sewing for Vera Bradley bags.
• Kennedy Manufacturing – produces and markets industrial tool storage equipment, including steel tool chests, roller cabinets, stationary and mobile workbenches, modular storage cabinets and specialized tool storage.
• Kill Brothers – producer of  grain carts, wagons and augers.
• Lakeview Farms – a leading source of fine dips, sour cream and desserts.
• Leesburg Looms – handcrafted table and floor looms and weaving supplies.
• Life Star Rescue – specializes in repair, remount and refurbishing of emergency vehicles.
• National Door and Trim – provides a variety of door styles, molding and profiles and wood species.
• Tecumseh Corrugated Box Co – manufactures corrugated boxes, partitions & pallets; wood framed corrugated packaging services.
• Teleflex – designs, manufactures, and distributes specialty engineered products for commercial, medical and aerospace industries.
• Universal Lettering – has been providing personalized jackets for many different groups for over 60 years including having designed the first FFA Jacket in 1933 and still remains the primary supplier of the world's famous FFA Jacket.

 

 

 

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