Galion, Ohio

Galion was laid out in 1831.[7] The etymology of the name Galion is uncertain.[8] A post office called Galion has been in operation since 1825.[9]

Galion was the scene of a spectacle lynching. On Friday, April 28, 1882, Barbara Rettig accused Frank Fisher of raping her. On Sunday, April 30, 1882 a mob took Fisher, an African American, from Galion's jail and hanged him.[10][11] They left Fisher's body on display for several days after the lynching.[12] A newspaper correspondent at the scene reported a crowd of "at least two thousand people, men, women and children."[12] He concluded his article on the lynching with this summation: "The lynching of Frank Fisher, In broad daylight, upon Sunday, by unmasked men, was one of the boldest affairs that has ever transpired in this county. While the affair is to be regretted the crime was such that he has not a particle of sympathy from anyone who has heard the particulars of the crime for which he has so dearly paid with his life."[12]

Galion is located in the southeastern corner of Crawford County at 40°43′59″N 82°47′19″W (40.733164, -82.788586).[13]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.63 square miles (19.76 km²), of which 7.61 square miles (19.71 km²) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km²) is water.[2]

The Olentangy River begins near and runs through Galion, and then winds southward toward Columbus and eventually empties into the Scioto River.

Galion has a Mayor-Council government: it is governed by an elected city council and mayor.[17] Thomas O’Leary has served as mayor since 2013.[18][19]

The Galion City School District encompasses the entire city of Galion, graduating about 150 students annually.[20] There are a handful of neighborhoods outside of Galion that are also included in the school district, including Blooming Grove.

Galion and neighboring communities are served by a semi-weekly newspaper, the Galion Inquirer.[21]

"Big Four" train depot

The Erie Railroad also ran through Galion and established large rail yards here, making the city an important rail center. In April, 1851 the Cleveland Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad, later known as the "Big Four" and eventually the New York Central, began operating regular service between Columbus and Cleveland, stopping at Galion along the way.[22] Prior to the end of the 19th century, Galion became a division headquarters for the line.

Galion once boasted two large railroad depots, the Big Four Depot on Washington Street, and the Erie Depot on South Market Street, which was torn down in 1986 due to its poor condition, after having served as a maintenance office for Conrail. With the move of the Erie yards to Marion in the 1910s, the railroads declined, although the city remained a passenger rail center into the 1960s. The Big Four Depot was abandoned; however, it has since been acquired by the City of Galion and is undergoing a slow but thorough restoration.

From 1915 to 1923, Galion was on the original route of the Lincoln Highway, America's first coast-to-coast route. In later years, however, the northern route was improved and became US 30 North, although until approximately 1970 the route through Galion was designated as US 30 South. The new, four-lane US 30 opened in 2005, and passes just north of town, giving the community excellent transportation access.

State routes in Galion include 309, which connects Marion to the southwest with Ontario to the east; 598, which originates in Galion and stretches northward; 19, which heads westward toward the county seat and also south toward Williamsport; 61, which goes south towards Morrow and Delaware Counties and north to Lake Erie, and 97, which goes east through Lexington.

Galion road grader

PECO II Offices in 2007

The Galion brand of heavy equipment (such as road graders, road rollers, and earthmovers) was manufactured in Galion Iron Works, later purchased by Dresser Industries and then by Komatsu.

Galion was once the home of Peabody Galion, a manufacturer of sanitation equipment, primarily dump bodies, as well as front loading, side-loading and rear loading garbage trucks; rivaling the Heil Company for numbers of units sold throughout the world. For a short time, in the early 1970s, Peabody Galion maintained a manufacturing plant in Durant, Oklahoma, known as "Peabody Galion, Durant Division".

Galion was also once home to North Electric Company, a prime supplier of telephone switching systems for government and international markets. It was also producer of the Ericofon, the first ever one-piece telephone designed by Ralph Lysell and Hugo Blomberg.[23] Founded in 1884 by Charles N. North, the company became part of Ericsson in 1951. It was purchased by ITT in the mid-1970s and operated as ITT PowerSystems until the late 1980s, when it was sold to a private consortium and renamed PECO II (the name is derived from North Electric Company's purchase of Power Equipment Company (PECO) in 1960). Peco II purchased the telecommunications product line and associated assets from ITT in 1988. In 2010, PECO II was acquired by Lineage Power of Plano, Texas and has since closed the plant.

• Julius H. Block, Minnesota State Treasurer, was born in Galion
• William Montgomery Brown, Episcopal clergyman and author, lived in Galion
• Florence Kling Harding, First Lady of the United States, lived in Galion with her first husband, Henry ("Pete") DeWolfe
• Henry David Lee, founder of the HD Lee Mercantile Company, inventors of Lee Jeans, lived in and operated a business in Galion
• Robert W. Morgan, radio personality, was from Galion.
• Orville Nave, theologian and chaplain, was born in Galion

• City website