The original inhabitants of the Galion area were Wyandot Indians, who camped on the banks of the Olentangy River and established several hunting camps. The area’s first white settlers were the Benjamin Leveredge family, who arrived from the east in 1817. Leveredge built the first cabin in Galion, with his son, James building one near by. The locations of those cabins were near the present-day intersection of Atwood and Orange streets. In 1818, James Gill and George Wood arrived. Wood helped build the area’s first school, and Gill was the first teacher. Organized religious services were initiated with the arrival of Benjamin Sharrock that year. Asa Hosford, who has been called “the father of Galion”, arrived on Dec. 19,1819. He built a double log cabin on the west side of the present city. His brother, Horace, began the first blacksmith shop, which drew more settlers. The settlement had no official name, although history books say it was called “Moccasin,” “Hosford,” “Spangtown,” “Horseshoe,” “Hardscrabble” and “ The Corners.” A stagecoach route ran through the area. Settlers petitioned postal officials to call the settlement “Goshen.” However, there was another Ohio settlement already with that name, so the Cincinnati postmaster assigned the name “Galion.” The name’s origin remains a mystery to this day, as no other town in the United States is called Galion. Hosford built the first gristmill, and soon, others were built along the banks of the Olentangy. Circuit riding missionaries made regular stops here, many businesses sprang up, and in 1831, Galion reached the status of village. On September 10, 1831 the city was laid out by Michael and Jacob Ruhl. The original plat consisted of thirty-five lots. The first addition was made by the same parties December 14, 1833 and consisted of an additional thirty-three lots. The population of Galion was swelled between 1832 and 1835 by the arrival of German families who would form the nucleus for a solid and responsible citizenry. Many of these families began the town’s first markets, saloons, livery stables and eating places. In 1836 and 1837, more businesses began around the perimeter of the square. Ruhl’s general store stood on the present site of the Ritchey House, and also served as the post office, and two tavern’s were built, one operated by Jacob Ruhl and the other by Asa Hosford’s brother. The first church building in Galion was the German Methodist Church, built in 1839. The following year the First Union Brick Church “Immanuels Kirche” was completed and became the cradle of three later Galion churches: the Peace Lutheran, the First Methodist and the First Reformed. Hosford became a state legislator, and helped get the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati railroad to pass through Galion in 1851. Galion received another boost when a rail line from Galion to Bellefontaine was built in 1853. The Adam Howard Buggy Works, began in 1890, and employed an average of 100 people, including 15 blacksmiths. Along came the advent of the automobile in 1910, and the buggy business came to a halt. Howard bought a dozen engines and, for two years, attempted to mold cars around them. But the business was soon forced to shut down. In December of 1900, the Big Four Depot was dedicated to Galion and it became the division headquarters for the Cleveland, Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad (the Big Four). In the years to come, the railroads boomed in Galion. A second depot was built as well as railroad yards. Presidential candidates Al Smith (1928), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1932), and Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon (1952) presented their “platform speeches” to Galionites at the Big Four Depot. Galion became a growing town with strong, locally owned industry, with firms building road rPHP has encountered an Access Violation at 01210AFDollers, graders, snow plows, dump truck bodies, farm equipment, telephone equipment, grave vaults, split shaft power takeoffs, spreaders and hydraulic cylinders. During World War II, local industry was called to service. The North Electric Co. for example, developed and manufactured tactical telecommunications systems, field switchboards, telephones, headsets, switching equipment and lighting control systems. North also produced a switch that was in the first atomic bombs. The advent of the “dial tone” and Ericofon also came from the North Electric Co. Galion lost some Industry in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90's, however, the city of Galion is optimistic that the construction of two interchanges, to the U. S. 30 bypass which began in 2002 and was completed in 2005 will bring industry and business to the area. Galion has more than doubled in landmass in the last decade with over 1,500 acres of additional land brought into the city limits. A large annexation northeast of town put the new U. S. 30 and Ohio 61 interchange within the city limits. The economy in Galion continues to improve, companies are doing well and are hiring, and the future continues to look bright up for Galion. Please go to “THE FUTURE OF GALION” on this website to see what’s happening in Galion today.