Windham, Ohio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Windham, Ohio | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Ohio |
| County | Portage |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Rob Donham |
| Area | |
| - Total | 2.1 sq mi (5.5 km²) |
| - Land | 2.1 sq mi (5.5 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 2,806 |
| - Density | 1,321.4/sq mi (511.0/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 44288 |
| Area code(s) | 330, 234 |
| Website: WindhamOhio.net | |
Windham is a village located in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is formed from portions of Windham Township, one of the original townships of the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 2,806 at the 2000 census. On July 1, 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated 2,723 people resided in the village.[1] In 1942, the US government chose Windham as the site of an army camp for workers at the newly-built Ravenna Arsenal. As a result, Windham experienced the largest increase in population of any municipality in the United States between the 1940 and 1950 censuses: The population increased from 316 residents to 3,946.[2]
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[edit] History
- See also: Windham Township, Portage County, Ohio
Prior to 1811, the land now comprising the Village and Township of Windham was owned by Caleb Strong[3], as part of his holdings through the Ohio Company of Associates.[4] On September 11, 1810, a group of sixteen men met in Becket, Massachusetts at the home of Thatcher Conant to discuss the purchase of land in Ohio for settlement. These men, who would be known as the Beckett[sic] Land Company, consisted of Conant, Elijah Alford, Nathan Birchard, Gideon Bush, Dillingham Clark, Elisha Clark, Isaac Clark, Benjamin Higley, Aaron P. Jagger, Enos Kingsley, Jeremiah Lyman, Bill Messenger, Ebenezer Messenger, Benjamin C. Perkins, John Seely, and Alpheus Streator.[3]
On November 11, 1810, the Beckett Land Company purchased about 14,825 acres (60 km²) from Caleb Strong. The land was divided into 100 lots, and allotted according to each family's investment in the company. Conant, his wife Elizabeth, Dillingham and Abigail Clark, and Alpheus and Anna Streator donated portions of their allotments near the center of the township for a village green[3], which was common practice for townships in the Connecticut Western Reserve. The group of sixteen families then departed from Massachusetts on May 2, 1811.[5] Six weeks later[5], they arrived in the purchased survey township, which was located immediately south of Nelson Township in the Connecticut Western Reserve. This new township, known today as Windham Township, was survey town 4 in range 6 of the Western Reserve.
The first religious service in the new township was held on July 28, 1811 in the home of one of the settlers. This service was very likely Congregationalist, as several of the families belonged to the Congregational Church in Becket, Massachusetts.[5]. The Congregational Church eventually constructed a building on the Green, and today that church still remains on the Green as a member church of the United Church of Christ.
The Windham Historical Society notes that the township was originally named Strongsburg[6], however, some sources cite the original name as Strongsburgh.[3]. The namesake was original landowner Caleb Strong, who was by then the Governor of Massachusetts. There is some discrepancy in how this township came to be known as Windham. According to the Windham Historical Society, the name of the township "was changed to Sharon, by an act of legislature in about 1820…. A few years later the name was again changed to Windham, which it has remained to present." The Historical Society also cites political concerns as the reason the name was changed from Strongsburg to Sharon.[6] However, on Windham Township's website, March 2, 1813 is cited as the date on which "the Township was made a district by itself and the name was changed to 'Sharon'." The website goes on to state that in 1820, by an act of legislature, the name was changed again to Windham.[3]. Yet another source, The Ohio Gazetteer, and Travelers's[sic] Guide, states that the name was changed from Sharon to Windham in January, 1829.[7]. Still another source places these dates as 1817 and 1820, respectively.[2] Common to most sources are a few claims which reasonably can be ascertained to be fact:
- Caleb Strong was the original namesake of the township.[2][3][5][6]
- The name of the township was changed from Strongsburg/Strongsburgh, to Sharon, and again to Windham.[2][3][5][6]
- The second name change, from Sharon to Windham, was in honor of Windham, Connecticut-- home to at least some of the township's original settlers.[2][3][6]
A private academy was chartered in Windham on February 19, 1835.[2] Windham Academy was the 44th to be chartered by Ohio.[8] This school closed in 1853, and was replaced by a second, short-lived private school in the 1860's. Windham High School was founded in 1883, across the street from the present school building.
The Village of Windham was incorporated in 1892, and on October 12, 1993 the village officially withdrew from Windham Township.
[edit] Geography
Windham is located at (41.238706, -81.036731)[9].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.5 km²), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 2,806 people, 959 households, and 729 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,321.4 people per square mile (511.0/km²). There were 1,143 housing units at an average density of 538.2/sq mi (208.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 92.94% White, 4.92% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.43% of the population.
There were 959 households out of which 45.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 27.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the village the population was spread out with 35.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $31,630, and the median income for a family was $32,679. Males had a median income of $30,791 versus $20,859 for females. The per capita income for the village was $11,875. About 23.5% of families and 23.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Notable Windhamites
Laurin D. Woodworth represented Ohio's 17th district in Congress from 1873 until 1877. Woodworth was born in Windham, and is interred at Windham Cemetery.[11] Windham is also the birthplace of Thomson Jay Hudson, known for his three laws of psychic phenomena.[12]
Angela Johnson was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, but raised in Windham.[13]Her inspiration to become an author came as a student in the Windham Exempted Village School District.[14] Johnson has been honored by the American Library Association, and has won the Coretta Scott King Award three times.
Windham High School's football coach from 1972 until 1974 was Stan Parrish[15], then a recent graduate of Heidelberg College. Parrish would go on to coach the Marshall Thundering Herd to their first winning season since the 1970 air disaster that claimed the lives of most of Marshall's football team. Parrish also was head coach of the Kansas State Wildcats football team, and as of 2008 is an assistant at Ball State University.[16]
[edit] References
- ^ Table 4: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Ohio, Listed Alphabetically: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (Excel). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
- ^ a b c d e f History of the Windham Schools. Windham Exempted Village School District (1998). Archived from the original on 2004-08-10. Retrieved on 2007-10-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g h About Windham Township. Windham Township Government, Windham, Ohio. Retrieved January 6, 2008.
- ^ Manuscripts and Documents of the Ohio Company of Associates. Digital Collections at Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio. Retrieved January 6, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Windham - 1811 - 1850
- ^ a b c d e Windham Historical Society. Portage County Historical Society. Retrieved on 2008-01-06.
- ^ The Ohio Gazetteer, and Travelers's Guide. Ohio Tidbits. Retrieved on 2008-01-06.
- ^ Ohio History the Scholarly Journal of the Ohio Historical Society.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Laurin D. Woodworth's biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- ^ The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans
- ^ Angela Johnson biography. Scholastic.
- ^ Angela Johnson: Highlights of a Life. Ohioana Authors. WOSU.
- ^ Stan Parrish profile at ballstatesports.com. Accessed June 10, 2008
- ^ McKeever, Curt. "Ball State assistant has seen highs and lows during long career", 2007-09-22. Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
[edit] External links
- Windham, Ohio is at coordinates Coordinates:
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