Fostoria Focus

This city was created in 1854 from a merger of two smaller villages. One called Rome the other Risdon. Rome it is said was the business community, which was located on the corner of Tiffin Street and Main Street. Risdon, more residential, was located at North Countyline Street and Summit Street, which placed them about a mile or less apart. In the... fall of 1832 John Gorsuch plotted the village of Risdon, surveyed for him by David Risdon. It was located on the northwest corner of Section 6, Township 2 north, Range 13 east. The land deeded to Gorsuch was once referred to as "Arkansas territory. Rome, a little village, was plotted on the east half of the southwest quarter of the same section by David Risdon for Roswell Crocker. This was done in August 1832. Simultaneous with the rise of Rome, the neighboring town of Risdon sprang up. Years later the arm of the big swamp separating the two villages was filled and the two became one. Since the people in Rome would not accept the name of Risdon and the people of Risdon wouldn't stand for Rome, they compromised by naming the town Fostoria. . A wealthy local merchant (Charles W. Foster) donated a plot of land in 1852 on the corner of Fremont and Main Streets so a Methodist Church could be built, since the two small communities were experiencing difficulty maintaining their individual Churches. The church was built in 1854. I would believe that location satisfied both village citizens, since it is located between the two communities. After Mr. Foster's gift the two congregations and villages merged and named the town "Fostoria" in 1852 in honor of Charles W. Foster, and not his son Charles Foster who later became the Governor of Ohio, as many believe. Wells of oil and gas were discovered in the area and piped into Fostoria. It was offered free to any manufacturers that would locate and build here. There also was another factor that was an incentive for factories to locate here. At this time, and even today, Fostoria has an abundance of railroads. As a result thirteen ...Read More