}Ê >V Ê>ÌÊ"ÀÀÛ i 4HE TWO 2S IN THE WORD /RRVILLE MIGHT WELL STAND FOR h2AIL 2OAD v 4HE CITY WAS ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED AS A RAILROAD STOP AND THE RAILROAD DROVE VIRTUALLY EVERY ASPECT OF ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER THE YEARS %VEN TODAY THE MOST CASUAL OF VISITORS TO THE CITY CANNOT ESCAPE THE PRESENCE OF THE RAILROAD AS THERE IS ALMOST NO WAY TO REACH THE HEART OF THE DOWNTOWN WITHOUT HAVING TO CROSS AT LEAST ONE SET OF TRACKS )T WAS IN ABOUT THAT THE RURAL AREA AROUND WHAT IS TODAY /RRVILLE WAS STRUCK BY hRAILROAD FEVER v AND THE PHENOMENON BECAME THE IMPETUS FOR MANY MEETINGS TO DEBATE ITS PROS AND CONS *UDGE 3MITH /RR FOUNDER OF THE TOWN n AND WHOSE NAME IT BEARS n WAS THE CHIEF PROPONENT OF THE RAILRAODS POINTING OUT THEY WOULD HELP OPEN UP THE WILDERNESS AND ALLOW AREA FARMERS TO REACH BROADER MARKETS THAN WAS POSSIBLE WITH PRESENT TRANSPORTATION MODES /PPONENTS OF THE RAILROADS HOWEVER DID NOT WANT THEIR FARMLANDS RIPPED APART BY CONSTRUCTION FOR WHAT THEY FELT WOULD BE A PASSING FAD )N WHEN NEW RAILROAD COMPANIES BEGAN LOOKING TO GROUPS OF PRIVATE CITIZENS TO GIVE THEM AID IN CROSSING /HIO /RR JUMPED AT THE CHANCE TO DRAW THE RAILROAD THROUGH 'REEN AND "AUGHMAN 4OWNSHIPS IN 7AYNE #OUNTY ! DEAL WAS HAMMERED OUT IN WHICH /RR WAS TO GET THE RESIDENTS OF THE TWO TOWNSHIPS TO RAISE BY BUYING STOCK AT PER SHARE 4HE #ITY OF 0ITTSBURGH 0A WAS TO RAISE AS ITS PART OF THE DEAL 7HILE /RR AND PARTNER *ESSE 3TRAUGHAN READILY RAISED THE 0ITTSBURGH WAS UNABLE TO FULlLL ITS PART OF THE AGREEMENT 3TRAUGHAN WAS THEN SENT TO 0ITTSBURGH TO REPRESENT THE ENTIRE 3TATE OF /HIO S RAILROAD INTERESTS ! NEW PLAN WAS CONSTRUCTED UNDER WHICH THE CITY COUNCILS OF 0ITTSBURGH AND !LLEGHENY WERE TO SUBSCRIBE WITH CITIZENS EXPECTED TO COME UP WITH THE REMAINING 4HAT GOAL WAS REACHED BY 4O ENSURE THAT 'REEN AND "AUGHMAN 4OWNSHIPS WOULD NOT BE BYPASSED BY THE RAILROAD /RR PROMISED THE /HIO AND 0ENNSYLVANIA 2AILROAD THAT HE WOULD CONSTRUCT A WATER TANK A SAWMILL AND FURNISH FREE WOOD FOR FUEL AND TIES FOR TRACK 4HIS SERVED AS ADEQUATE ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE RAILROAD TO BUILD THROUGH /RR S AREA /RRVILLE PROBABLY OWES ITS EXISTENCE TO THE FACT IT IS SITUATED IN A DIRECT LINE BETWEEN 7OOSTER AND -ASSILLON BOTH ESTABLISHED IN THE EARLY S AND MAIN TARGETS OF THE RAILROAD LINE /RR THEN PERSUADED 2OBERT 4AGGART IN "AUGHMAN 4OWNSHIP TO TAKE ACRES OF HIS LAND AND LAY OUT TOWN LOTS WHICH 4AGGART SOLD FOR EACH 4HOSE LOTS WERE LOCATED NORTH OF THE RAILROAD TRACKS AND EAST OF -AIN 3TREET 4HEN /RR ENTERED INTO A PARTNERSHIP WITH 7ILLIAM 'AILEY AND BUILT THE PROMISED WATER TANK AND SAW MILL SOUTHEAST OF -ILL 3TREET 4HE lRST TRAIN CAME THROUGH THE AREA !UG IN ONE OF 7AYNE #OUNTY S MOST HISTORIC MOMENTS 4HE NEW TOWN OF /RRVILLE GREW RAPIDLY AS PEOPLE FROM NEIGHBORING TOWNS THAT HAD NO RAILROAD mOCKED IN 4WO YEARS LATER THE #LEVELAND !KRON AND #OLUMBUS 2AILROAD WAS BUILT THROUGH /RRVILLE 2UNNING NORTH AND SOUTH 0!'% n /226),,% 4/$!9
IT INTERSECTED THE /HIO AND 0ENNSYLVANIA 2AILROAD AND MADE /RRVILLE A PASSENGER AND FREIGHT TRANSFER CENTER .OW AREA FARMERS COULD SEND THEIR PRODUCTS TO MARKETS IN 0ITTSBURGH #HICAGO #LEVELAND OR #OLUMBUS )N ADDITION THEY COULD EARN EXTRA MONEY BY CUTTING WOOD FOR THE RAILROAD "Y THE POPULATION OF /RRVILLE HAD REACHED AND ON -AY IT WAS FORMALLY INCORPORATED UNDER THAT NAME )N THE 7HEELING AND ,AKE %RIE 2AILROAD BUILT A LINE THROUGH /RRVILLE POSITIONED JUST SOUTH OF THE 0ITTSBURGH &ORT 7AYNE AND #HICAGO TRACKS 7HILE IT OFFERED SOME PASSENGER SERVICE MOST OF THE LINE WAS CONCERNED WITH FREIGHT HAULING 4HE REAL BOOM IN /RRVILLE RAILROADING HOWEVER WAS STILL TO COME )N THE 0ENNSYLVANIA 2AILROAD WHICH HAD TAKEN OVER THE 0ITTSBURGH &ORT 7AYNE AND #HICAGO 2AILROAD IN ACQUIRED THE #LEVELAND !KRON AND #OLUMBUS 2AILROAD !S A RESULT /RRVILLE BECAME A TERMINAL FOR THE 0ENNSYLVANIA 2AILROAD AND IN A ROUNDHOUSE WAS CONSTRUCTED 4HAT STRUCTURE CONTAINED SIX STALLS WITH lVE MORE ADDED A FEW YEARS LATER (ERE ENGINES WERE REPAIRED TANKS WERE RElLLED AND COAL hCLINKERSv WERE REMOVED FROM BOILERS WHILE FRIEGHT WAS TRANSFERRED FROM ONE LINE TO ANOTHER 4HE SERVING YARD IN /RRVILLE GREW TO TRACKS WITH A CAPACITY OF CARS 4HE RAILROAD DEPOT THAT WAS BUILT IN WAS REPLACED IN AFTER BURNING TO THE GROUND 4ODAY THAT DEPOT STILL EXISTS AS A MUSEUM THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF THE /RRVILLE 2AILROAD (ERITAGE 3OCIETY )N ITS PEAK YEARS PASSENGER TRAINS AND FREIGHT TRAINS PASSED THROUGH /RRVILLE DAILY )T IS SAID THAT ANY TIME THE TOWN HAD A PARADE THE PROCESSION WAS INVARIABLY SEPARATED INTO NUMEROUS SECTIONS BY PASSING TRAINS )N A PROTRACTED RAILROAD STRIKE RESULTED IN A CONSOLIDATION OF RAILROAD ACTIVITIES AND THE MAJOR TERMINAL ACTIVITIES WERE MOVED FROM /RRVILLE TO #RESTLINE $URING THE 'REAT $EPRESSION THE TRAIN AND HOTEL BUSINESS LAGGED 4HE RAILROAD SHOPS AND MANY HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS THAT DEPENDED ON THE RAILROAD FOR THEIR TRADE WERE CLOSED BY /RRVILLE S FORTUNES AS A RAILROADING TOWN WERE BRIEmY RESURRECTED DURING 7ORLD 7AR )) WHEN IT WAS SELECTED AS A 5 3 GOVERNMENT SOTRAGE SITE WITH A HUGE AMOUNT OF WAR MATERIALS COLLECTED AND DISPATCHED FROM AN AREA JUST WEST OF THE CITY !FTER THAT HOWEVER THERE WAS A GREAT DECLINE IN RAILROADS BECAUSE OF THE ADVENT OF THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM AND THE GROWING TRUCKING INDUSTRY 4HE CITY S GREATEST POPULATION SPURT CAME BETWEEN AND WHEN THE CENSUS RECORDED PEOPLE 4HESE YEARS ALSO MARKED THE PERIOD OF THE GREATEST CENTRALIZATION HERE OF RAILROAD RELATED ACTIVITIES )N /RRVILLE BECAME A CITY REACHING A POPULATION OF 4ODAY WITH A DIVERSIlED INDUSTRIAL BASE ITS POPULATION HOVERS AROUND )NFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE IS DERIVED FROM h/RRVILE /HIO 7ALKING 4HROUGH 4HE 0AST v BY 2OBERT 7ITMER AND $ARLA ,ANDERS