Warrior Trail - Center
This cache has been placed along the route of the Warrior Trail, a rail-trail, with verbal permission from the Van Wert County Park District. The developed part of the rail trail constructed in 2016 goes from Liberty Union Road east through the town of Ohio City, where there is a parking lot and shelter located on South Main Street. The trail continues until nearly US 127.
The rail trail which was the Chicago and Atlantic Railroad, has a 100’ right of way and originally designed to go between Hammond, IN and Marion, OH as part of the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad (NYP&O). It was constructed through the town of Van Wert Junction which already had two other railroads going through it. (Van Wert Junction would later be known as Koogle P.O. Enterprise then just Enterprise and now since May 1890 as Ohio City). The Chicago and Atlantic Railroad then became the Chicago & Erie Railroad in 1890 and then became part of the Erie Railroad in 1895 and merged with the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western in 1960 to become the Erie Lackawanna Railroad and finally part of Conrail before being abandoned.
The Warrior Trail is named for the mascot of the former Ohio City Liberty School District. The Ohio City Liberty School District was consolidated into the Van Wert City School District in 2006.
This cache is placed to honor one of the nine (9) Liberty Township School Districts along with the school in Ohio City which consolidated in 1928 to create the Ohio City Liberty School District.
Ohio City School (aka Liberty Township School District # 5) (aka Liberty Centre) which was on the northeast corner of Liberty Union Road and WIllshire-Ohio City Road. It was in the extreme southwest corner of Section 15 and near the Chicago and Atlantic Railroad (aka Erie Lackawanna) The first school at that location was a log structure, originally built in 1844 by the US Government. With the development of the village of Van Wert Junction/Enterprise/Ohio City, the school was soon outgrown, therefore a frame building was constructed on Carmean Street just west of Main Street. This is still standing. Another frame school was constructed due to continued student increase and soon outgrew its facilities. A brick school was constructed in 1871. This brick school after serving its time has been renovated and is now a home near where the cache is placed. So Ohio City School then built a two story brick building on South Shane Street in 1889 at a cost of $13,000. This also included high school grades where any of the students after having graduated from one of the one room rural Liberty School District could attend if they provided their own transportation. They used that building and the old frame house next to it up until the time of the consolidation in 1927/1928. The old brick school was torn down in 1930-1931. In 1927 the citizens of Liberty Township and the village of Ohio City decided to consolidate. They constructed a large school building which still stands today on S. Shane St.
(NOTE: some histories state that this is the same as Liberty Township School District # 5)
Liberty Township School District # 5 (aka Liberty Center) which was on the northeast corner of Liberty Union Road and WIllshire-Ohio City Road. It was in the extreme southwest corner of Section 15 and near the Chicago and Atlantic Railroad (aka Erie Lackawanna)
(Note: see Ohio City School)