Mantua – At a hearing in Columbus last Friday, the Ohio Historic Preservation Office approved a nomination for the Mantua Center School to be considered for addition to National Register of Historic Places. The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of properties recognized by the federal government as worthy of preservation for their local, state, or national significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture.
The Ohio Historical Society’s Historic Preservation Office administers this program of the National Park Service at the state level. Ohio’s Historic Preservation Society has recognized an impressive network of historical sites, including homes and memorials associated with US presidents, such as Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, or Warren G. Harding. It also includes early cultures and mound building sites such as Serpent Mound, Ft. Ancient, and Newark Earthworks.
“It would really be an honor, should Mantua Center School be added to the National Register of Historic Places,” states Mantua Restoration Society Member Carole Pollard. “In addition, the building would potentially be eligible to receive grants and assistance.”
Countless community members put in hundreds of hours of work over the past year and a half to make this possible. Mantua Restoration Society members who worked on the lengthy application include Linda Ehlert, Terri Vechery, and Lynn Harvey. The group also received assistance from Christie Borkan, Adjunct Faculty in Art History at Hiram College. The National Park Service will notify the group in late August as to whether or not the School has been added to the National list.
To support the Restoration Society’s efforts, Township resident Ellie Monroe has designed an original, queen-sized quilt that will be raffled off at the Society’s Harvest Dinner fundraiser on November 3rd. To purchase raffle tickets, call Ellie Monroe at (330) 274-0711.
In addition, Mantua Township Trustees have determined that the Mantua Center School, which the township refers to as the Administration Building, can be open for use at no charge by Township residents from Mondays through Thursdays, pending Trustee approval. The next scheduled Open Days are July 3rd & July 17th from 10 am to 4 pm. For more information on Community Days at the School, contact Carol Srajer at (330) 562-8869.
