Ohio town invites Goshen officials to bicentennial celebration

Crane Township, Ohio, is getting ready to celebrate its bicentennial this summer and officials from the Midwest town have reached out to officials in both the village and town of Goshen, as their history is tied directly to Goshen.

“Local historians are aware the township was named for Oliver Crane in 1825, but until now very little was known about the man behind the name,” Crane Township fiscal officer Carol Razo wrote in an email to Goshen officials. “Oliver Crane spent his childhood and early adulthood in Goshen, Orange County, New York. His parents, William Crane and Mary Cooley (or Couley) married on March 16, 1788, and Oliver was the second child arriving in 1791.”

Razo continued: “Oliver’s birthplace of Goshen earned its name from the promised land mentioned in the Book of Genesis. Its broad streets were well groomed and nicely shaded. Goshen is famous for its trotting horse industry which began in 1803. A pristine racetrack positioned directly in the center of town provided entertainment for local families as well as visitors.

Crane married a woman named Elizabeth at the age of 20. Census records show the Cranes had at least eight children and there may have been others who are unidentified.”

By the age of 30, he had initiated three business ventures here in Goshen, one of which was a general store. In his early 30s, Crane apparently had the itch to move west and settled in Paulding County, Ohio. In fact, according to Razo’s research, Crane’s parents sold property on Main Street in Goshen “where Oliver Crane lately lived” for $1,800.

Crane and his family arrived in northwest Ohio by way of the Maumee River on small dugout canoes called pirogues in about 1823, Razo said. There were no roads in the area at that time. The area was dominated by the Great Black Swamp with dense forests. According to Razo, an 1808 map designated the swampland in northwest Ohio as “land not worth a farthing.”

A prominent member of the community, the first township in Paulding County was named for Crane. At the age of 34, he built a home in Crane Township and was appointed postmaster for the area’s first post office in 1829.

Crane’s stay in Ohio was short lived, however, as he again uprooted his family, this time to Elkhart County in Indiana, where he would stay for the remainder of his life. Like he did in Goshen and Crane Township, Crane quickly made a name for himself as a community leader. In 1831, according to Razo’s research, Crane platted a proposed town seat into lots. True to his roots, Crane suggested the name of Goshen for the county seat. As a result, Goshen, Ind., is named after Goshen, NY.

To help celebrate their 200-year anniversary, local officials in Crane, Ohio, have invited Goshen officials out to Ohio to attend an Aug. 16 celebration.

“We have been so excited to learn about Oliver’s history and his ties to New York, Indiana, and of course our little town here in northwest Ohio, Razo said. “As part of our bicentennial this summer, we would love to host our friends from New York and Indiana due to our shared history.”

The celebration, the particulars of which are still being finalized, is as follows:

• Early August (exact date TBD): Production of a play titled “No Compromise!” written by a local historian about the Reservoir War which took place in 1887

• Saturday, Aug. 16: Bicentennial celebration and ceremony at New Rochester Park

• Saturday, Aug. 23: Guided nature tours through Forrest Woods Nature Preserve, with a focus on how the area would have looked two centuries ago

When asked if anyone from the Village of Goshen or Town of Goshen will be attending the bicentennial celebration, officials said they had not yet decided on the matter.