Press release courtesy of Ellen Gatrell, Fostoria Rail Preservation Society.
Did you know that Fostoria was dedicated on July 14, 1854? The two villages of Risdon and Rome were combined to form Fostoria. Rome was a village between the streets of South, Poplar, North & Wood. Risdon was the village located in the area of Countyline & Summit Streets where today you can see the Ohio Historical marker noting Risdon Square. Summit Street was the Main Street of Risdon. Risdon boundaries were Liberty, Van Buren, Parkway, Jackson and one alley west of Union Street. These two villages were platted in 1832. Fostoria was named after Charles W. Foster as he was able to negotiate a truce to combine both villages into one city.
Growth in the United States could be achieved by having railroads lay track through your city. Fostoria’s “movers & shakers” wanted Fostoria to prosper and they did whatever they could to convince the railroads of the time to lay tracks through Fostoria. In the early 1850’s the first railroad in Fostoria was the Fremont & Indiana. As noted in the original name, the railroad traveled from Fremont to Indiana. This railroad had financial issues with ownership changing constantly. Numerous names were Fremont, Lima and Union Railroad Company, Lake Erie & Pacific Railroad Company (1865), and Lake Erie & Louisville Railroad Company and eventually the Lake Erie & Western Railroad. This railroad was used often by people traveling from Indiana to Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio. The first depot was located on the NE corner of Sandusky & Main Streets, where Candyland Restaurant was located. In 1878, Lake Erie & Western built the present-day depot at 128 W. North Street for a cost of $850.00. In the 1980’s, many Fostorians remember the Camp Fire organization being in the depot. In 2007 the Fostoria Rail Preservation Society (FRPS) received a grant from the Henry H. Geary Jr. Memorial Foundation to purchase the building from the Camp Fire organization. The depot has been updated with a new roof, exterior & interior repainted, air conditioning installed and new exterior & interior lighting. Santa at the Depot has been held in the LE&W Depot for the past sixteen years.
The New York Central System laid track through Fostoria in the 1850’s. Eventually the NYC became Penn Central, and then Conrail. Conrail was split between CSX & Norfolk-Southern. The Toledo & Ohio Central laid track in the 1860’s and eventually became part of the NYC. Hocking Valley laid track through Fostoria in 1872 and this railroad eventually became the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O), later Chessie System and is now owned by CSX. The Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) laid track through Fostoria in 1873. This railroad eventually became the Chessie System, along with the Chesapeake & Ohio, and later CSX. The New York, Chicago and St. Louis, or the Nickel Plate Railroad, ran track through Fostoria in the 1880’s. The Nickel Plate Railroad eventually became Norfolk & Western and later Norfolk-Southern.
Interurbans or electric car trolleys were also an affordable mode of transportation. These electric railroad lines were in existence in this area from 1898-1932. They were the Toledo, Fostoria & Findlay Railway Company (TF&F), Tiffin, Fostoria & Eastern (TF&E) and the Fostoria & Fremont was part of the Lake Shore Electric. Henry Ford’s affordable automobiles changed transportation for middle class families. The trolleys were phased out as the family automobiles became more popular. Trolleys traveled seven days a week.
This is the first in a series of Fostoria railroad history articles. Thank you for reading.
