Lorain County History

Lorain County’s 493 square miles were carved out of the Connecticut Western Reserve lands by Ohio on December 26, 1822. From the Vermillion River to the west, to the Black River’s branches meeting in Elyria and flowing to Lake Erie in the north, water has always been the life blood of the people whom live there. Most of the industries in the county, like coal, steal and agriculture, utilize water in some way. The shipyard in Lorain built some of the finest vessels to sail on the Great Lakes. Amherst had some of the world's deepest stone quarries and supplied much of the sandstone to rebuild Chicago after the “Great Fire”. Lorain County is also proud to have the first college to admit women and African Americans into the same classes as white males in 1833 at Oberlin. Also, the county seat of Elyria opened the first high school west of the Alleghenies in 1830. The fall of steal hit the county hard but it is making a come-back with arts and local commerce.