A history of Ada,
since 1853
Postcards, papers and photographs of Ada from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Following the 1817 Treaty of Fort Meigs, the Shawnee Indians held reservation land at Hog Creek near Ada. Ada itself was originally called Johnstown, platted in 1853 by S. M. Johnson when the railroad was extended to that point. When a post office was established it was called Ada Post Office, named after the postmaster's daughter, Ada. The post office has been in operation since 1854.
The growth of the village is due in large part to the founding of the Ohio Normal School, now known as Ohio Northern University. The university was founded in 1871 by Henry Solomon Lehr, just eighteen years after Ada was first settled. Today, Ada is the second largest incorporated community in Hardin County.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Ada’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewFirst M. E. Church, 1906: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Ada
See all 4 →
Ada, decade by decade
CommonsFirst M. E. Church1906 · postcard
CommonsFirst M. E. Church1906 · postcard
CommonsMain Street1906 · postcard
CommonsMain Street1906 · postcard
CommonsDuke's Memorial, O. U. U1907 · postcard
CommonsDuke's Memorial, O. U. U1907 · postcard
CommonsDuke's Memorial, O.U. U., Ada, O1907 · postcard
CommonsDuke's Memorial, O.U. U., Ada, O1907 · postcard
CommonsHigh School Building1907 · postcard
CommonsHigh School Building1907 · postcard
CommonsOhio Northern University1907 · postcard
CommonsOhio Northern University1907 · postcard
CommonsUniversity Buidlings1907 · postcard
CommonsUniversity Buidlings1907 · postcard
LOCOhio Northern University1907
CommonsM. E. Church1909 · postcard
CommonsM. E. Church1909 · postcard1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as First M. E. Church (1906) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Historic places
National Register · via Wikidata
From Wikimedia Commons (16), the Library of Congress (1) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.