A history of Medina,
since 1816
Postcards, papers and photographs of Medina from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Medina was founded on November 30, 1818, as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. It was originally named Mecca, but an unincorporated community in Ohio already had that name, so the name was changed. Both Mecca and Medina are Arabian cities particularly significant in Islam.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Medina’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewOffice of the A. I. Root Company, 1908: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Medina
See all 32 →
Medina, decade by decade
1990s
13 historic places in Medina
Medina has 13 listings on the National Register, and they protect 48 historic buildings, because Medfair Heights Apartment Historic District alone counts 19.
Where they are
Architectural styles
When they were listed
Listed 1970Medina County Courthouse
Listed 1975A. I. And E. R. Root Homestead
Listed 1980Judge Albert Munson House
Listed 1982St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Listed 1982H. G. Blake House
Listed 1982King-Phillips-Deibel House
Listed 2002Medina Masonic Temple and Medina Theater
Listed 2018Medina Farmers Exchange Co.Listed 1975Medina Public Square Historic DistrictListed 2006Spring Grove CemeteryListed 2008Medfair Heights Apartment Historic DistrictListed 2019United States Post OfficeListed 2025R.M. and Elizabeth McDowell HouseThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Office of the A. I. Root Company (1908) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.