A history of Mentor,
since 1797
Postcards, papers and photographs of Mentor from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Mentor was founded in the late eighteenth century by Charles Parker, who built the first settlement in 1797.
Ohio became the 17th state in the Union in 1803. The community was formally established in 1855, and earned the nickname "Rose Capital of the Nation" due to the abundant rosebushes that grew throughout the city. During the time this nickname developed, Mentor's tourist industry boomed due to Clevelanders trying to escape a dirty, industrial atmosphere. With the post-World War II spread of the automobile, Mentor saw an increase in middle and working-class families. By 2000, about 50,000 people lived in the city.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Mentor’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewOhio. The busy life of a presiden…, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Mentor, decade by decade
CommonsOhio. The busy life of a president-elect of the United Stat…1880
CommonsPost office and telegraphic office of James A. Garfield, at1880
LOCJames A. Garfield's consultation office in his home, at Men…1880
LOCIn the corridor of James A. Garfield's home, at Mentor, Ohio1880
LOCArrival of visitors outside home of James A. Garfield, at M…1880
LOCPost office and telegraphic office of James A. Garfield, at…18801990s
13 historic places in Mentor
13 places in Mentor are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier, which fewer than 3% of listings reach.
Where they are
Architectural styles
When they were listed
LandmarkListed 1966James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Listed 1972Corning-White House
Listed 1975James Mason House
Listed 1975Gray-Coulton House
Listed 1978Lake Shore and Michigan Southern RR Depot and Freight House
Listed 1979Garfield Library
Listed 1981John G. Oliver House
Listed 1994John and Carrie Yager House
Listed 1996Benjamin and Mary Young House
Listed 2005Mentor Village SchoolListed 2015Lawnfield-James A. Garfield Estate (Additional Documentation and Boundary Clarification)Listed 1974Sawyer-Wayside HouseListed 2014Mentor Village HallThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Ohio. The busy life of a president-elect of the United States-General Garfield at his home at Mentor. Gen. Garfield's b… (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (2) and the Library of Congress (4). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.