A history of Vermilion,
since 1834
Postcards, papers and photographs of Vermilion from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Vermilion was initially settled in the early 19th century and incorporated as a village in 1837. The city took its name from the nearby Vermilion River. It developed as a fishing and small-boat harbor. In 1847, the Congress of the United States built the Vermilion Lighthouse to aid navigation on Lake Erie.
As commerce grew in larger nearby cities, the Vermilion River proved inadequate to large commercial traffic. Later, recreational boating became very popular. During the early 20th century, the area became known as a resort community, featuring many beaches and cottages. Most structures were eventually converted to year-round use; many still are used as summer homes or vacation houses. Linwood Park in Vermilion is a good example.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Vermilion’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 viewVermilion, Ohio is noted for its …, 1910: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Vermilion
See all 6 →
Vermilion, decade by decade
1990s
42 historic places in Vermilion
42 places in Vermilion are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Unidentified Church (approximately 1870) - DPLA - 8e124cb1165a748c60c256cf93a3cb8b (1870) 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.