Louisville, Ohio: From Village to City

The city of Louisville is located in the eastern part of Stark County, Ohio in Constitution Township. Constitution Township is surrounded by Nimishillen Township which takes its name from the stream which flows through it. The stream was named by the Native Americans of the area who saw the large amounts of black alder, or winterberry, that grew along its banks, and called it Missilla. That coupled with the prefix ni meaning stream or water, gave the township its name.

Between 1805 and 1807, various families moved into the area and Nimishillentown was founded. In 1807, two brothers John and Henry Lautzenheiser settled near Harrisburg. In 1809, Nimishillen Township was officially established. Although farms, dwellings and the first tavern had been constructed in the early 1820's, the town of Louisville did not come into being until 1833 when Henry Lautzenheiser decided to begin settlement on land he had previously discovered. In late summer of 1834, the land was surveyed. It was recorded in Stark County on October 8, 1834. Legend has it that the town was named after Henry Lautzenheiser's son Lewis, but the name was later changed to Louisville when it was discovered that a Lewisville already existed in Monroe County.

From its earliest days, the residents of Nimishillen Township have been concerned that they govern themselves. In 1809, three township trustees were elected: Jacob Shively, Jesse Fetts and John Gans, who together qualified John Rupert as Township Clerk. Other town officers were James Coney, Constable; Mathias Bower, Treasurer; Isaac Clay, Appraiser of Property; George Shidler, Overseer of the Poor; John Miller, Fence Supervisor; and Michael Miller, Road Supervisor.

Justices of the Peace presided over the court system, with trustees appointing jurymen. The trustees also established school districts and counted the householders of each. Some of the Township Clerk's early duties included the recording of livestock brands, Indentures of Apprenticeship, and the names of those whose wives did not wish them to be served any alcoholic beverages.

The current practice of City Council meeting on the first Monday of the month can be traced to the incorporation of the Village of Louisville on the first Monday of April, 1872. The meeting at the St. Julian Hotel saw the election of George Violand as Mayor, William M. Sluss as Clerk and Joseph Moinet at Treasurer. The population of the newly incorporated village was 800.

In 1874, the City Council purchased a used hook and ladder from Canton and began the Louisville Fire Company. Public cisterns were also constructed. In 1884, a dozen oil burners on posts provided the first public lighting along the most populated street. Electric lighting came to town in 1903 when the Council contracted for 20 lights. In 1889, the Council asked for a special election to approve a $25,000 bond issue to finance the first water system. It was defeated by one vote. A similar request was approved in 1894 for $18,000 and drilling began on the land of Emil L. Menegay at the northwest corner of the town. In 1909, funds were approved for the city's first sewer system. In 1960, the Village of Louisville proposed a charter to form the current Council-Manager form of government in which the city is administered by a Council and a hired City Manager.

Much has happened to change the face of Louisville over the years. A new City Hall was dedicated in 1968 and a new Post Office in the late 1980's. Businesses have come and gone and the town has experienced periodic face lifts. Each September, the city pulls out all the stops for the annual Constitution Week celebration.

Sources:

• Kenneth R. Smith, Louisville: The Way it Was, 1834-1990. Canton, Ohio: Claymore Publishing Corporation, c1997
• Louisville, Ohio: Sesquicentennial, 1834-1984 Souvenir program.