I was driving through Ravenna yesterday and saw a sign that said Blackhorse. I'm assuming that Blackhorse is a little town there right outside of Ravenna. I'm aware of other ones in Portage county, such as Sugar Bush Knolls right outside of Streetsboro. The Record Courier just had an article in Sunday's paper about Yale, which is near Deerfield, Edinburg and Palmyra. There are others, I'm sure. I guess I'm wondering what are these towns, exactly? Are they officially recognized as towns? What are they classified as? If someone lives in the area known as Blackhorse, are they considered to be from Ravenna or Blackhorse? What is the history behind these little towns? What other ones are there in Portage county? A similar question is this: what is the difference between a township and a village? Isn't there a Ravenna township and just a regular Ravenna? Other cities have a village and a township, but both have the same name. I know that Burton, in Geauga county has a Burton village and Burton township (I think, at least). Just something I've always wondered . . . Brian

Hi Brian: As for townships, when the Western Reserve was surveyed originally, they used the "township and range" system. The surveyed land was set out into townships 5 or 6 miles square. These subdivisions still exist, but are more notable in counties which still have rural character, like Portage or Geauga. Cuyahoga and Summit Counties also have the same townships, but because most of those counties are urban, the incorporated city boundaries comprise the majority of jurisdictions, etc. You can have a city within a township (such as Kent city within Franklin Township), and they will each have their own governance. Township administration usually disappears when the areas are merged or acquired by a growing city area. As for small towns in Portage, I think you may claim to be a resident of Black Horse, but you will have a Ravenna zip code, and will pay taxes to either Ravenna city or the township(although townships are limited in their taxing authority). Black Horse has always been my favorite of the Portage small towns, as my grandfather worked on the Black Horse railroad bridge with the WPA in the 1930's. The bridge isn't there anymore, but I still have told my children about their great-grandpa's efforts. One other item I always wanted to know is whether Cotton Corners was ever an actual political jurisdiction. (Cotton Corners is the junction of Rt. 14 & Rt. 59/5, ro so I've been told). Patrick in Ohio --- SpruceGuy@aol.com wrote: > I was driving through Ravenna yesterday and saw a > sign that said Blackhorse. > I'm assuming that Blackhorse is a little town there > right outside of Ravenna. I guess I'm wondering what are > these towns, exactly? Are they > officially recognized as towns? What are they > classified as? If someone lives > in the area known as Blackhorse, are they considered > to be from Ravenna or > Blackhorse? What is the history behind these little > towns? > > A similar question is this: what is the difference > between a township and a > village? Other cities have a village and a township, but both have the same name. > > Just something I've always wondered . . . > > Brian > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree

What tickles me is that some of these anacronistic place names survive in digital maps like mapquest.com and Rand McNally Streetfinder. My favorite in Portage County is Moran in Streetsboro Twp, a cluster of houses where a railroad crosses Aurora Hudson Road and the road crosses a creek. It's wedged between an industrial park and a Hudson subdivision, but still looks like a place that was once a PLACE. Jeff ----- Original Message ----- From: "Patrick Manning" <shamrocku@yahoo.com> To: <OHPORTAG-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2003 12:52 PM Subject: Re: [OHPort'ge] Little towns in Portage - Black Horse, townships, Cotton Corners > Hi Brian: > > As for townships, when the Western Reserve was > surveyed originally, they used the "township and > range" system. The surveyed land was set out into > townships 5 or 6 miles square. These subdivisions > still exist, but are more notable in counties which > still have rural character, like Portage or Geauga. > Cuyahoga and Summit Counties also have the same > townships, but because most of those counties are > urban, the incorporated city boundaries comprise the > majority of jurisdictions, etc. You can have a city > within a township (such as Kent city within Franklin > Township), and they will each have their own > governance. Township administration usually disappears > when the areas are merged or acquired by a growing > city area. > > As for small towns in Portage, I think you may claim > to be a resident of Black Horse, but you will have a > Ravenna zip code, and will pay taxes to either Ravenna > city or the township(although townships are limited in > their taxing authority). > > Black Horse has always been my favorite of the Portage > small towns, as my grandfather worked on the Black > Horse railroad bridge with the WPA in the 1930's. The > bridge isn't there anymore, but I still have told my > children about their great-grandpa's efforts. > > One other item I always wanted to know is whether > Cotton Corners was ever an actual political > jurisdiction. (Cotton Corners is the junction of Rt. > 14 & Rt. 59/5, ro so I've been told). > > Patrick in Ohio > > --- SpruceGuy@aol.com wrote: > > I was driving through Ravenna yesterday and saw a > > sign that said Blackhorse. > > I'm assuming that Blackhorse is a little town there > > right outside of Ravenna. > I guess I'm wondering what are > > these towns, exactly? Are they > > officially recognized as towns? What are they > > classified as? If someone lives > > in the area known as Blackhorse, are they considered > > to be from Ravenna or > > Blackhorse? What is the history behind these little > > towns? > > > > A similar question is this: what is the difference > > between a township and a > > village? Other cities have a village and a > township, but both have the same name. > > > > Just something I've always wondered . . . > > > > Brian > > > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard > http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree > > > ==== OHPORTAG Mailing List ==== > Web page with info for this list - http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/usa/OH/portage.html > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >

AW Patrick! Thanks for bringing back memories of Cotton Corners to me! It's been years since I've been there...but it will always have a place in my heart...as does Blackhorse, by the way. Is the "horse farm"..."Sunnybrook? (I can't remember...it was Sunny something) still there??? Signe (Cape Coral, FL) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Patrick Manning" <shamrocku@yahoo.com> To: <OHPORTAG-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2003 12:52 PM Subject: Re: [OHPort'ge] Little towns in Portage - Black Horse, townships, Cotton Corners > Hi Brian: > > As for townships, when the Western Reserve was > surveyed originally, they used the "township and > range" system. The surveyed land was set out into > townships 5 or 6 miles square. These subdivisions > still exist, but are more notable in counties which > still have rural character, like Portage or Geauga. > Cuyahoga and Summit Counties also have the same > townships, but because most of those counties are > urban, the incorporated city boundaries comprise the > majority of jurisdictions, etc. You can have a city > within a township (such as Kent city within Franklin > Township), and they will each have their own > governance. Township administration usually disappears > when the areas are merged or acquired by a growing > city area. > > As for small towns in Portage, I think you may claim > to be a resident of Black Horse, but you will have a > Ravenna zip code, and will pay taxes to either Ravenna > city or the township(although townships are limited in > their taxing authority). > > Black Horse has always been my favorite of the Portage > small towns, as my grandfather worked on the Black > Horse railroad bridge with the WPA in the 1930's. The > bridge isn't there anymore, but I still have told my > children about their great-grandpa's efforts. > > One other item I always wanted to know is whether > Cotton Corners was ever an actual political > jurisdiction. (Cotton Corners is the junction of Rt. > 14 & Rt. 59/5, ro so I've been told). > > Patrick in Ohio > > --- SpruceGuy@aol.com wrote: > > I was driving through Ravenna yesterday and saw a > > sign that said Blackhorse. > > I'm assuming that Blackhorse is a little town there > > right outside of Ravenna. > I guess I'm wondering what are > > these towns, exactly? Are they > > officially recognized as towns? What are they > > classified as? If someone lives > > in the area known as Blackhorse, are they considered > > to be from Ravenna or > > Blackhorse? What is the history behind these little > > towns? > > > > A similar question is this: what is the difference > > between a township and a > > village? Other cities have a village and a > township, but both have the same name. > > > > Just something I've always wondered . . . > > > > Brian > > > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard > http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree > > > ==== OHPORTAG Mailing List ==== > Web page with info for this list - http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/usa/OH/portage.html > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >

Regarding Blackhorse, there's a tavern there on Rt 59, it's been there (I think) since stagecoach days and until recently (I think) was a functioning boozer. Imagine a stagecoach stopping at the sign of the black horse--perhaps that's how the village got its name. Jeff ----- Original Message ----- From: <SpruceGuy@aol.com> To: <OHPORTAG-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2003 12:01 PM Subject: [OHPort'ge] The little towns in Portage county > I was driving through Ravenna yesterday and saw a sign that said Blackhorse. > I'm assuming that Blackhorse is a little town there right outside of Ravenna. > I'm aware of other ones in Portage county, such as Sugar Bush Knolls right > outside of Streetsboro. The Record Courier just had an article in Sunday's > paper about Yale, which is near Deerfield, Edinburg and Palmyra. There are > others, I'm sure. I guess I'm wondering what are these towns, exactly? Are they > officially recognized as towns? What are they classified as? If someone lives > in the area known as Blackhorse, are they considered to be from Ravenna or > Blackhorse? What is the history behind these little towns? What other ones are > there in Portage county? > > A similar question is this: what is the difference between a township and a > village? Isn't there a Ravenna township and just a regular Ravenna? Other > cities have a village and a township, but both have the same name. I know that > Burton, in Geauga county has a Burton village and Burton township (I think, at > least). > > Just something I've always wondered . . . > > Brian > > > ==== OHPORTAG Mailing List ==== > Web page with info for this list - http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/usa/OH/portage.html > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >