Historic marker unveiled in downtown Wapakoneta
After more than 30 years on the National Register of Historic Places Wapakoneta’s Downtown Commercial District now has a historical marker to announce that distinction.
The marker is located near the intersection of Auglaize and Blackhoof streets. An unveiling was held Tuesday afternoon.
Rachel Barber, director of the Auglaize County Historical Society, recalled the reasons for Wapakoneta’s success in her remarks that opened the brief ceremony.
Barber said there were four main reasons that contributed to the city’s success: the first was that Wapakoneta was located near a river.
“This is a place where people would portage and hop off to another waterway,” Barber said.
She said the river was also used as a source of power for area mills.
The second reason is Wapakoneta’s position in the center of good farmland. Barber said the city became an agricultural service center.
The third reason was because Wapakoneta became the county seat.
“That was another reason for people to come here to visit, come here to work and come here to live,” Barber said.
The fourth reason and most important reason, Barber said, was due to the trains and rail lines that started running through Wapakoneta in 1858. Whatever was grown in farms around here and whatever was grown in factories here, was able to be shipped all over the country. She said before the railroad the downtown was mostly shacks that grew into brick and mortar buildings over time.
She said Wapakoneta was always a lively place, and that at the time of the application for the downtown to be included on the National Register, some people cast doubt on that liveliness.
“I am so glad those folks were proved wrong,” Barber said.
Mayor Tom Stinebaugh agreed, pointing to the recent Riverscape improvement project that was a collaboration with the Chamber of
Commerce, Riverside Art Center, Wapakoneta Antique and Specialty Shops and the Downtown Wapakoneta Partnership.
“In my opinion that is what has made our downtown thrive when so many others are not having much success,” Stinebaugh said.
Barber said the Palmeroy Foundation, which sponsored the marker, wants to help communities celebrate registered buildings; a marker in front of the Uniopolis Town Hall should be in place soon.
DWP member Judie Presar read a congratulatory message from the Palmeroy Foundation, which read in part: “With this marker and the one near the Auglaize County Courthouse, your community is now among a select group. You now have the gold standard of historic markers.”
Jackie Martell, director of the chamber of commerce said although the marker was long over due it was perfect timing, as Wapakoneta is experiencing a renaissance downtown.
“All you have to do is look around,” she said. “It is hard not to be hit on the streets because there are so many cars, so many businesses thriving downtown.”
Martell said people often ask her why this is happening downtown and she said it has been in development for years. “It is many people, it is the city of Wapakoneta who has dedicated resources and time, it is Downtown Wapakoneta Partnership that is all volunteers that help raise money to keep facades looking their best,” Martell said, giving credit to building and business owners for seeing Wapakoneta’s potential and risking their livelihoods.
“Downtown remains so important to not only our past but our future,” Martell said. She said Wapakoneta was on trend, and that people are seeking experiences when they come to shop, live and work. In addition, walkable downtowns and thriving businesses make Wapakoneta a destination.
Martell noted the success was collaborative.
“It is not unusual to be sitting in a restaurant in Wapakoneta and see another restaurant owner come in to pick up a supply of buns, or ice,” Martell said. “They don’t see this as competition. This is part of our history here, this had to be how our town came to be what it is when it first started as a commercial district.”