VWHS students see downtown sights

Main Street Van Wert news

A number of Van Wert High School students from Jennifer Trittschuh’s American History class, along with a few parents and grandparents, took a Saturday morning tour of downtown on January 26.

Van Wert County Common Pleas Judge Charles D. Steele and Main Street Program Manager Adam Ries led the students through downtown, explaining how the city grew, influenced by each advancement in transportation from horse and buggy, railroad, inter-urban electrified railway, the rise of the automobile and then interstate highway.

Students learned how, for many decades, downtown held the only stores and businesses, and was where residents would shop for all their daily and household needs. Adults in the group were able to share their own stories about shopping at different bygone stores, and how downtown was the social hub of the community.

Highlights of the morning included getting to tour the long-unoccupied floors above two prominent downtown buildings, as well as a presentation on the history of the Van Wert County Courthouse, with a behind-the-scenes tour.

Everyone enjoyed learning about how much Van Wert and downtown has changed over the last century, and seeing remnants of history inside each of the buildings.