Simple Beginnings

The village of Minerva originated when John Whitacre bought 123 acres of land from Isaac Craig in 1818 (about the size of 4,046 football fields). The town is named after Mr. Whitacre’s niece, Minerva Ann Taylor. She was born on April 19, 1833. Minerva officially became a town in 1814. The original plot laid out in 1833. The first post office in Minerva was established on February 9th, 1828.  The population of the town when it began was a whopping 565-600 people. Today the population is roughly 3,640-4,000. Most people moved to the Minerva area because it was within reasonable distance to cities like Akron,Canton and near entertainment.

 

Minerva Local Schools

The first school house (Union School) was built in 1880 and closed in 1937. It was demolished in 1980. The school after that was built in 1928, Mary Irene Day Elementary. New Franklin, Robertsville and East Rochester also claimed elementary buildings that fed Hazen Jr. High School (the original Minerva High School). The construction of Minerva Elementary School completed the combination of all elementaries in the Minerva school district. The current schools are Minerva Elementary School (MES), Minerva Middle School (MMS) and Minerva High School (MHS).

 

Resources

http://minerva.oh.us/about

http://www.oldohioschools.com/stark_county.htm

http://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/minerva-oh-population/

https://www.facebook.com/HistoricalSocietyofMinerva/