Austinburg "The Beginning"

In the late 1700's Austinburg was part of the land known as the Conneticut Reserve and owned by a group of men of the Conneticut Land Company. One of the men was Judge Eliphalet Austin.
Judge Austin was bitten by a mad dog and since there was no cure for rabies at the time, it was assumed this would be fatal. His physician, hoping to divert his mind from his fear recommened that he travel abroad. Instead, he chose to travel too his land holdings in the Western Reserve.
In the spring of 1799, Judge Austin with two other couples and three young hired men began their journey west. They arrived in June and built log cabins, cleared some land, and planted wheat. Austin returned to Conneticut and urged more people to join him when he returned to Austinburg the following year and the actual colonization of the town began.
This hardy group of pioneer believed in the trinity of "home,church and school". From the first Sunday when the usual hour for worship came, all sounds of ax and hammer were stilled and they gathered to hear a sermon read, say prayers and sing hymns. The first services were held in homes, or as the settlement grew, in a barn until the first log cabin church was built. In the summer of 1801, Rev. Joseph Badger, a traveling missionary preached the first sermon in Austinburg. He returned in October and organized the first church on the Western Reserve and the second in Ohio. This congregation cntinues on today s the First United Church of Christ of Austinburg.
Once the settlers had homes built and the church established, they began the schools. The first school was held in Austin's barn and taught by his daughter, Miss Betsey Austin.
Although the first settlers arrived in Austinburg in 1799, it was in 1850 tha the half-century celebration was held in the town. Every 25 years after that celebrations were held, with the largest ones being in 1900 and in 1950.

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