VERMILION
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Reminiscent of a New England coastal seaport, this historic town embraces its nautical heritage. Cape Cod homes and New England-style with nostalgia fro the feel of fishing villages of the past.
The historic downtown business district, well know for its unique shops, attracts boaters and landlubbers alike. Visitors can savor locally-made, scrumptuous chocolates, quench their thirst with a soda from a working soda fountain or satisfy their appetite with a big juicy burgers while enjoying music at oudoor summer concerts on the green.
With over 120 trains per day, Vermilion is the ultimate railfan destination. From dowtown you can walk to the statuesque Vermillion Lighthouse, which adjoins Main Street beach.
For the history buff, you can learn about the history of the Great Lakes at the Inland Seas Maritime Museum, which features a Lake Erie Shipwreck Center.
Vermillion, Ohio is home to the Wollybear Festival - the largest one-day family festival in Ohio. The festival tkes place on a Sunday in September when the Cleveland Browns have an away game.
Simon Kenton was the first explorer of record to Vermillion, Ohio. He chiseled his name, S. Kenton 1784, on a boulder about 2 miles south of the river mouth on the southern border of the old Rossman farm in a spot about 600' east of the State Road. The Centennial "Stone Committee" found it in 1937. They took pictures of the stone and it now stands as a memorial to Kenton at the Ritter Library. Kenton marked the boulder to substantiate his claim to a 4 square mile area surrounding the river mouth, a likely settlement someday. Kenton claimed similar areas throughout the State but lost his claims due to his lack of education. He was too early and too ignorant of drawing up legal claims of his discoveries.
He was an outstanding Indian fighter and explorer in the Ohio wilderness and his efforts added considerably to the opening of the country for settlers. Historians are confident that he was the first to find and realize that the Vermilion River would some day be the nucleus of a growing community.
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Did You Know?
Vermilion was once known as the “Village of Lake Captains,” and no other place in Ohio has so many beautifully maintained captains’ homes in its historic district. The Harbour Town Historic District also features housing styles from the Victorian, Italianate, Arts and crafts, and Queen Anne eras. The Vermilion River endows marina facilities with more than 3,000 boat slips and ramps for easy access to the Lake, earning Vermilion the title of the "Largest Small Boat Harbour on the Great Lakes." Lake freighters are also a regular sight on Lake Erie making their way through the Great Lakes nine months out of the year.
If you know of any other historical facts or trivia about Vermillion please click here to fill out the "Did you know" form.
Vermillion Businesses
