Town of the Week

Wooster, Ohio
October 30, 1999

When 5 young surveyors came to northeastern Ohio in the 19th century, they liked the area so much, they stayed put. Each purchased land on their Wayne County site, calling their little town Wooster. The name honors Revolutionary War Brigadier-General David Wooster of Connecticut. Among the surveyor's greeters in 1807, was Delaware Indian Chief Beaver Hat, whose cabin and apple orchard were three miles away at what is today Wooster Cemetery. The orchard was a gift from his friend, John Chapman, or Johnny Appleseed, who lived nearby.

In addition to Wayne County being one of the most prosperous farming areas in Ohio, Wooster has been blessed with many companies, which started in business in the 1870s, and are still going strong. In this town of 26,000, there are more than 300 businesses downtown. Starting with a dust pan made here in 1920, the Rubbermaid Company is the town's leading employer with over 1900 workers.

The College of Wooster, begun in 1866, is one of three colleges in town, along with Ohio State's Agricultural Technical Institute and Wayne College, a campus of the University of Akron.

Wooster is home to Ohio's biggest one-day literary event, the annual Buckeye Book Fair, held the first Sunday in November. You'll find it just southwest of Akron in our Town of the Week, Wooster, Ohio.

Take a trip to Wooster, Ohio; just listen in.

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