COLUMBUS 2 local sites to get historical markers

COLUMBUS -- Pioneer Pavilion/Trumbull Furnace in Youngstown, and Unserheim in Salem are among 53 historical places selected in the final round of the Longaberger Legacy Initiative to receive Ohio Historical Markers.
The Longaberger Co., based in Newark, pledged more than $100,000 to underwrite some of the costs of placing the markers throughout the state.
The Ohio Bicentennial Commission has awarded a total of 293 markers through the initiative since its inception in 1998.
The brown, cast-metal signs measure 46-by-42 inches, feature raised gold lettering and note people, places and events significant in Ohio history.
"These permanent memorials help Ohioans learn more about our state, and serve as a way to bring communities together to commemorate and celebrate what is important to them," said Stephen C. George, executive director of the Ohio Bicentennial Commission.
Pioneer Pavilion was built in 1821 for carding and fulling wool. Trumbull Furnace was built in 1830 and was the first blast furnace in Youngstown.
Unserheim was the home of Daniel Howell Hise, a 19th-century abolitionist and diarist who recorded daily life in Salem for more than 30 years.
Ohio's historical marker program began in 1953, the state's sesquicentennial. Leading up to the state's bicentennial, the Longaberger Legacy Initiative, a competitive grant program that paid for up to 66 percent of the cost for each marker, brought new emphasis to the program.
Every Ohio county has at least one historical marker.