History of the Heritage Trail

I was born and raised in North Canton and cultivated a deep appreciation for history from a young age while growing up in the 1841 Ezra and Catherine Pepple house located at 730 Portage St. My father, Gary Wechter, was a Government/History Teacher at Hoover High School and a City Councilman for fifteen years. He instilled in me a great love for history. Over the years I have driven through many small towns and have enjoyed taking in their historical charm. Some of these towns showcased their history with heritage trail panels. As a long-time board member of the Heritage Society, I’ve become aware of the interesting history of North Canton, so I said to myself, “Why not us!” In 2021 after almost five years in development, Phase I of the North Canton Heritage Trail was launched. This initial phase included seven interpretive panels of the rich North Canton history highlighted by three local churches whose origins began in the 19th century. Phase II of the Heritage Trail was launched in 2023 with highlights being The Hoover Company, Hoover family/homestead, and the British children evacuees during World War Two. Phase III is planned for 2024 and will include the historic Portage Street, Jacob Gaskins/Underground Railroad, Portage and Charlotte Street schools.

Doug Wechter
May, 2023

While the North Canton Heritage Trail has truly been a community effort, with numerous people having contributed to its creation, several of them deserve special mention:

Dan Martin
Ed Shuman
Joe Rozsa
Ann Haines
Christina Weyrick