Downtown Defiance National Register District
We started as a fort, then two forts, and then a canal town.
We grew into a town teaming with industry and innovation.
Above, the Canal at Second Street looking south.
To the right, The Stone Front Building at Clinton and Third built in 18..
The Canal
The Miami and Erie Canal was completed in Defiance in 1843. The canal opened the impenetrable Great Black Swamp to worldwide markets. The new outlet opened the area to settlement, created a means to transport farm crops to outside markets, and a travel venue for immigrants and settlers. The effect was a booming timber and lumber trade, and rapid settlement. Defiance set the world price for potash, an important ingredient to manufacturing, in the 1860’s.
Architecture
Downtown Defiance was placed on the National Register in 2020 under their criteria A and C. Criteria A is the role Defiance played in the Industrial Revolution and its contribution making the US the leader in world manufacturing. Criteria C is the excellent examples of architectural styles found in the downtown district. Italianate commercial buildings are most prevalent; other examples include French Second Empire, Tudor Revival and Greek Revival.
The trolley passes the old Citizens Opera house, left. Kissner’s Tea Room is the next building up Clinton Street.
Days Past
Preserving the historic features of Defiance is very important to local clubs such as Historic Homes of Defiance and the Defiance County Historical Society. Defiance has lost alot of its historical structures, so we work hard to remember the stories. Defiance County Genealogical Society and Fort Defiance DAR and the Hicksville Historical Society all help in this important work. Stories of the B&O and Wabash train lines, the canal, the trolley line and Island Park help us imagine what life was like for the people who lived before us.
