UNVEILING … John Myles, Fulton County Historical Society President (left), and Heather Willey, representing the Ohio History Connection (right), unveil the Ohio Historical marker recognizing the Lauber Hill Meeting House.
By: John Fryman
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
john@thevillagereporter.com
It has been nearly 191 years since immigrant families settled at Lauber Hill in Fulton County, and on Sunday, the Ohio History Connection unveiled a historical marker to honor them on its Community Founder’s Day held at the Lauber Hill Reformed Mennonite Church in rural Archbold.
Heather Willey, who is involved with the historical marker program through the Ohio History Connection, spoke to a large crowd that had gathered for the event.
The marker honors the Lauber Hill Community and Lauber Hill Meeting House.
She told the audience the historical marker program began in 1953, and it allows communities to identify, honor, and commemorate the important people, places, and events that have contributed to the past and share those stories in a visible and lasting way.
Willey mentioned there are approximately 1,900 Ohio historical markers around the Buckeye State, each telling a unique piece of Ohio history.
“Your marker honoring Lauber Hill Community and Lauber Hill Meeting House now joins the state markers and telling the story of Ohio,” Willey said. “You are to be commended for taking the initiative to identify this important historical aspect of your community.”
She also thanked the Fulton County Historical Society and John Swearingen, Jr. (Fulton County Museum Director), and other organizations for their vision and hard work towards the Lauber Hill Community and Meeting House historical marker project.
“They came together around an important Ohio story and dreamed of a way to memorialize that story in their community,” Willey said.
“They researched and submitted the marker application, put together the funding to both purchase and install the marker, and did all the unforeseen jobs that led to today’s celebration.”
She then read a proclamation from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel.
“In the name and the authority of the Ohio State, Mike DeWine and Jim Tressel, governor and lieutenant governor of Ohio, do hereby recognize Lauber Hill Community historical marker. On behalf of the State of Ohio, we welcome all those who gather for this placement of this historical marker.
“Historical markers reflect and honor the people, places and events associated with our state’s rich history. And through this reflection, encourage the appreciation of our past as we look forward to our future.
“We commend all of those involved for ensuring our state’s history is preserved and remembered. We extend our best wishes for this memorable event,” read the proclamation.
John Myles, president of the Fulton County Historical Society, who also spoke at the dedication ceremony, said there are now six Ohio historical markers in Fulton County.
“This is the newest historical marker recognizing the Lauber Hill Community and Lauber Hill Meeting House as significant sites and the historical and cultural heritage of Fulton County and Ohio,” said Myles.
He then personally thanked Swearingen and Jerry Griffin, a museum volunteer and active member of Friends of Lauber Hill, for the many hours of research, writing, and editing they put into the development of the text for this marker.
“The requirements regarding the awarding of a marker are acting, and it would not had happened without their dedicated efforts,” commented Myles. “Financial support from the Friends of Lauber Hill for the creation and installation of the marker was also critical and greatly appreciated.”
Swearingen said he was really proud to have the Lauber Hill project happen and to help recognize the site as something worthwhile to preserve.
“I see a future for this building way past our time period, where future generations will be able to come and see this building and learn all about the culture of German Township,” noted Swearingen.
Myles spoke about the importance of Lauber Hill Community Founder’s Day.
“The Founder’s Day celebration is designed to honor the memory of the people who created the Lauber Hill Community,” said Myles. “This coming Friday, August 22, will be the 191st anniversary of the arrival of the families of Lauber Hill.”
Myles then requested a moment of thoughtful silence to honor the early settlers who came into the wilderness to begin a new life, many of whom those in attendance could trace as their own family roots.
This year’s event honored the Christian Rupp family, who were one of the original settlers to arrive at Lauber Hill in 1834.
Marvin Rupp, who now lives in Wisconsin and serves as the official Rupp family historian, spoke about how the Lauber Hill Community had flourished after the original settlers had arrived.
His topic, “From Orschweier to Ohio, The Rupp Family and Lauber Hill,” told the story about Christian Rupp, who was the founder of the Lauber Hill Reformed Mennonite Church community and was among the very first settlers in German Township.
He mentioned that a majority of the settlers coming to Lauber Hill had lived in the Upper Rhine River Valley villages of Mulhausen, France, and Schaffhausen, Switzerland, before traveling overseas.
Christian Rupp (1790–1879), one of six children of Johannes Rupp, who had been living in Alsace, France, before beginning his own journey to the United States, was honored at this year’s Founder’s Day event. He is buried in Wyse Cemetery.
He had nine children and 32 grandchildren. One of his great-great-grandsons was the late Erie Sauder, founder of Sauder Woodworking, Archbold.
Upon arriving in the United States, Christian Rupp and his family had moved to Wayne County, Ohio, before finally making the four-week, 160-mile trek westward to German Township, where the Lauber Hill Community was finally established.
By the 1880s, Lauber Hill Community had prospered with a Reformed Mennonite Church, a German Baptist Church, a Froehlich Evangelical Church, the Barneth One Room School, the Werrey Cabinetmaker’s Shop, the Roth Sawmill, the Ulrich Wagon Shop, and the Leu Blacksmith Shop.
The present Reformed Mennonite Church building held its last services in 2019.
Preserving the Reformed Mennonite Church is the Friends of Lauber Hill, which is a volunteer organization. They have already performed numerous building projects, including painting, cleaning, and repairing the historical site.