Center of the World
Ohio
January 2018
Center of the World is a town in Ohio. The best part of this town is the sign you see in the photograph.
Of itself, it is the lone tourist attraction, and unless you live here, pretty much the only attraction.
In 1845 Randall Wilmot, a bit of an eccentric, had the idea of building a major economic center right here where Ohio Routes 82 and 5 meet up. It was a good idea at the time, until it wasn’t. The community grew for twenty years or so. Wilmot depended heavily on the railroad coming through but when the railroad chose to make nearby Warren their hub, (distant 4.8 miles as the crow flies, 5.7 miles as the crow drives) Wilmot’s town shriveled up and all that currently remains is this small “populated place” with a few houses and fewer businesses. And one great sign.
He called his town Center of the World. This grandly important title was not unique for this peculiar entrepreneur. Before he moved to Ohio from New York, he had an establishment called The Beginning of the World. And once Center of the World went bust, he relocated to Cortland, Ohio where he opened a grocery store. He named it, The End of the World.
Now, how else can I make this nearly ghosted town interesting? According to the United States Geological Survey Names Information System, Feature I D 1050752, the town’s coordinates are 41° 13′ 42.20″ N, 80° 54′ 35.32″ W. That should hold your attention.
Just up the street from the sign is the Statue of Liberty.
Not the real one, you know that. But seeing her these days can’t hurt.
She’s an attraction, but c’mon, given the chance to rate these two items, Center of the World and Statue of Liberty, we’d all choose the Center. Right? I mean, what’s liberty if it’s for everyone!
As the only tourist attraction in the area, the sign has been stolen a number of times. The Ohio Department of Transportation keeps replacing it. Mighty kind of them. Keeps things centered.