Understanding the historical and geopolitical contexts of events is key to understanding their historical significance as well as those of places and people remembered through historical accounts. The timeline below presents key developments in Toledo/Northwest Ohio History with links to Toledo's Attic exhibits. Follow the Exhibit Links to view the exhibits in Toledo's Attic; then use the back arrow in your browser to return to this timeline.
National & regional contexts
12,000 BCE - 1650: Prehistoric cultures in Ohio, until Removal (1830-1850)...
896 - 1791 CE: European arrivals in America
1775: April 19 - American Revolutionary War
1776: July 4 - Declaration of Independence
1783: September 3 -Treaty of Paris formally recognizing the United States of America and its borders
1787: July 13 - Northwest Territory created by Congress in the Northwest Ordinance
1795: August 3 - Treaty of Greenville established some boundaries between Native American and European settler lands
1801: December 23 - Support for Ohio statehood grew as the population in the Territory North West of the Ohio reaches 45,000.
1803: March 1 - Ohio becomes the 17th state of the United States.
1805: June 30 - Territory of Michigan was created as part of the United States.
1812-1815: War of 1812.
1813: September 10 - October 5: The Battle of Lake Erie
1813: April 28 - May 9: First siege of Ft. Meigs. July 21-27: Second siege
Toledo's Attic timeline
1829-1909: Alanson Wood ⇒ Exhibit Link
1833: Toledo created by joining Port Lawrence and Vistula in the southern parts of Monroe County, Michigan Territory
1835-36: Toledo War. ⇒ Exhibit Link
1837: January 7: City of Toledo officially becomes a city in Ohio as the seat of the newly formed Lucas County
1837: November 27: Toledo Fire Department ⇒ Exhibit Link
1846-1904: Samuel Milton "Golden Rule" Jones ⇒ Exhibit Link
1846-1915: John E. Gunckel ⇒ Exhibit Link
1861-1865: American Civil War
1863: St. Patrick's Church built ⇒ Exhibit Link
1866: (Old) West End platted ⇒ Exhibit Link
1872: October 12: Articles of incorporation drawn up for the Toledo University of Arts and Trades ⇒ Exhibit Link
1872-1906: Paul Laurence Dunbar ⇒ Exhibit Link
1873-1877: Panic of 1873 and Economic Depression
1874: Toledo and Lake Erie Boating and Fishing Association (later Middle Bass Club) ⇒ Exhibit Link
1877-1972: Gustavus Ohlinger ⇒ Exhibit Link
1878-1946: Baney Oldfield ⇒ Exhibit Link
1880: Toledo Baseball and Negro Leagues ⇒ Exhibit Link
1883: African Americans in Toledo Sports ⇒ Exhibit Link
1884: Toledo Humane Society ⇒ Exhibit Link
1887: Harris Toy Company ⇒ Exhibit Link
1888: Toledo Asylum for the Insane » Toledo State Hospital (1894) ⇒ Exhibit Link
1880: Gendron Wheel Company ⇒ Exhibit Link
1888: Glass industry in Toledo: New England Glass Company (1888) » Libbey Glass Company (1892) » Toledo Glass Company (1895) » Owens Bottle Machine Co. (1903) » Colburn Machine Glass Co. (1906) » Owens Bottle Machine Company (1908) » Libbey-Owens Sheet Glass Company (1916) » Owens-Illinois Glass Co. (1929) » Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company.(1930) » Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp.(1938) ⇒ Exhibit Link
1889: The Toledo Club ⇒ Exhibit Link
1892: Boys and Girls Clubs of America ⇒ Exhibit Link
1895: Valentine Theater ⇒ Exhibit Link
1898: Uhl's Cycle Emporium » Toledo Metal Furniture Company (1904) ⇒ Exhibit Link
1899: Automobile Industry in Toledo ⇒ Exhibit Link
1900-1969: Richard T. Gosser ⇒ Exhibit Link
1901: Toledo Scale Company ⇒ Exhibit Link
1902: Walking Tour of Downtown Toledo ⇒ Exhibit Link
1908: Ford-Wyllis Rivalry ⇒ Exhibit Link
1911: Acklin Stamping ⇒ Exhibit Link
1911: Col. James M. Schoonmaker (Willis B. Boyer, 1971-2011) ⇒ Exhibit Link
1912: Rotary Club of Toledo ⇒ Exhibit Link
1913: Our Girls Club Magazine ⇒ Exhibit Link
1914-1918: World War I
1918: Battery B. ⇒ Exhibit Link
1920: Toledo League for the Hard of Hearing (later Toledo Hearing and Speech Center) ⇒ Exhibit Link
1926 - Nasby Interlocking Tower ⇒ Exhibit Link
1929-1939: Great Depression
1931: Two Toledos (Association of Two Toledos, Toledo Sister Cities International) ⇒ Exhibit Link
1934: April 12-June 3: Auto-Lite Strike ⇒ Exhibit Link
1938: Josina :Lott & Lott Day School ⇒ Exhibit Link
1939-1945: World War II
1939-1945: Women in Toledo Industries ⇒ Exhibit Link
1939-1945: Toledo Area Veterans ⇒ Exhibit Link
1957: Hines Farm Blues Club ⇒ Exhibit Link
1961: Semi-pro Basketball in Toledo: Twisters and Tartans ⇒ Exhibit Link
2003: Ohio Bicentennial ⇒ Exhibit Link