As a native of Van Buren Township, I have roots in both Thornhope and Star City. My father was raised on a farm near Thornhope. His paternal ancestors, still living in Ohio as the home place was constructed, called the farm “Rosedale.” At the time, that was the name of the town. The other set of ancestors, the maternal ones, entered the township from another part of Ohio. They settled about a mile and a half away from the little town of Star City, arriving shortly after the Civil War.
While I was growing up, Thornhope was mostly residential. Gone was the train depot, and the remaining general store and Post Office was not long for the world. Star City was a vibrant community.
While I was growing up. Not so much now.
The death knell for the little towns was the consolidation of all of the schools in the county. Schools were the lifeblood. Townspeople would gravitate to the buildings, both for education and for sporting and musical activities. Children could use the playground. There was a need for a Post Office, gas stations, commerce. Once the schools left, the centers of activity drifted with them.
Thornhope lost its school first. Classes merged with Star City starting in the 1930s, and by the 1940s, the school was gone. Star City lost theirs in the 1960s and 70s, bit by bit.
What follows is a very brief history of the Township from the Star City Sesquicentennial Book, published in 2009. I have to add that we tend to maintain our “history” from the time whites settled the area. Van Buren Township, like all other townships in the County, used to be home to Native Americans.
Hopefully, that will be a story for another day.
From the Star City Sesquicentennial Book, 2009
A number of settlers entered the area that would become Van Buren Township in the late 1830s. In 1842, the township was officially separated from Beaver and Indian Creek Townships and was named in honor of former President Martin Van Buren.
The town of Rosedale was platted in 1853 and went through a number of name changes. It became Parisville, then Oak, and, finally, Thornhope. This little town became a thriving railroad community.
Scarboro (later spelled Scarborough) was platted in 1859 by founders John Nickles and Andrew Wirick. Local residents did not care for the name and in 1861 petitioned to have the name changed to Star City. Star City quickly became a railroad town and a popular location for the selling and shipping of grain.
The number of residents during the early years fluctuated, but by 1900, Van Buren Township could boast of 260 farmers and farm workers, a grain dealer, livestock dealers, teachers, merchants, grocers, a butcher, a shoe maker, a hotel, barbers, doctors, a jeweler, a blacksmith, a furniture store, railroad workers, telegraph operators and more.
From the earliest history of the township, numerous schools dotted the countryside, many established in the homes of families with school-aged children. The following schools were an integral part of the community’s educational system: Thornhope, Washburn, Dye, Mull, Van Buren Township, Forest, Burk, Mooresburg and Skillen.
The first real “schoolhouse” in the township, built it 1850, was made of logs. The second schoolhouse, a one-room building, was established in 1860. The third schoolhouse, which was much larger with two stories, was built where the one-room building had stood. This schoolhouse remained in use until 1898 when the Star City Public School was built. That building was razed in 1941 and a new building – the last schoolhouse to serve Van Buren Township residents exclusively – was constructed at the same site.
What Remains
What remains in Thornhope, besides homes, is Farmers’ Grain and Supply, a cooperative grain elevator, and a nondemoninational church. What remains in Star City is a church, two cemeteries, and a garage that handles vehicle repair. On the highway at the edge of town are some storage units and one of the better country restaurants in the county, The Oak Grove. A new arrival is a gun shop, and Ceres Solutions is an agricultural business. The Star City Community Building and Star City Park remain where the last school stood. The park is the original (school) playground; the Community Building is the former cafeteria. Another smaller park is maintained by the Township Trustee and is close to the church.
Photo, Above
Photo taken from the Star City Sesquicentennial (2009) Archives. Photo is from the 1959 Centennial. Sherald Bonnell on his Nichols and Shepard Steam Engine with Frank Miller’s Advance Rumeley in the back at the Star City Centennial July 1959; photo submitted by Brad Bonnell.