Center of the World

What’s In A Name – Center of The World, Ohio

If you have ever wanted to know where The Center of the World is, I have some good news for you. It’s in Ohio … and it’s fairly easy to get to. Surprisingly, it’s large enough for both a Dollar General and a Gas Station, but not big enough for a McDonalds. Go figure.

But, with a name like Center of the World, you just know there has to be some kind of story there … right?

The Story of the Center of the World

For this story, we need to begin across the Philadelphia state line and look at a guy named Randall Wilmot. He first learned the carpentry trade, continuing to make a name for himself as a merchant.

People tended to describe Randall Wilmot in any number of ways. He was a solid man in his business dealings and his carpentry skills were above par. He seemed to be friendly and personable, although some of his ideas, in business or in life in general, people often found to be a little odd. But, I guess once you reach a certain financial (or social) status, you get to be called an “eccentric” so let’s just go with that one.

America was toward the beginning of its westward expansion, and with the invention of the locomotive, maybe it’s a case of the right person being at the right place at the right time (with a few wild ideas).

Wilmot saw that new communities were being formed along rail lines, and existing communities were growing larger, which was pretty much expected at the time. His new idea, though, was that if residential communities could grow along the rail lines, why couldn’t commercial communities do the same.

Randall Wilmot opened a business he called “The Beginning of the World” in New York State in an area near a popular stagecoach route and just outside the minor railway hubs. This business was almost a success, but Wilmot dreamed it could be more … bigger … better.

He found a similar spot in Ohio, again along a popular stagecoach route. It was an area that, he believed, would have made a great railroad hub. As he set to building a new inn (and tavern) he began trying to convince lawmakers (and railroad tycoons) to make his little community the site of their new rail hub.

By the time that the powers that be made their decision on where to put said hub, Center of the World had a nice inn and tavern, as well as a few other shops – so when it became known that the hub was going to be in the nearby (and already somewhat established) town of Warren – that foiled his plans, at least a little.

Randall Wilmot did try again, this time thirteen miles northeast, starting with a grocery store he dubbed “The End of the World” which, on second thought, might have been a terrible name.

The Center of the World community, however, did continue – at least to some degree (and remains to this day.)

Side Note: The Wilmot Legacy

While Randall Wilmot’s own legacy has since dwindled down to a few historical factoids (and a couple of dots on the map) his son was leaving a larger imprint on history (around the same time).

There was some land out west (and south) that several groups of people were fighting over (the new American government, Mexico, Spain, and eventually The Republic of Texas, which was kind of its own thing back then). Anyway, to make a long and complicated story a bit shorter, Texas became a state in 1845, and everyone started arguing over what to do with it.

As the Northwest Territory was acquired and the states were slowly made out of it, they came with the provision that none of them could allow Slavery. There were quite few people who wanted Texas to be like that, too.

One such person was Randall’s son David Wilmot, who penned The Wilmot Proviso and tried to convince Congress to enact it – declaring the new state of Texas to be a Free State – no slavery allowed.

This proviso became something of a political nightmare for just about everyone for a number of reasons, least of all because it laid the foundation for all new states to be free states, which the pro-slavery South didn’t care much for.

In the end, Congress told Wilmot “No, thank you” however the proviso continued to be a political nightmare when anyone would ask someone running for offie what they thought about the subject.

To be fair, it was a complicated proposal over a controversial issue and there were lots of things people liked as well as disliked, but it has nothing to do with the state of Ohio, so I’ll let you look that up for yourself if you’re that interested.

Center of the World, Today

Today, Center of the World remains a small, unincorporated “community” but  that’s not to say that it should be overlooked on your next vacation across north-eastern Ohio.

Besides a few residences and the above-mentioned gas station and dollar store (along with a few other small businesses) there are a few notable places in town (or, just outside). The Trumbull Correctional Institution is just outside the community, although that’s not the kind of place that allows tourists to show up and meet the “residents” during a walk-through tour. (I’m sure they’ve lovely people who “stay” there, but I’d still pass.)

Most tourists like to stop and take a selfie at the “Center of the World” sign on Route 5, but it’s on a busy highway so I’d be extra careful if I were you.

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