The Poland Historical Society had an unveiling and dedication of an Ohio Historical Marker in Poland Township on May 14.

The Historical Marker is located outside of the Little Red Schoolhouse, one of two things that remains from the early settlers of Poland Township. The Historical Marker commemorates Poland Township as the first township surveyed in the New Connecticut Western Reserve and the Little Red Schoolhouse as a 19th century one-room school building.

The Poland Historical Society, Poland Township Trustees and the Ohio History Connection are sponsoring the marker. This marker is the sixth one in Poland and the 43rd in Mahoning County. The Poland Historical Society reached out to the Ohio History Connection and received support to make the dedication of the Historical Marker happen.

There was a meeting prior to the unveiling in which speakers from the Poland Historical Society, the Poland Board of Education and many others spoke about Poland Township. Regina Rees, a member of the Poland Historical Society, dressed up as a teacher from the Little Red Schoolhouse to give a presentation on the history of the schoolhouse.

“The beginning of Poland Township started 220 years ago, or to be more exact, the year 1796,” said Tim Heineman, a Poland Historical Society Trustee.

Ohio State Representative John Boccieri received a proclamation for this Memorial Day in honor of the dedication of the schoolhouse.

“This schoolhouse, this dedication, is a significant part of our history going forward,” said Boccieri.

Andry Verhoff, Grant Manager for the Ohio Historical Connection, attended the event to speak about the dedication. Verhoff spoke on the markers program, which began in 1957, and since then more than 1,500 markers have been placed in Ohio. The markers program helps local communities, organizations and places commemorate their history.

“The markers program enables you to understand what was here before,” said Verhoff.