History

What Does “Conneaut” Mean?

Conneaut (pronouned KAW-nee-ut) comes from it’s creek, Conneaut Creek. Originally a Seneca Indian term, it means “place of many fish” or “place where snow lies in spring.” The Seneca Indian’s pronounced the name of our town as “KON – yot.”

Conneaut Ohio History

The city of Conneaut is located on an old Native American trail used by Sioux Indians, also used by early pioneers heading westward.

In the first part of the twentieth century, it was a very prosperous town; it had a printing press, a chair factory, a tire (rubber) plant known as the Ohio Rubber, the Powers Hotel opened by James Powers in the 20’s.

There were also many shops and restaurants, a pharmacy, a movie theater, and a high school, as well as a library, post office and five or six churches.

An extension of the Erie Canal used to run through Conneaut, and there is a house on the northern edge of town, est. 1856, that is rumored to have a piece of the underground railroad in it’s basement.