William Wetmore

William Wetmore (September 16, 1771 – October 27, 1827) founded Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio in 1812. Wetmore was born in Middletown, Connecticut and was hired by Joshua Stow as a land agent of property in the Western Reserve which was purchased by the Connecticut Land Company. Wetmore moved to Ohio in 1804 and became one of the original proprietors of Cuyahoga Falls. He built the second house in what became Stow Township. Wetmore was elected Justice of the Peace of Stow, as well as Clerk of the Court of Ravenna, Ohio. During the War of 1812, William Wetmore was appointed commander for troops stationed at Old Portage. (This was the northern Portage Path, at the Cuyahoga River.) Acting as an agent for Joshua Stow, owner of the township, William also gave permission to Francis Kelsey and Isaac Wilcox to build a dam across the Cuyahoga River and to erect a sawmill. It is said lumber from this mill was used by the army to build ships at Portage for use against the British. (The dam washed away long after this.)