Straight Lines on a Lumpy Landscape

When the Geauga Bicentennial Board created its letterhead, a non-Geaugan suggested we horizontally flip the outline of our county because it would “look better” with our contact information. Clearly, we didn’t accept that suggestion, but it led to questions – how did Geauga and Lake Counties get their unique stairstep shapes? How did Geauga’s county seat of justice end up in the northern section of the county rather than the middle and why was Painesville, the most populous and prosperous community, not chosen as the pre-1840 county seat? Why was it such a fight to create Lake County in 1840? Where is the center of these counties? Why is there a notch in Geauga’s western border? And how have this place and the traditions we hold dear shaped our identity?

Presented by the South Newbury Union Chapel