Boston Township

NOTE: This article was published June 9, 2011 in the
West Side Leader and is reprinted here with permission. By Kathleen Folkerth

BOSTON — Residents and visitors here will party all day and night June 18 to mark the community’s 200th birthday.

The Boston Township Bicentennial will be marked with events from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Woodridge Intermediate School, 1930 Bronson Ave., and from 6 p.m. to midnight at Boston Township Hall, at state Route 303 and Riverview Road.

Trustee Randy Bergdorf said a committee has worked to plan events for about a year. He added the bicentennial is a significant accomplishment.

A quilt commemorating Boston Township’s bicentennial was created by residents Joanne Noragon and Janice Kaiser. It will be raffled off, along with vintage quilt squares from the 1940s, at Boston Town Hall June 18 Photo courtesy of Joanne Noragon

“A lot of townships don’t make it to 200 years,” he said. “They become part of another community or merge. We just felt it was important to take note of that.”

Honorary co-chairs of the events are Robert Wolcott and Nancy Stanford Shrader.

“They are direct descendants of the first two families that arrived in 1805,” Bergdorf said.

The first settlers in what would become Boston Township arrived that year as part of a surveying party, according to a history on the Boston Township website, www.bos tontownship.org. Alfred Wolcott and James Stanford then returned to their native Connecticut but came back to settle the land in 1806, erecting a cabin on the site of the present-day Boston Cemetery. There weren’t enough settlers to form a township until 1811.

On Jan. 15, 1811, inhabitants of Boston Township met at the home of Timothy Bishop to organize the township, which at that time was a portion of Portage County. The organizers chose three township trustees, a clerk, a treasurer, two overseers of the poor, two justices of the peace and a constable.

This year, the community marked the actual founding date Jan. 15 with a reception honoring longtime former township trustee George Fisher Jr. Bergdorf said township officials decided to hold a bigger event in the summer.

At the school site, children’s activities will take place free of charge, thanks to funding from the Carole Wright Children’s Fund, Bergdorf said. There will be face painting, games and inflatables, as well as a dunk tank that Bergdorf said he was volunteered for.

Also in the daytime, local crafters and community organizations will set up booths. There also will be antique cars, tractors and trailers on display, as well as police and fire demonstrations. Refreshments also will be available.

The evening event will begin at 6 p.m. with the dedication of an Ohio Historical Society marker at Boston Town Hall highlighting the building’s history and architect, John Eisenmann, who also designed the state flag. A wine and cheese reception will follow at 6:30.

Also taking place that night will be a raffle and silent auction of vintage quilt squares created by the Ladies Aid Society of the Everett Church of Christ in the 1940s.

“They wound up in a closet and worked their way back to us, and they are just charming,” said Fiscal Officer Joanne Noragon.

Noragon and her sister, Janice Kaiser, also put together a new quilt to commemorate the bicentennial. It also will be raffled off at the evening event.

Raffle tickets will be available that night or in advance at Elements Gallery, the Downtown Emporium, Yellow Creek Trading Co., Peninsula Art Academy and the Log Cabin Gallery. The cost is $1 each or six for $5.

Proceeds from the raffle will cover bicentennial events, Noragon said. Any additional funds will go toward the historical marker and the community’s Share a Christmas program, she added.

Also at the Town Hall will be musical entertainment from Gene Kaczmarski and Rick Godic on buttonboxes with John Weniger and Steve Craig; Doug Unger and Friends; Greg Canda; Stumpy Basin Volunteers with Larry Schrader and Buddy Milhoan; The Satisfiers; and Buddy Milhoan and the Blacky Cats. There also will be food and refreshments available.

Bergdorf said the township is also planning a fireworks display at dusk, around 10 p.m., thanks to a contribution from a resident. A community bonfire also is planned.

Noragon said the day will be a great way for the Boston community to come together to mark its many years.

“It’s sort of an old-fashioned approach with a day’s worth of events,” she said.

For more information on events, go to www.bostontownship.org.

Last updated September 15, 2026