For more than 200 years, agriculture has played a contributing role in Stark County’s [†] history. It has not only been a source of income and livelihood, but has contributed to civic and social well being through agriculture-related organizations, family heritage, and inventive spirit. This inventiveness, tied to meeting agricultural needs, has led Stark County to become more than just an agricultural community. While agriculture remains a major economic force, it has long been overshadowed by manufacturing. As in many areas of the country, its initial growth in manufacturing owes its origins to meeting the needs of agriculture. In the mid-1800’s, Stark County was one of the State’s leading wheat producing areas and there was a great impetus to improve harvesting methods due to the manual labor required in harvesting wheat. Cornelius Aultman built and successfully marketed an early reaper based on a design by Obed Hussy. This eventually led to the formation of the C. Aultman Company of Canton, which became one of the largest companies manufacturing farm steam engines, threshers and other implements. This, and other developments, such as Henry Timken’s design and patent on a roller bearing to improve carriages, laid a foundation for industrial manufacturing in Stark County.
† Stark County Area Transportation Plan 2030, 2005, updated 2010, www.starkcountyohio.gov, accessed September, 2021.
