Spencerville, OH

Spencerville grew where the Miami and Erie Canal reached this point in 1844, and the village took its name from canal planner William Spencer. The canal made the original street grid a working stop, with locks and towpath traffic shaping the village before roads became dominant. That old water route remains visible in Lock 16 North and the Miami and Erie Canal Trail, which runs through the village's historic edge. Downtown Spencerville now has an information gazebo on the canal, while Veterans Memorial Park stands beside Lock 16 North with an eighteen-foot monument and markers for the country's major conflicts. The village's K-12 school opened a new combined building in 2008, and the area connects south to Deep Cut Historical Park and a larger canal trail network. Spencerville is a place where school, memorial, and canal share the same few blocks.