This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Tower and water works mark Elyria’s early growth
An undated photograph recalls Elyria’s 1879 water tower on Fifteenth Street beside the river, its brick two‑chamber settling system, wooden tank, and hand‑laid sandstone walls. The tower supplied safe drinking water and fire protection until 1902 when Lake Erie water arrived, later sold to a steel plant and surviving as a monumental relic.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fifteenth Street
Elyria
Lake Erie
Elyria Iron and Steel Company
The
Steel Company
Republic Steel
LTV Steel
West River
Elyria Iron & Steel