Alliance, OH
General Description (1919 report):
"Alliance, Ohio, a rather recent railroad town within whose bounds is the old college community of Mount Union, is located in the east central part of the State. Its railroad facilities are very good, including two main lines of the Pennsylvania system and a brance of the New York Central. The entire district is developing very rapidly with new industries or expansion of existing industries. The population in 1918 was estimated at from 26,000 to 30,000, a very large proportion of the workers being skilled mechanics. "
"One of the principal factries was that of the Morgan Engineering Co., which was constructon a plant for the manufacture of gun carriages, limbers, transport wagons, etc. One of the largest of the existing factories was the Transue-Williams Co., which had been awarded the contract for the manufacture of motors and tractors, ordnance materials, and equipment for the Emergency Fleet Corporation. Other factories were also doing very important work for the Army and Navy."
1919 excerpt describing the Alliance Site:
Northwest Site - Area planned: 9.29 acres. Housing planned: Detached houses, 52 families. Project discontinued.
Southeast Site - Area planned: 62.10 acres. Housing planned: Detached houses, 213 families. Housing constructed: Detached houses, 89 families.
"The most suitable tract near the western industries was found to be a partially developed, platted area where a sufficient number of lots could be obtained in a block. This tract, though somewhat separated from the built-up section, was easily accessible, and its even topography facilitated construction..."
"On the southeast site, part of the tract had been previously laid out on a rectangular system which we modified to produce lots somewhat shallower than those in the original plat. In the northern part of this site the only attempt at irregularity in the whole plat was the introduction of Grace Street, which turns at right angles and produces a secluded group of dwellings. This arrangement adds a certain interest to the neighborhood but the arrangement of houses around the bend is not entirely satisfactory..."
The Alliance Site Today
The Northwest Site:
Site Plan, 1919
