Editing Alliance, Ohio (section)

==History==
[[File:Chapman Hall UMU.jpg|thumb|left|Chapman Hall, [[University of Mount Union]] campus (1864)]]
Alliance was founded in 1854 by the merger of three smaller communities called Williamsport, formed in 1827, Freedom, formed in 1838, and Liberty, formed in 1850 to act as a station and support hub for the [[Cleveland Line (Norfolk Southern)|Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Sanders|first=Craig|title=Canton Area Railroads|location=Charleston, S.C.|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|date=2009|isbn=9780738561110|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IeEiaVoFAIwC|page=7}}</ref> A fourth community, Mount Union, was added in 1888. Alliance was incorporated as a city in 1889.<ref name=Incorporation>[http://www.rodmanlibrary.org/rpl/history/srp1973/srp-incorporation.htm Incorporation of Alliance] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080827192016/http://www.rodmanlibrary.org/rpl/history/srp1973/srp-incorporation.htm |date=August 27, 2008 }}, Rodman Public Library website (accessed February 3, 2008)</ref>

There are two popular theories regarding the origin of the city's name. One holds that it was chosen because of the "alliance" of three small settlements into a larger entity.<ref name=City>[http://www.cityofalliance.com/welcome.htm City of Alliance website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213221817/http://www.cityofalliance.com/welcome.htm |date=February 13, 2008 }} (accessed February 3, 2008)</ref> The other theory says the name reflects the fact that two major railroad lines, the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad and the [[Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad (1848–1856)|Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad]], intersected at Alliance, once known as "The Crossing".<ref name=Incorporation/><ref name=City/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rodmanlibrary.com/rpl/ref/faq_alliance.htm |title=Alliance, Ohio FAQ |access-date=February 4, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517152840/http://www.rodmanlibrary.com/rpl/ref/faq_alliance.htm#q3 |archive-date=May 17, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On April 12, 1856, Alliance was directly struck by a [[tornado]], causing extensive damage. A roof of a church was removed, and another church was moved off its foundation. A train that stopped at the Alliance Station was pushed off its rails. The destruction was estimated to be $15,000 to $20,000 (in 1856 dollars, {{Inflation|US|20000|1856|fmt=eq}}). A few injuries and one fatality were confirmed.<ref>[https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85038183/1856-04-22/ed-1/seq-3/ Alliance Tornado of 1856 News]</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/stream/pagesfromallianc00magr/pagesfromallianc00magr_djvu.txt Tornado in 1856]</ref>

In 1923, [[Alliance Rubber Company]] was founded in Alliance. It was a manufacturer of rubber bands cut from discarded rubber rings into small strips.

Alliance's Main Street was originally laid out to bring traffic to the train station, the heart of the city's transportation hub. The railroads were central to industry and personal transportation, bringing in raw materials for factories and sending out finished goods. Due to this, Alliance is sometimes referred to as "the town where Main Street is a dead end".<ref>{{cite web|title=A Short History of Alliance, Ohio|url=http://www.alliancehistory.org/history.html|publisher=Alliance Historical Society|access-date=November 30, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141120175909/http://www.alliancehistory.org/history.html|archive-date=November 20, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Alliance became a qualified [[Tree City USA]] as recognized by the [[National Arbor Day Foundation]] in 1982.<ref>"Tree Cities Ohio" [https://www.arborday.org/programs/treecityusa/treecities.cfm?chosenstate=Ohio]. " ''Arbor Day Foundation'' accessed September 18, 2020.</ref>