Editing Galion, Ohio (section)

==History==
The region was first inhabited by Native American tribes up until the first settlers, Benjamin Leveridge and his two sons, arrived in 1817. In 1820, William Hosford and his two sons, Asa and Horace, settled on land outside of the area. It was not until Colonel [[James Kilbourne]] decided to "lay out a town half way between Columbus and the Lakes" that the crossroads of Portland and Main street were settled by the Hosford family.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Hopley|first=John E. (John Edward)|url=http://archive.org/details/cu31924012523464|title=History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens|date=1912|publisher=Chicago,Ill., Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company|others=Cornell University Library}}</ref> This crossing was known by various names including: Moccasin, Horseshoe, Hard Scrabble, Spang Town, Hosfords and Goshen.<ref name=":0" /> Galion was laid out in 1831.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_a-MyAQAAMAAJ | title=History of Crawford County and Ohio | publisher=Baskin & Battey | year=1881 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_a-MyAQAAMAAJ/page/n430 444]}}</ref> However, in 1824 the town petitioned for a post office using the name Goshen and later changed to Galion by the postmaster general, [[John McLean]], due to a town already being named [[Goshen, Ohio|Goshen]] in Ohio.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Mansfield|first=Bernard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qQ2LAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT41|title=The Olentangy Legacy: Book Two|date=2010-06-01|publisher=Xlibris Corporation|isbn=978-1-4691-0114-9|language=en}}</ref> The etymology of the name Galion is uncertain.<ref>{{cite book|last=Overman|first=William Daniel|title=Ohio Town Names|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015015361465;view=1up;seq=65|year=1958|publisher=Atlantic Press|location=Akron, OH|page=49}}</ref>  A post office called Galion has been in operation since 1825.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?state=OH |title=Post offices |publisher=Jim Forte Postal History |access-date=11 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151013181747/http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?state=OH |archive-date=13 October 2015 }}</ref>

Asa Hosford is considered the "Father of Galion" due to his work as a state legislator in which he did work to get a rail line through the area that was completed in 1851.<ref name=":2" />

===1882 lynching===
On April 30, 1882, in Galion, Ohio, a mob of around 2,000 people took Frank Fisher, an African American man accused of raping a white woman, from the town jail and lynched him. The mob hanged Fisher in broad daylight despite efforts by local authorities to intervene. The event was widely covered in newspapers at the time and is recognized as a tragic episode in Galion's history.<<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|date=1 May 1882|title="LYNCHED!"|work=Cleveland Leader|url=https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1882-cleveland-oh-newspaper-galion-oh-307622820|access-date=1 May 2018}}</ref>

===2005 financial scandal===
In 2005, Galion, Ohio, faced a major financial scandal when its former finance director, William Bauer, confessed to embezzling at least $87,000 from the city. Bauer’s mismanagement left the town $11 million in debt, resulting in significant cuts to city services. Programs such as the D.A.R.E. antidrug initiative were eliminated, police cruisers and computers were sold, and road projects were scrapped. Residents faced higher taxes and utility costs, while volunteers stepped in to clean parks and fund community events.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=August 9, 2005 |title=Ohio Town Struggles With Legacy of a Duly Appointed Thief |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/09/us/ohio-town-struggles-with-legacy-of-a-duly-appointed-thief.html |access-date=September 15, 2024 |work=The New York Times |pages=15}}</ref>

Bauer, who had been finance director since 1985, admitted to stealing money due to a gambling addiction and credit card problems. He attempted suicide before being sentenced and was blinded in the attempt. Bauer later pleaded guilty to five counts of embezzlement, avoiding a trial that would have revealed more details of his crimes. Despite his confession, questions about where the stolen funds went remained unanswered.<ref name=":5" />

The State Auditor placed Galion in fiscal emergency, appointing a board to help the city recover financially, which was expected to take five years. City officials, who trusted Bauer due to his longstanding reputation, implemented new financial safeguards to prevent future fraud.<ref name=":5" />