Editing Republic, Ohio (section)

==History==
In 1834, Sidney Smith hired R.M. Shoemaker of [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]] to survey a new town at the corners of sections 15, 16, 21, and 22 in [[Scipio Township, Seneca County, Ohio|Scipio Township]].  He called it "Republic," though it was known by many early settlers simply as "Scipio Center."<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_ctlE6zuQQI0C | title=History of Seneca County, from the Close of the Revolutionary War to July, 1880 | publisher=Transcript Printing Company | author=Lang, William | year=1880 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_ctlE6zuQQI0C/page/n611 587]}}</ref>

With the arrival of a rail line from [[Sandusky, Ohio|Sandusky]] in 1841, Republic became a popular trading center.  Stores, warehouses, shops, and factories sprang up almost overnight.  A second rail line was contemplated to run between Republic and [[Melmore, Ohio|Melmore]] in [[Eden Township, Seneca County, Ohio|Eden Township]].

When the old Seneca County courthouse at [[Tiffin, Ohio|Tiffin]] burned on May 21, 1841, efforts were made to designate Republic as the county seat, but these were unsuccessful. Republic's fortunes began to decline when the new Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland Railroad bypassed it to make a straight run to Tiffin.

The town was stimulated by the construction of the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]]. The railroad passes via an arch bridge over what is now State Route 19.  On January 4, 1887, just west of town on the railroad was the site of an accident designated the "Republic Horror" when the westbound B & O ''Express No. 5'' collided head on with a stalled eastbound freight train.<ref>{{cite book  | title=Ghosts and Legends of Northern Ohio | publisher=Haunted America, A Division of The History Press | author=Krejci, William G. | year=2019 | pages=[45–47]}}</ref>

Republic's motto is "Small in Size, Big in Heart." Written by Seneca East student Michelle Wheatley, it was selected in a contest of popular submissions.