Editing Van Wert, Ohio (section)

==History==
[[Image:Van-wert-ohio-courthouse2.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Van Wert County Courthouse]] (built 1874–1876) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.]]
Van Wert was surveyed in 1824 by Captain [[James Riley (captain)|James Riley]], who was contracted by the government to survey lands purchased from Native Americans under a treaty in 1818.<ref>Newspaper article, "Van Wert Centennial", Ohio.</ref> It was incorporated as a town in 1848 and was chartered as a city in 1903.<ref name="EB1911">{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Van Wert|volume=27|page=897}}</ref>

The town is located in an area originally known as the [[Great Black Swamp|Black Swamp]]. Early pioneers had to deal with swampy ground, mud, and [[malaria]].  They persevered, draining the swamp for agriculture and eventually reclaiming enough dry land to establish the town. Van Wert was the birthplace of aviation pioneer [[Walter Hinton]] and the famous [[baritone]] [[Charles W. Clark]].

At one point, Van Wert was the only place in the world producing [[Liederkranz cheese]]. Beginning in 1926, this pungent dairy product was manufactured at the now-closed [[Borden (company)|Borden]] plant. At the time of the closure, Liederkranz cheese was selling for $8 per pound.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The nation&#039;s only Liederkranz cheese plant, shut down by... - UPI Archives |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/02/17/The-nations-only-Liederkranz-cheese-plant-shut-down-by/9277382770000/ |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=UPI |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Liederkranz Cheese |url=https://www.cooksinfo.com/liederkranz-cheese |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=CooksInfo |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Liederkranz Cheese |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/liederkranz-cheese |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CONTENTdm |url=https://www.ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/3000 |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=www.ohiomemory.org}}</ref> The people of Van Wert (400 of which called themselves "Cheesemakers") contributed to the town of [[Vimoutiers]], [[Orne]], [[Lower Normandy]], France with help in the costs of reconstruction and reparation of the town after it was mistakenly bombed by the [[United States Air Force|US Air Force]] during [[World War II]]. They volunteered to pay for the replacement of [[Marie Harel]]'s statue in 1953. This is recorded by a plaque in the market square of Vimoutiers.<ref>{{Citation |last= |title=English:  Marie Harel (born Marie Catherine Fontaine; April 28, 1761 – November 9, 1844) was a French cheesemaker, who, according to local legend, invented Camembert cheese |date=2006-09-12 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vimoutiers_-_Marie_Harel_Bought_Back_To_Life_In_1953_By_a_Group_Of_American_Farmers.jpg |access-date=2024-11-06}}</ref> Vimoutiers is a centre for local making of [[Camembert]], [[Livarot]] and [[Pont-l'Évêque cheese]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr Knirim, Marie Harel and camembert cheese, the genuine one |url=http://vimoutiers.net/vimus/1926_joseph_knirimeng.htm |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=vimoutiers.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Visit the museum |url=https://www.maisonducamembert.com/en/visit-the-museum/ |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=Maison du Camembert |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Camembert |url=https://www.isigny-ste-mere.com/en/products/our-cheeses/camembert/ |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=Isigny Sainte-Mère |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>https://en.normandie-tourisme.fr/a-weekend-on-the-normandy-cheese-route/</ref>

On November 10, 2002, [[2002 Van Wert–Roselms tornado|an F4 tornado]] struck the town, killing two people.<ref>[http://www.crh.noaa.gov/iwx/program_areas/events/2002/11_10_02_tornadoes/timeline.php Timeline of the events of November 10, 2002.] [[National Weather Service]]. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.</ref> This was one of many tornado touchdowns during the [[2002 Veterans Day Weekend tornado outbreak]]. Van Wert's emergency warning system is credited with saving many lives after several cars were thrown into a movie theatre that had been packed with people just minutes earlier.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION: THE SURVIVORS; Alert Theater Manager Sent Moviegoers to Safety |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/12/us/trail-destruction-survivors-alert-theater-manager-sent-moviegoers-safety.html |access-date=2024-11-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-11-14 |title=Blown away: Remembering the 2002 Van Wert tornado |url=https://www.limaohio.com/top-stories/2022/11/13/blown-away-remembering-the-2002-van-wert-tornado/ |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=LimaOhio.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>https://thevwindependent.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Tornado-Retrospective-layout.pdf</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Van Wert Cinemas in Van Wert, OH - Cinema Treasures |url=https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/61948 |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=cinematreasures.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilkes |first=Jen Narramore-Nick |date=2019-11-10 |title=Van Wert, OH F4 Tornado – November 10, 2002 – Tornado Talk |url=https://www.tornadotalk.com/van-wert-oh-f4-tornado-november-10-2002/ |access-date=2024-11-06 |language=en-US}}</ref>