Editing Perrysburg, Ohio (section)

===Growth of Perrysburg===
[[File:Perrysburg map.png|thumb|Map of Perrysburg, Ohio]]
The town soon became a center for shipbuilding and commerce on Lake Erie. It was named after [[Commodore (USN)|Commodore]] [[Oliver Hazard Perry]], naval commander during the [[War of 1812]] and hero of the [[Battle of Lake Erie]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=17329|title=Profile for Perrysburg, Ohio|publisher=[[ePodunk]]|access-date=2010-06-06}}</ref> From 1822 to 1868 Perrysburg served as the county seat.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dinner celebrates Wood County history |url=https://www.sent-trib.com/news/dinner-celebrates-wood-county-history/article_6cb3fa8c-e6a4-11e9-bdba-8f83c31ff152.html |access-date=7 February 2022 |work=Sentinel-Tribune |language=en}}</ref>

In 1833, Perrysburg contained a courthouse, jail, schoolhouse, two stores, two taverns, two physicians, two lawyers, about 60 houses, and 250 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_dt48AAAAYAAJ | title=The Ohio Gazetteer, or, a Topographical Dictionary | publisher=Scott and Wright | date=1833 | access-date=12 December 2013 | author=Kilbourn, John | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_dt48AAAAYAAJ/page/n351 367]}}</ref>

[[Henry Bibb]] spent the winter of 1837–38 in Perrysburg following his first escape from slavery. He was adopted by the [[Free people of color|free Black community]], which included many [[Fugitive slaves in the United States|fugitive slaves]]. Bibb was able to obtain gainful employment and managed to save $15 over the course of the winter, which he put towards his plan to rescue his wife and children from slavery. Bibb's knowledge of Perrysburg helped him in a subsequent escape attempt, when he was able to allay suspicions by claiming to be a free resident of Perrysburg and accurately answering questions about the town's residents.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bibb |first1=Henry |title=The Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an American Slave |date=1849 |location=New York |pages=55–56; 164 |url=https://archive.org/details/26342933.4803.emory.edu/page/n65/mode/2up}}</ref>

In 1854, an [[epidemic]] of [[cholera]] devastated the population. It had spread with residents and travelers along the waterways because of the lack of adequate sanitation. Perryville closed down for two months in that summer, trying to contain the epidemic at a time when people did not understand how the disease was transmitted. More than 100 people died. Other towns along the Maumee River also suffered high losses from the epidemic. [[Providence, Ohio]] was abandoned. It had suffered a disastrous fire less than a decade before.

The railroad arrived in 1859 with the completion of the [[Dayton and Michigan Railroad]], later part of the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Laying of the Last Rail |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/perrysburg-journal-laying-of-the-last-ra/135431056/ |newspaper=[[Perrysburg Journal]] |date=August 25, 1859 |page=3 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=November 19, 2023}}</ref> {{As of|2023}} the line is part of the [[Toledo Subdivision]] of CSX, though it hosts no passenger service.