History
Live and visit for a short time in historic Zaleski.
Ever wonder why a tiny village in Appalachian Ohio has a
Polish name? Here's a short version of the generally
accepted tale as quoted from part of an article on "Ohio's
Iron Age" in an issue several years ago of The Ohio
Department of Natural Resources magazine. (Sue has added some parenthetical additional information.
You can read a copy of the entire article as well as other
historical accounts when you visit the house.)
Though it held great
promise, the story of the Zaleski iron enterprise is a tale
of best laid plans gone awry. (Count) Peter
Zaleski, a wealthy banker and financial advisor to a group
of Polish exiles living in Paris, stumbled upon the perfect
investment opportunity in 1856. With one million
dollars to spend, he purchased a large tract of unspoiled
land in far-off Vinton County, Ohio, rich in minerals and
covered with forest. He organized the Zaleski Mining
Company to begin digging out coal and iron ore, and hired
surveyors to lay out a town. An iron blast furnace was
to stand like a sentry on the town's north end.
Modest
homes were quickly constructed for miners and
furnace workers who flocked to the new town of
Zaleski. At the same time, an imposing castle
was built in anticipation of the arrival of the
town's benefactor. The Zaleski furnace
operated steadily from 1862 to 1870, providing a
livelihood for may of the townspeople. Zaleski
boasted a population of 1,500, along with 15
saloons, seven general stores, three churches, two
resident doctors, two newspapers, a public school, a
Masonic lodge, two brickyards and a flour mill.
Incredibly, the iron furnace cracked from top to
bottom due to a faulty construction, and was
dismantled. iron industry was abandoned, and
Zaleski's population plummeted to a mere 862.
Peter Zaleski never did visit the town named in his
honor, and (after apparently standing empty for
many years) his lavish castle was dismantled.
(Many of the townspeople claim to have parts from
the castle. |
