Trees & Great Black Swamp

Before Hancock County became the farmland we know today, it was part of one of the most remarkable wild places in Ohio: the Great Black Swamp. Northern Hancock County was on the edge of this vast swamp, which was blanketed by dense forests of walnut, maple, cottonwood, ash, elm, and giant oak trees that grew to tremendous heights.

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Even the parts of the county that weren't part of the Great Black Swamp would be described by early settlers as wet. There was one area near the Great Black Swamp called Wild Cat Thicket.  This two mile wide area was so thick with young trees, vines, and brush that it was nearly impassable. Early settlers believed it had originated after an ancient windstorm toppled the original forest, allowing dense regeneration. It was home to deer, bears, wolves, and bobcats, or wild cats, which gave it its name. ​

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The wet and swampy land made it very difficult to get around (find the treasure chest to learn more about a mystery that came out of the impassable roads!), and it slowed the growth of the region for many years. Beginning in the 1840s, several generations of determined farmers worked to drain the land and turn it into the rich farmland that exists today, and the timber from the forests were used for homes and barns.

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The Hancock County of today would be unrecognizable to our early settlers. If you had been in Hancock County in the 1850s you would seen 100 feet tall oak, maple, elm, and beech trees that you wouldn't even be able to get your arms around they would be so big and old.  There would be pawpaw trees, spicebush, and vines. You might even see black bears, gray wolves, deer, beavers, otters, muskrats, and more wildlife!

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Under the tree at the mural you're invited to pose for a photo and be part of our history!