Ai, Ohio

Fulton Elementary School

Ai is a census-designated place[1] in Fulton County, Ohio, United States, established around 1843. The origin of its name has been a local controversy: some say that it was named after the biblical city of Ai,[2][3] while others believe that it was named after one of its founders, Ami Richards. The story continues Ami was a man, so others dropped the 'M' from his name to make the town's name more masculine.[4] Ai has been noted for its short place name.[5]

A post office was established at Ai in 1846, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1903.[6] With the construction of the Northern Indiana Air Line railroad during the 1850s, business activity shifted to nearby Swanton and Ai's population dwindled.[7]

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ai, Ohio
  2. ^ Overman, William Daniel (1958). Ohio Town Names. Akron, OH: Atlantic Press. p. 2.
  3. ^ Wolfe, Don (August 20, 1985). "Names of cities, villages often are history lessons". Toledo Blade. p. 9. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  4. ^ "Ai Info". Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  5. ^ Wolfe, Don (December 3, 1985). "One More Letter And Ai May Be Put Onto Map". Toledo Blade. p. 17. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  6. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ai Post Office (historical)
  7. ^ Heinke, Ed (April 7, 1980). "Ai: a name you can pronounce". The Bryan Times. p. 13. Retrieved October 31, 2015.

41°37′28″N 83°56′19″W / 41.62444°N 83.93861°W / 41.62444; -83.93861


Stub icon

This Fulton County, Ohio state location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.