ASHTABULA

city, Ashtabula county, northeastern Ohio, U.S. It lies along Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Ashtabula River, 65 miles (105 km) northeast of Cleveland. The site was settled in 1801; its name, of Algonquian Indian origin, possibly means river of many fish and was applied to the township (1808). In the 1850s Hubbard Homestead and other houses in the city were stations on the Underground Railroad, an escape route for slaves. Modern Ashtabula is a St. Lawrence Seaway port with a fine harbour; it handles with Conneaut (east) large quantities of coal and iron ore. It is also a trading centre for the Lake Erie resort area and manufactures a variety of products, including auto bodies and forgings, fibreglass, plastics, sheet-metal boilers, corrugated boxes, farm tools, and leather. A regional campus of Kent State University is located in the city. Inc. village, 1831; city, 1891. Pop. (1991 est.) 21,816.