Minerva

The Carroll and Stark County portions of Minerva are part of the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Columbiana County portion is part of the East Liverpool-Salem Micropolitan Statistical Area.

The village of Minerva began when a surveyor named John Whitacre purchased 123 acres of land from Isaac Craig in 1818 for the construction of a log mill. The town, named for his niece, Minerva Ann Taylor, grew up around the mill. Minerva's first schoolhouse was built in 1846. In its early years the Sandy and Beaver Canal helped drive Minerva's economy, to be replaced in importance by the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1840s. Minerva manufacturers Willard and Isaac Pennock patented the United States' first steel railroad car in the nineteenth century.

Legend of the Lost French Gold

According to local legend, in the 1760s the French held possession of Fort Duquesne, which later became fort Pitt in Pittsburgh. George Washington was leading a company of 2000 British troupes from the east to attack the fort. The British held up at Turtle Creek for the night. Indian scouts reported to the French that an attack was coming. The French loaded one ton of gold which was to be the French payroll onto 10 pack horses and sent them west along the Great Trail. They were to head to Bolivar where there was a block house for shelter and provisions. That location later became the location of Fort Laurens. The British were successful in overthrowing the fort and learned of the escape with the gold. Four days out of Pittsburgh, the British were catching up to the French, so the French buried the gold to avoid it getting into British hands. It was reportedly buried at the fork of 3 springs. One mile to the west of that location a rock was placed in the fork of a tree. Over the years, many have tried to locate the supposedly buried treasure, to this day it has not been found.