About Us:
The dream to restore the canal town that we now know as Roscoe Village began in the early 1960s in the minds and hearts of Edward and Frances Montgomery. Edward Montgomery grew up in nearby Coshocton and remembered the destruction of the canal system that came with the flood of 1913. In the early 1800s, Roscoe Village prospered as a port on the Ohio and Erie Canal. Canal boats traveled through Roscoe carrying goods to Ohio settlers and transporting furs and food to northern and southern ports. What stands today as the Old Warehouse Restaurant was the center of commerce as goods were unloaded, stored or sold through the mill store. The development of the railroads and the devastation that resulted from the flood signaled the end of prosperity for Roscoe Village.
Edward and Frances Montgomery founded the Edmont Company in Coshocton during the Depression with Edward's development of a revolutionary method for treating cotton flannel industrial gloves with latex. The company prospered as a worldwide leader in the coated fabrics industry. In the early 1960s, as Edward was planning his retirement and the sale of his business, the Montgomerys became aware of the rich canal history of Roscoe Village. The village had long since fallen into decay and signs of Roscoe's prosperity were gone. Viewing a mural by Dean Cornwell that had been commissioned for the opening of the Coshocton National Bank building, the Montgomerys saw the artist's depiction of Roscoe Village as it might have looked during the exciting days of the mid-1800s. Anxious to give back to the community they had called home for most of their lives, Edward and Frances Montgomery began the process of restoring Roscoe Village to its earlier splendor.
Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery's dream lives on through the not-for-profit corporation they created. The Roscoe Village of today provides an educational, entertaining and fun atmosphere that blends with the rich history of this Ohio region. Roscoe Village is a living expression of the dedication that Edward and Frances Montgomery had for each other and for the town they called home.
