The village of Providence was founded by a French Canadian, Peter Manor, who was the first white man to settle upriver on the Maumee River away from Lake Erie.

In 1837, the State of Ohio granted Manor a contract to begin construction, and the town was soon open for business.

It was often seen as a haven from the problems of lawlessness, drinking, fighting, and crime that began to plague Ohio canal towns.

[2] A catastrophic fire swept through the village in 1846, destroying most of the many wooden buildings in the central business district.

The remaining buildings, the church and the saw and gristmill, have been designated as an historic district by the Department of the Interior.

At a time of few improved roads, water travel had a great advantage over traditional horse and carriage.

Commodity amounts of produce, pelts, grain, and other goods constantly flowed through the village.

The slow pace and low capacity of canal boats was no match for what could be offered by the railroads.