Mecca is not just the name of our township. The word mecca is a synonym for aim, direction, objective, and, most importantly, heart. If Ohio is the heart of it all, could Mecca be the heart of Ohio? To us, it is.

The artery of Route 88 bisects Mosquito Creek Reservoir, the water supply of the Mahoning Valley. Completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1944, our man-made lake serves as a flood preventative, pollution reducer, and recreation area for locals and visitors near and far.

Did you know Mosquito Lake covers the only Native American burial ground in Mecca?

Our history is rich. An oil boom in the first half of the 1860s flooded our township with commerce. But it proved a whirlwind affair, and once the land was depleted of much of the good oil, so went the business. Many homes and hotels constructed in that time literally skidded out to Cortland and Warren.

We have other historic homes and buildings still here, including the original 1830s Fowler General Store (also known as the Falkner store), the Wheel Inn–once a store and stagecoach inn, and the current Monty’s–formerly an Odd Fellow’s Lodge and storefront rebuilt in replica after a 1923 fire. The 2022 fire that took our oldest building, The Lake Tavern, proved a tragic loss to our community.

Mecca is the birthplace of the Erie Dearie fishing lure. Many family-owned businesses exist here, along with a beautiful community park, Mecca Circle, an outstanding school, a boat launch and picnic area, and a causeway for fishing. All serve as gathering places for folks to create new memories. We have farms, fields, forests, and creeks. Wildlife abounds. Then, we have areas of close-knit homes with a suburban feel. We have a taste of nearly everything, and we’re minutes away from everything else.

We’re proud of our township and its history! Mecca has a healthy pulse, and it certainly has our hearts.