Malvern history opens with the Great Indian Trail which traverses the area between Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh) and Chillicothe, Ohio.

Col. Henry Bouquet and 1500 volunteers left Fort Pitt in 1764 to free white frontiersmen taken captive by Chief Pontiac and his Ottawa Indians. They camped along the Great Trail near Pekin Bridge (Located on Ohio Rt. 183).

The volunteers caught up to the chief and, after a show of force. negotiations with chiefs of the Seneca, Delaware and Shawnee lead to the signing of a treaty.

This brief story is only a part of the important contribution that this locale has made to the development of Carroll County.

Jonathan Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) and other famous men were familiar with this area.

Outside of Malvern on Ohio Rt. 43 you will find the beautiful Great Trail park, which is the site of the annual Great Trail Festival. The Festival is held in the fall and consists of music, crafts and historic reenactments. The park also hosts a herd of buffalo. Malvern has become an important link in the recreational area of Carroll County.