 In 1835, the village was permanently named "Willoughby" in honor of Dr. Westel Willoughby, Jr., a public health official that the founders of a short-lived Medical College, which was based in the city, hoped to attract to the area.Many historical buildings from this period survive to this date, affording the downtown Willoughby area some outstanding specimens of 19th century architecture.In World War I, the U.S. Army chose Willoughby as the site for a chemical weapons plant producing lewisite.