Harpersfield Township is one of the twenty-seven

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

of Ashtabula County,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, United States. The 2010 census found 2,695 people in the township.

Geography

Located on the northwestern edge of the county, it borders the following townships: * Geneva Township - North * Saybrook Township - Northeast corner * Austinburg Township - East * Morgan Township - Southeast corner * Trumbull Township - South * Thompson Township, Geauga County - Southwest corner * Madison Township, Lake County - West Part of the city of

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

is located in northern Harpersfield Township, and the

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

of Unionville lies in the township's northwest.

Name and history

It is the only Harpersfield Township statewide. The township was first settled by Revolutionary War Colonel Alexander Harper and his family, who moved from

Harpersfield, New York Harpersfield is a town in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 1,577 at the 2010 census. The town is on the northern border of the county. History The town was formed in 1768 by Colonel John Harper, who fought for t ...

on June 28, 1798. Colonel Harper died there in September of that year.
A Record of the Revolutionary Soldiers buried in Lake County, Ohio
'. New Connecticut Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, Painesville, Ohio, 1902. It is said that soon after landing, Colonel Harper placed his staff in the ground and dedicated a portion of land as a cemetery, and he himself was the first to be buried there; he being the first white person buried in the Western Reserve, whose grave can be identified. An appropriate monument bearing an inscription with the name and date of birth and death, and recounting the virtues of the pioneer and patriot still marks the spot. This cemetery is on the county line at Unionville village. Harpersfield Township was described in 1833 as having one store, two flouring mills, two saw mills, one

fulling Fulling, also known as felting, tucking or walking ( Scots: ''waukin'', hence often spelled waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of woven or knitted cloth (particularly wool) to elimin ...

mill, and two

forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to th ...

Points of interest

The

Harpersfield Covered Bridge Harpersfield Bridge is a covered bridge spanning the Grand River in Harpersfield Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. This double-span Howe truss bridge, one of currently 17 drivable covered bridges in the county, is the third longes ...

is located in Harpersfield Township. Alexander's son Robert built the

Shandy Hall Shandy Hall is a writer's house museum in the former home of the Rev. Laurence Sterne in Coxwold, North Yorkshire, England. Sterne lived there from 1760 to 1768 as perpetual curate of Coxwold. He is remembered for his novels ''The Life and Op ...

homestead in the township in 1815. Records of the Harper Family compiled by Jane Cowles Ford, edited by Carrie Harper White, 1998 Reprint. The

SPIRE Institute and Academy A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires are ...

athletic facility is located in the township.

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer, who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees. Currently, the board is composed of James Pristov and Raymond Gruber Jr and Cliff Henry, and the fiscal officer is Sharon Rohrbaugh.Harpersfield Township Contacts
Harpersfield Township. Accessed 2009-08-25.

References

External links

Township websiteCounty website
{{authority control Townships in Ashtabula County, Ohio 1806 establishments in Ohio Townships in Ohio