Crestline is a village in Crawford and Richland Counties in the U.S. state of

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. Crestline's population was 4,525 at the 2020 census. It is the third largest municipality in Crawford County. The Crawford County portion of Crestline is part of the Bucyrus Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the small portion of the village that extends into Richland County is considered part of the Mansfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. Both sections form the Mansfield–Bucyrus, OH Combined Statistical Area.

History

Early history

The Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad, or the "Bee Line" as it was known then, predated Crestline. Since there was no town between Shelby and Galion, it was decided that a station should be placed halfway for passenger convenience. The station was constructed where the line crossed the Leesville road. Crestline was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1852. It was once thought to be the highest point in Ohio and was named from its high elevation. This station soon developed into a town, with a general store, post office, and a few homes. Early settlers in the village believed that the town was the watershed of the state, where streams to the north emptied into Lake Erie and those to the south emptied into the Ohio River, thus the name Crest Line. The town was not directly on the watershed line (but rather just north of the divide), but the name stuck and eventually became one word.

Abraham Lincoln's funeral train

Following his death by assassination, the body of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

was brought from Washington, D.C. to its final resting place in Lincoln's hometown of

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...

, by funeral train. The train left Washington, D.C., on April 21, 1865, at 12:30 pm and traveled to Springfield, arriving on May 3, 1865. Several stops were made along the way, including Crestline on April 29, 1865, at 4:07 am.

20th century

During its heyday, Crestline was a division point for the Pennsylvania Railroad's Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway. The city housed major engine facilities and would often be the point where motive power was changed for the relatively flat runs to and from

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. In addition to the town's station being a stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad's east–west trains, the station served as a transfer point to the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...

's northeast–southwest trains. On November 1, 1903, two Pennsylvania line train cars carrying

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

exploded, causing damage to the rail lines and several train cars. This disaster is noted as one of the catalysts which began the regulation of the shipping of hazardous substances. The Pennsylvania Railroad's engine facilities included a roundhouse on Crestline Road, decommissioned in 1968 in the aftermath of the merger between the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad to form Penn Central. Demolition of the historic roundhouse commenced in 2007 after years of neglect. But, some buildings still stand. Today, Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad, CSX and Norfolk Southern trains operate in and around Crestline.

21st century

On September 4, 2017, at approximately 10:45 p.m. a tornado passed from the west to just north of the village causing extensive damage to rural properties near the village. The National Weather Service classified the twister as an EF-2 with winds above 115 miles per hour. This incident was a rare event.

Geography

Crestline is located along the Sandusky River near its headwaters. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 4,630 people, 1,914 households, and 1,256 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 2,169 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.7%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population. There were 1,914 households, of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.4% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 37.8 years. 26.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 5,088 people, 2,070 households, and 1,370 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,251 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.58%

, 1.81%

, 0.18% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.22% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population. There were 2,070 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,392, and the median income for a family was $37,275. Males had a median income of $33,520 versus $22,455 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $16,522. About 9.8% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The Census Bureau recognizes Crestline as a village, its 2010 population of 4,630 makes it a village under Ohio law. Crestline operates under a mayor-council system, with a council of six members.

Education

The village is served by the Crestline Exempted Village School District.

Notable people

* Gates Brown, baseball player * Les Channell, baseball player * Frank Emmer, baseball player *

Mark Fenton Mark Fenton (November 11, 1866 – July 29, 1925) was an American stage performer and motion-picture character actor who appeared in at least 80 films between 1914 and 1925. Fenton had considerable experience performing on stage prior to ...

, actor * Mike Gottfried, football coach, commentator * Jack Harbaugh, football player, coach, and father of NFL coaches John and Jim Harbaugh * Kevin Keith, American prisoner * Robert Kurtzman, film director, producer, screenwriter, special effects artist * Marabel Morgan, author, anti-feminist * Augusta W. Urquhart, (1870-1960), social leader, clubwoman

References

External links

Village website

Crestline Chamber of Commerce

Village of Crestline Zoning Map
{{authority control 1851 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1851 Villages in Crawford County, Ohio Villages in Richland County, Ohio Villages in Ohio