Delphos is a city in Allen and Van Wert counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

approximately 14 mi (23 km) northwest of

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

and 13 mi (21 km) east of Van Wert. The population was 7,117 at the 2020 census. The Allen County portion of Delphos is part of the Lima, Ohio metropolitan area, while the Van Wert County portion is part of the Lima–Van Wert–Wapakoneta, OH, combined statistical area.

History

Delphos had its start in the early 1850s with the merger of neighboring rival towns. These were the towns of Howard (in the northwest), Section 10 (in the east), Bredeick Street (south of Howard) and East Bredeick (named after Father John Otto Bredeick, a Bavarian priest, who had purchased the tract of land in 1840). In 1851, the four towns agreed to form a single town called Delphos. The city's name is derived from the Greek god

Delphus In Greek mythology, Delphus (; Ancient Greek: Δέλφος, ''Delphos'') was the person from whom the town of Delphi was believed to have derived its name. Biography Delphus was said to be the son of Poseidon and Melantho ( Melantheia), daught ...

. The

Miami and Erie Canal The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that ran from Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a co ...

, a 274-mile (441-km) canal connecting Cincinnati to Toledo, ran through Delphos. The first settlers to Delphos were mainly construction workers attracted by the work being done on the Canal. After 20 years of construction, the Canal was completed—an inaugural canal boat carrying the governor of Ohio passed through Delphos on July 4, 1845. The Canal was crucial to the economic development of the city in the 19th century, since it positioned Delphos as a center of regional trade. Indeed, Delphos became one of the major ports along the Canal, with transshipment facilities linking the Canal to the growing rail network in the region. Industrialists were also attracted by the Canal. By 1879, more than 100 factories located in Delphos produced goods for national and international trade. However, rail transport eventually came to dominate long-haul commercial transport and Delphos' importance as a hub of commerce waned. Three Delphos buildings are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

: the Marks-Family House and St. John's Catholic Church on the Allen County side of the city, and the Bredeick-Lang House on the Van Wert County side (see Gallery below).

Geography

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 7,101 people, 2,893 households, and 1,865 families living 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 3,137 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.5%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.3% 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 1.8% of the population. There were 2,893 households, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.5% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% 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 3.00. The median age in the city was 38.6 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 6,944 people, 2,717 households, and 1,880 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,906 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.63%

, 0.27%

, 0.14% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population. There were 2,717 households, out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were

living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.08. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,817, and the median income for a family was $44,385. Males had a median income of $32,917 versus $21,124 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 $16,380. About 5.6% of families and 6.8% 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 7.5% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Delphos City Parks include Stadium Park, Waterworks Park, Leisure Park, Garfield Park and Suever Park. Stadium Park is home to a football field where the Delphos Jefferson Wildcats and the St. Johns Blue Jays play. The Stadium was built in 1940 and has the capacity of 3900 people. Stadium Park also has multiple tennis courts, baseball fields, basketball courts, a playground, and eating area.

Education

Delphos City Schools include Jefferson High School, Jefferson Middle School, Franklin Elementary School, and St Johns High School. Franklin Elementary is located in Allen County, and The Middle School (former High School) and the High School buildings are located in Van Wert County. Delphos St. John's, the city's Roman Catholic High School, and St. John's Elementary school are both part of St. John's Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo. Both the high school and elementary buildings are located in Allen County.

Notable people

Zane Grey Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author and dentist. He is known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western genre in literature and the arts; he idealized the American frontier ...

– author * Bill Lange – American football player * Clara Chipman Newton – 19th century china painter * Leslie Peltier – astronomer and prolific discoverer of comets and variable stars. * Sabrina Scharf – actress. * Thomas Weinandy – Catholic priest and theologian.

Gallery: Delphos in the National Register of Historic Places

File:St. John's Catholic Church in Delphos, southern side and front.jpg, South side of Saint John’s Catholic Church File:Saint John the Evangelist (Delphos, Ohio), exterior, entrance.jpg, Entrance to Saint John’s Catholic Church File:Bredeick-Lang House from south.jpg, The Bredeick-Lang house, south side File:Bredeick-Lang House from east.jpg, The Bredeick-Lang house, east side File:Marks-Family House.jpg, The Marks-Family house

References

External links

City website

Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Cities in Allen County, Ohio Cities in Van Wert County, Ohio Populated places established in 1844 1844 establishments in Ohio Cities in Ohio