Greenfield is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

and

Ross Ross may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ross (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan Places Antarctica * Ross Sea ...

counties,

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 ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,339.

History

Greenfield was named for its rural appearance, and was founded by General

Duncan McArthur Duncan McArthur (1772April 29, 1839) was a military officer and a Federalist and National Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 11th governor of Ohio. When first elected to state office as a representative, he was serving in the s ...

in 1799. Most of Greenfield's early settlers moved to Ohio to work in anti-slavery efforts. In April 1833, the Abolition Society of Paint Valley was founded. Its main effort was to educate and do missionary work in the stance of ending slavery.Merkel, Jerry. Greenfield Ohio Celebrating 200 Years. N.p.: Turner, 2000. Print. The Abolition Society of Paint Valley was later disbanded but was quickly re-organized as the Greenfield Antislavery Society. Records become thin due to the large number of citizens helping African Americans to gain freedom. Greenfield played a major part in the ending of slavery. Former slaves passed through the area on their way to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

during the operation of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

with much help from Greenfield's community members. In 1893, the first African American owned car company was first founded in Greenfield. The C.R. Patterson and Sons company started as a horse-drawn buggy company but later produced cars, buses, and trucks. C.R. Patterson, alongside J.P. Lowe, moved to Greenfield where they founded the car company. The C.R. Patterson and Sons car company provided Greenfield schools buses to conduct routes. Other industries in Greenfield include Ruckers Quarry, which day and night quarried stone such as limestone on a large scale for the Cincinnati market. Another industry was Harps Manufacturing which was most well known for the Never-fail Oil Can, which was originally designed by Eugene Arnott but then perfected by Harp's Manufacturing. Edward Lee McClain High School opened on September 23, 1915. People who wished to attend paid a fee of 15 cents for admission.The Historical Society of Greenfield. Greenfield. N.p.: Arcadia, 2012. Print. It was the first school in Ohio to have an indoor swimming pool, which is still there today, with minor construction revisions. In 1988, the 29.5-mile railroad line connecting the city to the national rail network was scheduled to be decommissioned, but Greenfield bought it for $2.4 million and kept it operational in order to retain a transportation outlet for the local manufacturing industry. This also made the city the smallest in the U.S. to own its own rail line.

Historic sites

Much of Greenfield's early history concentrates on the Travellers' Rest Inn at the eastern end of Jefferson Street. Constructed in 1812, it was the village's first stone building. It also served as its first post office, and was the space for its first doctor's office. Now operated as a museum, the inn is 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 Samuel Smith House and Tannery is also listed on the National Register.

Geography

Greenfield is located almost entirely in Highland County. 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 , all land.

Climate

Greenfield receives an annual average of 38 inches of rain, and averages 25 inches of snow. Both averages are very similar to those of the United States. Greenfield averages 173 sunny days and 128 rainy days. The average high temperature in July is 84 degrees and the average low in January is 20.6 degrees.

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 4,639 people, 1,829 households, and 1,148 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 2,141 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.9%

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 ...

, 1.7%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.7% 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 people of any race were 0.8% of the population. There were 1,829 households, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% 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, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age in the city was 37.1 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.4% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,906 people, 1,955 households, and 1,253 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 2,099 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.78%

, 2.20%

, 0.08% Native American, 1.28% Asian, 0.12%

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 ...

, 0.33% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 0.69% of the population. There were 1,955 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were

living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% 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 3.04. In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males. The median income for a household in the village was $30,805, and the median income for a family was $36,952. Males had a median income of $32,156 versus $21,352 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 village was $14,306. About 12.3% of families and 15.1% 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 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

As of 2024 the Village of Greenfield will switch to a Mayor-council government in the coming years. Other officials include interim City Manager Gary Silcott, Finance Director Gary Lewis, Police Chief Jeremiah Oyer, and Director of Public Works Sherry Parker.

Education

Greenfield Exempted Village Schools operates three elementary schools (Rainsboro, Buckskin, and Greenfield Elementary), one middle school, and McClain High School. Greenfield has a public library, a branch of the Highland County District Library.

Notable people

Samuel McChord Crothers Samuel McChord Crothers (June 7, 1857 in Oswego, IllinoisCROTHERS, Samuel McChord< ...

, essayist and Unitarian divine''Greenfield Historical Society''
website listing of notable people from Greenfield (retrieved October 13, 2022). * Otway Curry, poet and legislator * David T. Daniels, Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture *

Don Grate Donald Grate (August 27, 1923 – November 22, 2014) was an American former professional baseball and pro basketball player. He played both Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies (seven games pitched ov ...

, professional baseball and basketball player * Noble Edward Irwin, United States Navy rear admiral * Wenona Marlin, suffragist *

Brad Martin Bradley Curtis Martin (May 3, 1973 – March 11, 2022) was an American country music singer-songwriter. He made his debut on the American country music scene in 2002 with the release of his debut album ''Wings of a Honky-Tonk Angel'', which pro ...

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist *

David Noggle David Noggle (October 9, 1809July 18, 1878) was an American politician, lawyer, and jurist. He was chief justice of the from 1869 to 1874, appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant. Earlier, he served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly ...

, jurist * Charles Richard Patterson,

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

manufacturer and

civil rights activist Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

. * Frederick Patterson, the first African-American automobile manufacturer *

Johnny Paycheck Johnny Paycheck (born Donald Eugene Lytle; May 31, 1938 – February 19, 2003) was an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member notable for recording the David Allan Coe song "Take This Job and Shove It". He achieved his greates ...

, country singer

Gallery

File:GreenfieldOhio1.JPG, Greenfield corporation limit sign File:Clock Tower Greenfield Ohio.jpg, Clock tower in central Greenfield

References

{{Authority control Villages in Highland County, Ohio Villages in Ross County, Ohio Villages in Ohio