Iberia is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in Washington Township, Morrow County,

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. The population was 431 at the 2020 census.The ZIP code assigned to Iberia by the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

is 43325.

History

Iberia was founded in 1827 and platted in 1832 by Frederick Meyers and Samuel Foster. The community most likely was named after the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

. On modern maps, the town is located at the junction of State Route 309 and Morrow County Road 30. Iberia was once the home of Iberia College, later Ohio Central College, a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

Church affiliated institution of higher learning. Its most notable graduate was

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

, the 29th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. Following the cessation of classes, the records and alumni of Ohio Central College were assumed by

Muskingum College Muskingum University is a private university in New Concord, Ohio, United States. Chartered in 1837 as Muskingum College, the institution is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). New Concord is located in far eastern Muskingum County ...

New Concord, Ohio New Concord () is a village in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,361 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Zanesville micropolitan area. New Concord is the home of Muskingum University and is served by a branch of t ...

. The first president of Iberia College was the Rev. George A. Gordon, an

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

and local Presbyterian minister who refused a presidential pardon granted by

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 ...

. The minister had been convicted for violating the

Fugitive Slave Law The fugitive slave laws were laws passed by the United States Congress in 1793 and 1850 to provide for the return of slaves who escaped from one state into another state or territory. The idea of the fugitive slave law was derived from the Fugi ...

. He died in 1868 and was buried in Iberia Cemetery. His actions were but a part of the operations 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 ...

, along which Iberia was a significant host to several "stations". Iberia's greatest period of growth occurred at the turn of the 20th century when the community served as a farm community center. For a short period in the 1920s, the town was located along the "Marion" spur of the

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is one of the first transcontinental highways in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated Octob ...

Geography

Iberia is located in central Ohio, northern Morrow County, and the western part of Washington Township. Its western border is the Marion County line. The center of the community is at the junction of Ohio State Route 309 and Morrow County Road 30. SR 309 leads northeast to

Galion Galion ( ) is a city in Crawford, Morrow, and Richland counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 10,453 at the 2020 census. Galion is the second-largest city in Crawford County after Bucyrus. The Crawford County portion of Galio ...

and west-southwest to

Marion Marion or MARION may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Marion (band), a British alternative rock group * ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries * ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film * ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short People a ...

. State Route 61 forms part of the eastern border of the community and leads south to Mount Gilead, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. According to the

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

, the Iberia CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.34%, are water. The area is drained by Flat Run, which flows westward on the north side of town. Flat Run is a tributary of the

Olentangy River The Olentangy River is a tributary of the Scioto River in Ohio, United States. History It was originally called ''keenhongsheconsepung'', a Delaware word literally translated as "sharp tool river", based on the shale found along its shores ...

, part of the

Scioto River The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County, Ohio, Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olent ...

watershed leading to the

Education

The community is served by the Northmor Local School District which formerly operated Iberia Elementary School in the community.

Notable people

* John "Harry" McNeal (1878–1945), professional baseball player for the Cleveland Bluebirds

References

*Miller, Larry L. ''Ohio Place Names''. Indiana University Press, 1996. {{Morrow County, Ohio Census-designated places in Morrow County, Ohio Populated places established in 1827 1827 establishments in Ohio