Lisbon is a village in

Columbiana County, Ohio Columbiana County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 101,877. The county seat is Lisbon and its largest city is Salem. Created in 1803, the county name is derived from that of 15th-centur ...

, United States, and its

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 ...

. The population was 2,597 at the 2020 census. Lying along the Little Beaver Creek, the village is located southwest of

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

History

Lisbon was platted on February 16, 1803, by

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

minister Lewis Kinney and originally named New Lisbon after

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, Portugal. The village was incorporated under a special act of legislature on February 7, 1825. Initially known for its iron and whiskey production, New Lisbon became an economic hub of many sorts into the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

, and one of the largest towns on the Sandy and Beaver Canal. During this time, the village claimed the county's first bank, the Columbiana Bank of New Lisbon; its first insurance company, and the first Ohio newspaper, '' The Ohio Patriot'', founded by an Alsatian immigrant, William D. Lepper. Lisbon has the distinction of being the northernmost western town involved in military actions during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

general John Hunt Morgan surrendered to New Lisbon militia forces in nearby

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

at the end of

Morgan's Raid Morgan's Raid (also the Calico Raid or Great Raid of 1863) was a diversionary incursion by Confederate States Army, Confederate cavalry into the Union (American Civil War), Union states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia during the A ...

into Ohio. After the failure of the Sandy and Beaver Canal, the town had to wait until the late 1860s to receive railroad access once the Niles and New Lisbon Railroad opened. It and the later Pittsburgh, Marion & Chicago Railway helped bring industry to the area, including the

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

manufacturing R. Thomas and Sons Company. The village was renamed to simply Lisbon in 1895. In 1900, the modern

drinking straw A drinking straw is a List of eating utensils, utensil that uses suction to carry the contents of a beverage to one's mouth. A straw is used by placing one end in the mouth and the other in a beverage. By applying suction with the mouth, the air ...

was invented and patented in Lisbon. In 1899, Jacob L. Beilhart founded the Spirit Fruit Society, an

intentional community An intentional community is a voluntary residential community designed to foster a high degree of group cohesiveness, social cohesion and teamwork. Such communities typically promote shared values or beliefs, or pursue a common vision, wh ...

to practice his newly developed beliefs, in Lisbon. Its goal was to "teach mankind how to apply the truths taught by

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

," which included a rejection of jealousy and

materialism Materialism is a form of monism, philosophical monism according to which matter is the fundamental Substance theory, substance in nature, and all things, including mind, mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. Acco ...

. The commune only attracted about a dozen residents, mostly from outside the area. However, views against marriage and promoting free love were not accepted well in Lisbon, and the group left for

Chicago 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 late 1904. Lisbon became a qualified Tree City USA as recognized by the

National Arbor Day Foundation The Arbor Day Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation has more than one million members and has planted more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communitie ...

in 1981.

Geography

Lisbon is located at (40.773874, -80.767553). 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 village has a total area of , all land.

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 2,821 people, 1,138 households, and 693 families residing in the village. 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 1,287 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.4%

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 ...

, 1.1%

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, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% 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 1.2% of the population. There were 1,138 households, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% 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, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.1% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the village was 39.6 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 28.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,788 people, 1,133 households, and 696 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 1,253 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.74%

, 0.90%

, 0.22% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 0.29% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population. There were 1,133 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were

living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.07. In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $27,841, and the median income for a family was $36,707. Males had a median income of $29,271 versus $19,826 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 $14,097. About 10.1% of families and 14.1% 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 13.4% of those under the age of 18 and 5.2% of those 65 years or over.

Arts and culture

Lisbon is host to the annual Columbiana County Fair in the summer and the Lisbon

Johnny Appleseed Johnny Appleseed (born John Chapman; September 26, 1774March 18, 1845) was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced trees grown with apple seeds (as opposed to trees grown with grafting) to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, I ...

Festival in the fall; the pioneer is said to had planted an apple tree nursery in the area in the 1800s.. The Dulci-More Festival, a music festival dedicated to the

Appalachian dulcimer The Appalachian dulcimer (many variant names; see below) is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings, originally played in the Appalachian region of the United States. The body extends the length of t ...

and other traditional musical instruments, formerly took place over

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It i ...

weekend at Camp McKinley, a

Boy Scout A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organizatio ...

camp near Lisbon from 1995 to 2019. Folk band

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Vernon had originally formed Bon Iver as a solo project, but it eventually became a band consisting of Vernon (vocals, guit ...

paid tribute to the village in the instrumental song "Lisbon, OH", from their 2011

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning album '' Bon Iver, Bon Iver''. The village is home to the public Lepper Library, founded in 1897. The building site on Lincoln Way and a $10,000 grant were donated by Virginia Lepper in memory of her late husband. In 2020, Lisbon became an official North Country National Scenic Trail Town.

Government

Lisbon operates under a

mayor–council government A mayor–council government is a system of local government in which a mayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected city council constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most comm ...

, where there are six council members elected as a legislature in addition to an independently elected mayor who serves as an executive. As of 2025, the mayor of Lisbon is Peter Wilson ( I). Additionally, Lisbon has a Board of Trustees of Public Affairs, a three-member board elected separately from the village council.

Education

Children in Lisbon are served by the public Lisbon Exempted Village School District, which includes one elementary school and David Anderson Junior/Senior High School. In 1995, the Lisbon Blue Devils boys

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team won the

OHSAA The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of comp ...

Division V State Championship against Mariemont High School, the only such championship in football to be held by a Columbiana County school. The Columbiana County Career and Technical Center is immediately south of village corporation limits.

Media

Lisbon is home to the '' Morning Journal'', a local newspaper serving Columbiana County. The result of multiple mergers, it began printing in 1909.

Transportation

U.S. Route 30 travels through Lisbon on an east–west route. It enters the village from Hanoverton over Little Beaver Creek and is signed as Lincoln Way. In downtown, U.S. 30 has a traffic signal at State Route 45/ State Route 154/ State Route 164. This intersection is the southern terminus for State Route 517, which travels east–west to East Fairfield, and the western terminus for SR 154. SR 45 travels north to Salem and SR 164 traverses north–south to Columbiana and Salineville. SR 45/SR 154 continues east concurrent with U.S. 30 through downtown Lisbon. The concurrency with SR 154 ends when U.S. 30 and SR 45 turn southeasterly toward

and SR 154 continues east toward Elkton and State Route 11.

Notable residents

* William W. Armstrong, journalist and 15th Ohio Secretary of State * George M. Ashford, surveyor, pioneer of Arctic Alaska * Reasin Beall, U.S. Representative from Ohio's 6th district * Jacob L. Beilhart, communitarian leader, founder of Spirit Fruit Society * Lucretia Blankenburg, suffragist and writer * Fisher A. Blocksom, member of the Ohio General Assembly * William T. H. Brooks, U.S. Army Major General during the

* John C. Chaney, U.S. Representative from Indiana's 2nd district * John Hessin Clarke, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court * Charles D. Coffin, U.S. Representative from Ohio's 17th district *

Larry Csonka Larry Richard Csonka (; born December 25, 1946) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Miami Dolphins. He also played in the NFL for three years with the ...

, former National Football League fullback * Katy Easterday, collegiate football and basketball player *

George A. Garretson George Armstrong Garretson (January 30, 1844 – December 8, 1916) enlisted as private in the Union Army during the American Civil War, Civil War and later graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He returned to duty for t ...

, U.S. Army Brigadier General * John M. Gilman, politician in the Ohio and Minnesota House of Representatives * Howard Melville Hanna, businessman * Mark Hanna, U.S. Senator from Ohio and chairman of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...

* Jacob Hostetter, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania's 4th district *

Andrew W. Loomis Andrew Williams Loomis (June 27, 1797 – August 24, 1873) was a 19th-century American lawyer who served as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Ohio during the year 1837. Biography Born in Lebanon, Connecticut, L ...

, U.S. Representative from Ohio's 17th district *

Fighting McCooks The Fighting McCooks were members of a family of Ohioans who reached prominence as officers in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Two brothers, Daniel and John McCook, and thirteen of their sons were involved in the army, making the fam ...

, famed officers in the Union Army during the American Civil War ** Daniel McCook, attorney and Union Army major ** George Wythe McCook, 4th Ohio Attorney General, Union Army colonel ** Henry Christopher McCook, clergyman and author, Union Army chaplain ** John James McCook, lawyer and professor, Union Army chaplain ** Robert Latimer McCook, Union Army brigadier general ** Roderick S. McCook, U.S. Navy officer * Betty McKenna, professional third basewoman * William McKinley Sr., pioneer of the iron industry in eastern Ohio, father of President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

* Thayer Melvin, 4th West Virginia Attorney General * James D. Moffat, 3rd president of

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origin to three Presbyterian m ...

* William Duane Morgan, newspaper editor and politician * Stephen Paxson, missionary who started over 1,300 Sunday schools in the American frontier * Zach Paxson, singer-songwriter * Elderkin Potter, member of the Ohio House of Representatives * Robert Walker Tayler, U.S. Representative from Ohio's 18th district * John Thomson, U.S. Representative from Ohio's 6th, 12th, and 17th districts *

Clement Vallandigham Clement Laird Vallandigham ( ; July 29, 1820 – June 17, 1871) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the leader of the Copperhead (politics), Copperhead faction of Opposition to the American Civil War, anti-war History of the Unit ...

, copperhead leader and U.S. Representative from Ohio's 3rd district * Jonathan H. Wallace, U.S. Representative from Ohio's 18th district

References

External links

Village of Lisbon

Lisbon Area Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control County seats in Ohio Villages in Columbiana County, Ohio Populated places established in 1803 1803 establishments in Ohio Villages in Ohio