Lockington (originally called Locksport) 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 ...

in Washington Township, Shelby 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, along Loramie Creek. The population was 162 at the 2020 census.

History

Around 1830, a flour mill was built on Loramie Creek near where the village is now, and before that there was a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

built on the same creek that had been abandoned. In 1837, John Brown owned both of these mills, and built a new wool mill. A small community began to grow around these and other mills built along Loramie Creek later, and when 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 ...

was built, a series of 5

canal locks A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a chamber in a permanently fixed position i ...

lifted the water over the creek via an aqueduct. Due to its location near the locks, the community was originally called Locksport. As a crossroads between the main canal and feeders coming from

Port Jefferson Port Jefferson, also known as Port Jeff, is an Administrative divisions of New York (state)#Village, incorporated village in the Administrative divisions of New York (state)#Town, town of Brookhaven, New York, Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New Y ...

and Sidney, the community continued to grow. In 1837, David Mellinger hired Jonathan Counts to survey and

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 ...

a new community on his land. The community of Lockington was approved for incorporation by the Shelby County Commissioners on September 9, 1857, and recorded by the Ohio Secretary of State on January 4, 1858. The first elections were help April 1, 1858, with W. S. Burns elected mayor. The Lockington Post Office was established on June 28, 1847. Around 1845, the first sawmill in Lockington was built by William Stephens, and a new mill built on the same site in 1860 with improvements to mill grain. The mill changed owners, but stayed in operation until it burned down around 1900. About 1905, D.K. Gillespie built a

grain elevator A grain elevator or grain terminal is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lowe ...

in the village, which was vastly improved upon by its new owner, C.N. Adlard, in 1912, making it one of the largest in the state by storage capacity. As of 1913, there were also two general stores, a machine shop, a seasonal ice cream shop, and Knights of the Maccabees Tent No. 68. The post office remained in operation until August 30, 1914, mail service now handled through the Piqua branch. The original locks are now part of the Lockington Locks Historical Area. In 2019, the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board awarded Lockington a grant to assist in inventorying, organizing, and improving access to the village's historical documents.Speicher, Melanie,
Lockington receives grant for record preservation
', Sidney Daily News, August 21, 2019.

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 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 141 people, 56 households, and 42 families living 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 64 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.9%

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 ...

, 0.7% Asian, and 1.4% 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 0.7% of the population. There were 56 households, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% 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, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.0% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% 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 2.81. The median age in the village was 44.8 years. 22% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 38.3% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 53.9% male and 46.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 208 people, 74 households, and 60 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 77 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.12%

, 2.40%

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 ...

and 0.48% Native American.

or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population. There were 74 households, out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were

living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.6% were non-families. 16.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.11. In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 101.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males. The median income for a household in the village was $37,500, and the median income for a family was $39,500. Males had a median income of $25,694 versus $21,000 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 $15,374. About 9.4% of families and 7.5% 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 11.7% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty-five or over.

References

{{authority control Villages in Shelby County, Ohio Populated places established in 1850 Villages in Ohio