Porter Township is one of the sixteen townships of Scioto 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 as of the 2020 census was 9,876.

Geography

Located in the southern part of the county along the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

, it borders the following townships: * Harrison Township - north * Bloom Township - northeast corner * Vernon Township - east * Green Township - south * Clay Township - northwest Greenup County, Kentucky lies across the Ohio River to the southwest. No municipalities are located in Porter Township, although the city of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

(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 ...

of Scioto County) and the village of New Boston have incorporated much of the western part of the township. The

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 ...

s of Sciotodale and Wheelersburg lie in the northern and central parts of the township. Annexation by Portsmouth has caused Porter Township to exist in two parts: a large section in the east, and a small section in the northwest.

Name and history

Statewide, the only other Porter Township is located in Delaware County. Porter Township has the distinction of being one of the earliest settled, dating to February 1796. It was organized by Samuel Marshall on December 16, 1814. The township was named after Porter Wheeler, an early settler. In 1833, Porter Township contained 21

forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to the ...

s for iron, three

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

s, three saw mills, one

fulling Fulling, also known as tucking or walking ( Scots: ''waukin'', hence often spelt waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of woven cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate ( lanolin) oils, ...

mill, and one oil mill.

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer,§503.24§505.01
an
§507.01
of the

Ohio Revised Code The ''Ohio Revised Code'' (ORC) contains all current statutes of the Ohio General Assembly of a permanent and general nature, consolidated into provisions, titles, chapters and sections. However, the only official publication of the enactments o ...

. Accessed 4/30/2009. who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.

Public services

Porter Township residents are served by the Portsmouth Public Library-Wheelersburg Branch, the Wheelersburg Local School District, and by a full-time as well as a volunteer

fire department A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organi ...

. While most children in the township attend the Wheelersburg Local School District, part of the township lies within the Portsmouth City School system.

References

External links

County website
{{authority control Townships in Scioto County, Ohio Townships in Ohio