Richwood 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 Union 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 2,222 at the 2020 census.

History

Early history, 1820–1860

Union County was organized on January 10, 1820, from territory previously contained in Franklin, Madison, Logan and

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

Counties.Vern Jackson, Ronald. "Ohio 1840 Census Index", Accelerated Indexing Systems, Inc., Bountiful, Utah, 1978. Print. Claibourne Township was surveyed by Richard Claiborne in 1811. The first settler in Claiborne Township was Cyprian Lee, who with Henry Swartz took the contract to build the township's first road in 1825. The wide road was cut from the southernmost to the northernmost lines of the township, the effort consisting of clearing underbrush and small trees, leaving 'many obstacles in the shape of large timber.' This north to south road passed through what would become Richwood. In 1832, two 1,200-acre (490 ha) land grants in Union County were received by William Pelham and Charles Blagrove of Virginia. Pelham sold his land to Blagrove that same year, who promptly gave his nieces, Catherine and Parthenia Blagrove of Washington, D.C., the two parcels. Richwood would later be laid out on Parthenia's parcel. Blagrove put her legal affairs in the hands of Delaware attorney George Bomford, who sold the land to Philip Plummer.Carpe Diem Club. "History of Richwood Ohio 1832-1976", Carpe Diem Club, Richwood, 1976. Print. Philip Plummer was originally from Mt. Vernon, but he had been impressed with Union County's tree growth and rich soil.Shearer Kennedy, Willella. "Our Heritage", Union County Historical Society, Marysville, 1963. Print. Once he had purchased Blagrove's

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 ...

he returned with his brother Thomas, who was a surveyor. Together they found that the level ground and distance from Marysville, the county seat, would make that location desirable for a city. The town of Richwood was laid out August 8,9,10 Curry, W.L. History of Union County 1915. 1832 by Philip, his brother Thomas and Union County Surveyor Levi Phelps, who aided the project, and whose office recorded the first boundary lines for the new town.A.S. Mowry, C.E.,
Atlas of Union County, Ohio
', Harris, Sutton & Hare, Philadelphia, 1877, Pg. 19. When the surveying was finished Richwood was platted and declared open for settlement, the plat covering a total area of . The north-south and east-west roads were named Franklin (after Benjamin Franklin) and Ottaway (later renamed Ottawa), respectively, both to be wide. Four other streets were platted: Fulton and Clinton Streets going north-south, Blagrove and Bomford going east-west, each to be wide. The first building in Richwood was a one-room log cabin occupied by John P. Brookins and his family. For many years, he was the only doctor in Richwood and served as Justice of the Peace and as Postmaster. In 1834 Richwood got its first established business, a grocery store opened by Burdick & Calloway. That same year, road work was completed, and all the roads going into the town were gravelled. The

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

was formally organized on October 17, 1835, by Reverend William Frazell, who served as an itinerant minister. Richwood was incorporated as a village in March 1835, and by 1840 twenty-five families were listed as living in Richwood. As of 1877, the town contained one newspaper, two banks, three churches, one brick school-house, and several stores and factories.

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 , of which is land and is water. Richwood is at the junction of Ohio State Routes 37 and 47.

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 2,229 people, 877 households, and 572 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 969 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.3%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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, 0.1% 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 0.7% of the population. There were 877 households, of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% 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, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.8% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.14. The median age in the village was 34.2 years. 29.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.2% were from 25 to 44; 22% were from 45 to 64; and 12.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,156 people, 849 households, and 567 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 957 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.96%

, 0.23%

, 0.14% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.32% of the population. There were 849 households, out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were

living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.12. In the village, the population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males. The median income for a household in the village was $39,550, and the median income for a family was $47,656. Males had a median income of $33,393 versus $21,971 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 $16,799. About 6.6% of families and 8.4% 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 9.0% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education and library

Richwood is the home of the North Union Local School District. The North Union High School football team is known as the Wildcats. The Richwood-North Union Public Library (RNUPL) was founded in 1915 and is a member of the Serving Every Ohioan Consortium.

Notable people

* Todd Gibson - Former American Indy Car Racer *

Martha Root Martha Louise Root (August 10, 1872 – September 28, 1939) was an American traveling teacher of the Baháʼí Faith in the early 20th century. From the declaration of her belief in 1909 until her death thirty years later, she went around the ...

- teacher of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

Wallace Clement Sabine Wallace Clement Sabine (June 13, 1868 – January 10, 1919) was an American physicist who founded the field of architectural acoustics. Sabine was the architectural acoustician of Boston's Symphony Hall, widely considered one of the two or t ...

- inventor of the modern-day science of architectural acoustics * Gary Shirk - Former Professional football player for the New York Giants * John Marshall Hamilton (1847-1905),

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

and 18th

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its we ...

(1883-1885) was born in Union County near Richwood.

Gallery

Image:Richwood.jpg, June 7, 2010, N. Franklin St. Image:North Union High School.jpg, North Union High School, Richwood Image:Richwood,_OH,_1966-01-28,_west_side_of_N_Franklin_St_(1_of_5).jpg, 28 Jan 1966, N. Franklin St. Image:Richwood,_OH,_1966-01-28,_west_side_of_N_Franklin_St_(2_of_5).jpg, 28 Jan 1966, N. Franklin St. Image:Richwood,_OH,_1966-01-28,_west_side_of_N_Franklin_St_(3_of_5).jpg, 28 Jan 1966, N. Franklin St. Image:Richwood,_OH,_1966-01-28,_west_side_of_N_Franklin_St_(4_of_5).jpg, 28 Jan 1966, N. Franklin St. Image:Richwood,_OH,_1966-01-28,_west_side_of_N_Franklin_St_(5_of_5).jpg, 28 Jan 1966, N. Franklin St. File:Richwood, Ohio from above.jpg, Aerial photo of Richwood

References

{{Authority control Villages in Union County, Ohio Villages in Ohio