Tuscarawas County is a county located in the eastern part of the
stateA U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. As of the 2010 census, the population was 92,582.
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/39/39157.html Its
county seatA county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is
New PhiladelphiaNew Philadelphia is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States, 71 miles south of Cleveland on the Tuscarawas River. It was first incorporated in 1808. Coal and clay are found in the vicinity...
. Its name is a Delaware Indian word variously translated as "old town" or "open mouth".
The New Philadelphia–Dover Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Tuscarawas County.
History
For years, European-American colonists on the East Coast did not know much about the territory west of the
Appalachian MountainsThe Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
except for reports from a few
explorersExploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
and fur traders who ventured into the area. In 1750,
Christopher GistChristopher Gist was an accomplished American explorer, surveyor and frontiersman. He was one of the first white explorers of the Ohio Country . He is credited with providing the first detailed description of the Ohio Country to Great Britain and her colonists...
of the Ohio Land Company explored the Tuscarawas Valley. His report of the area hinted at some natural riches and friendly
American IndiansThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
.
In 1761, missionaries from the Moravians, set out from
Bethlehem, PennsylvaniaBethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
to set up a mission in the Tuscarawas Valley. (This is also known as the Renewed Church of the United Brethren.)
Christian Frederick PostChristian Frederick Post was a missionary of the Moravian Church to the indigenous peoples of the Americas.-Biography:...
and
John Heckewelderright|thumb|350px|sketch by [[Henry Howe]]John Gottlieb Ernestus Heckewelder was an American missionary.He was born in Bedford, England. He came to Pennsylvania in 1754, and, after finishing his education, was apprenticed to a cooper. After a visit to Ohio with Christian F...
met with Chief
NewcomerNetawatwees was a Delaware chief of the Turtle subtribe. His name, meaning "skilled advisor," appears in the colonial records as Netawatwees, Netahutquemaled, Netodwehement, and Netautwhalemund...
(
Netawatwees) of the western
LenapeThe Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
, also known as the Delaware. He invited them to the village he founded,
Gekelemukpechunk (present-day
Newcomerstown, OhioNewcomerstown is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States, east-northeast of Columbus. In the late 1770s, this was the largest Lenape village on the Tuscarawas River, with 700 residents. Chief Newcomer was the leader of the western Lenape here, and they called the village...
. He granted the missionaries permission to build a cabin near the junction of the Sandy Creek and
Tuscarawas RiverThe Tuscarawas River is a principal tributary of the Muskingum River, 129.9 miles long, in northeastern Ohio in the United States...
, in present-day
Stark CountyStark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 375,586. It is included in the Canton-Massillon, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. They were forced to abandon the mission in 1763 during the
French and Indian WarThe French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
(part of the Seven Years War).
At the request of Chief Newcomer (
Netawatwees), in 1771
David ZeisbergerDavid Zeisberger was a Moravian clergyman and missionary among the Native Americans in the Thirteen Colonies...
returned to found some missions in the valley. In the spring of 1772, near the present site of
New Philadelphia, OhioNew Philadelphia is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States, 71 miles south of Cleveland on the Tuscarawas River. It was first incorporated in 1808. Coal and clay are found in the vicinity...
, Zeisberger along with five converted Indian families established
Schoenbrunn (beautiful spring). They built a school house and a
chapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
. In August of that year, John Heckawelder brought an additional 250 converted Lenape Christians, who expanded the village of Schoenbrunn.
They established a second settlement, roughly 10 miles, called
GnadenhuttenGnadenhütten , the name of settlements founded by the German Moravian Church. The word was transliterated as Canatanheat by the missionary John Brainerd in his account.The proper German spelling without the umlaut ü is Gnadenhuetten...
(cabins of grace). On October 17, 1772, Zeisberger conducted the first religious service at
Gnadenhutten. In 1776, Chief
Netawatwes donated land for another settlement,
Lichtenau (meadow of light), near present-day
CoshoctonCoshocton is a city in and the county seat of Coshocton County, Ohio, United States. The population of the city was 11,682 at the 2000 census. The Walhonding River and the Tuscarawas River meet in Coshocton to form the Muskingum River....
, then the principal Lenape village in the region.
Tuscarawas County was formed from Muskingum County on Feb. 15, 1808.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the county has a total area of 571 square miles (1,478.9 km²), of which 568 square miles (1,470 km²) are land and 4 square miles (10.4 km²) (0.68%) are water.
Adjacent counties
- Stark County
Stark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 375,586. It is included in the Canton-Massillon, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area....
(north)
- Carroll County
Carroll County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 28,836, no change from 2000. Its county seat is Carrollton. It is named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence....
(northeast)
- Harrison County (southeast)
- Guernsey County
Guernsey County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 40,087. Its county seat is Cambridge and is named for the Isle of Guernsey in the English Channel, from which many of the county's early settlers came....
(south)
- Coshocton County
Coshocton County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,901. Its county seat is Coshocton. Its name comes from the Delaware Indian language and has been translated as "union of waters" or "black bear crossing".The Coshocton...
(southwest)
- Holmes County
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,943 people, 11,337 households, and 9,194 families residing in the county. The population density was 92 people per square mile . There were 12,280 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...
(northwest)
Demographics
As of the
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 90,914 people, 35,653 households, and 25,313 families residing in the county. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 160 people per square mile (62/km²). There were 38,113 housing units at an average density of 67 per square mile (26/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.87%
WhiteRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.73%
BlackRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
African AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.17%
Native AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.24%
AsianRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.05%
Pacific IslanderRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.21% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.73% from two or more races.
HispanicRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
LatinoRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race were 0.71% of the population. 95.3% spoke
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, 1.3%
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and 1.1%
SpanishSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
as their first language.
There were 35,653 households out of which 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.50% 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 3.01.
In the county, the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,489, and the median income for a family was $41,677. Males had a median income of $31,963 versus $20,549 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $17,276. About 7.20% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 7.80% of those age 65 or over.
Hunting
DeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
hunters consistently harvest a higher number of deer in Tuscarawas County than in any other county in Ohio.
Government
Communities
Cities
- Dover
Dover is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 12,210 at the 2000 census.-History and features:Dover was originally part of a grant to Col. James Morrison of Kentucky, who had received it from the federal government for Revolutionary War services...
- New Philadelphia
New Philadelphia is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States, 71 miles south of Cleveland on the Tuscarawas River. It was first incorporated in 1808. Coal and clay are found in the vicinity...
- Uhrichsville
Uhrichsville is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,662 at the 2000 census. Claymont City School District is the major education provider for the city of Uhrichsville and for the village of Dennison, Ohio...
Villages
- Baltic
Baltic is a village in Coshocton, Holmes, and Tuscarawas counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 743 at the 2000 census. The Raber's Almanac for the Amish community is published here.-Geography:Baltic is located at ....
- Barnhill
Barnhill is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 364 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Barnhill is located at ....
- Bolivar
Bolivar is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 894 at the 2000 census. Bolivar is also home to Fort Laurens, the only American Revolutionary War-era fort in what is now Ohio.-History:...
- Dennison
Dennison is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,992 at the 2000 census, while the 2006 Census Bureau estimate listed a population of 2,908.- History :...
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Gnadenhutten Gnadenhutten is a village located on the Tuscarawas River in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States and is Ohio's oldest existing settlement. The population was 1,280 at the 2000 census....
MidvaleMidvale is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 547 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Midvale is located at ....
Mineral CityMineral City is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 841 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mineral City is located at ....
NewcomerstownNewcomerstown is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States, east-northeast of Columbus. In the late 1770s, this was the largest Lenape village on the Tuscarawas River, with 700 residents. Chief Newcomer was the leader of the western Lenape here, and they called the village...
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Parral Parral is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 241 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Parral is located at ....
Port WashingtonPort Washington is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 552 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Port Washington is located at , along the Tuscarawas River....
RoswellRoswell is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 276 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Roswell is located at ....
Stone CreekStone Creek is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 184 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Stone Creek is located at ....
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StrasburgStrasburg is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,310 at the 2000 census.Strasburg is the location of the Lynn Auto Theatre.-Geography:Strasburg is located at , along Sugar Creek....
SugarcreekSugarcreek is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,174 at the 2000 census. It is known as "The Little Switzerland of Ohio."-History:...
TuscarawasTuscarawas is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 934 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tuscarawas is located at , along the Tuscarawas River....
ZoarZoar is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 193 at the 2000 census.-History:Zoar was founded by German religious dissenters called the Society of Separatists of Zoar in 1817. It was a communal society, with many German-style structures that have been restored and...
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Townships
- Auburn
Auburn Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,078 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
- Bucks
Bucks Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,601 people in the township, 972 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
- Clay
Clay Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,981 people in the township, 721 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
- Dover
Dover Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,726 people in the township, 4,485 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
- Fairfield
Fairfield Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,487 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northeastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
- Franklin
Franklin Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,244 people in the township, 1,934 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
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Goshen Goshen Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,285 people in the township, 4,225 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
JeffersonJefferson Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 976 people in the township, 792 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
LawrenceLawrence Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,241 people in the township, 4,154 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
MillMill Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 10,290 people in the township, 1,835 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
OxfordOxford Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,133 people in the township, 1,125 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
PerryPerry Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 462 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...
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Rush Rush Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 887 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southeastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
SalemSalem Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,673 people in the township, 1,121 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
SandySandy Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,354 people in the township, 2,513 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
Sugar CreekSugar Creek Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,894 people in the township, 1,720 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
UnionUnion Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,599 people in the township, 1,277 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
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Warren Warren Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,194 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northeastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
WarwickWarwick Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,746 people in the township, 1,788 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
WashingtonWashington Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 762 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
WayneWayne Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,743 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern corner part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
YorkYork Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,292 people in the township.-Geography:Located at the center of the county, it borders the following townships:*Dover Township - north...
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Unincorporated communities
( West Chester>
- Dundee
Dundee is a census-designated place in central Wayne Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44624. It lies at the intersection of State Routes 93 and 516.-References:...
- Sandyville
Sandyville is an unincorporated community in northern Sandy Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44671...
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Fiat,Ohio
Somerdale Somerdale is an unincorporated community in northeastern Fairfield Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44678. It lies along State Route 212, Conotton Creek and the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway east of...
StillwaterStillwater is an unincorporated community in eastern Rush Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44679. It lies at the intersection of State Routes 258 and 800....
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Ragersville,Ohio
Wainwright Wainwright is an unincorporated community in northern Warwick Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. It lies along Wainwright Road, between Tuscarawas and New Philadelphia....
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See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Tuscarawas County, OhioRagersville
External links