Jefferson Township, Logan County, Ohio

Jefferson Township is one of the seventeen townships of Logan County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,028.

Jefferson Township, Logan County, Ohio
Township
Woods and hills northeast of Zanesfield
Woods and hills northeast of Zanesfield
Location of Jefferson Township in Ohio
Location of Jefferson Township in Ohio
Location of Jefferson Township in Logan County
Location of Jefferson Township in Logan County
Coordinates: 40°21′13″N 83°41′28″W
CountryUnited States
StateOhio
CountyLogan
Area
[1]
 • Total37.73 sq mi (97.72 km2)
 • Land37.63 sq mi (97.46 km2)
 • Water0.10 sq mi (0.26 km2)
Elevation
[2]
1,198 ft (365 m)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • Total3,028
 • Density80/sq mi (31/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code(s)937, 326
FIPS code39-38682[4]
GNIS feature ID1086484[2]

Geography

Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:

Several municipalities are located in Jefferson Township:

Compared with most of western Ohio, Jefferson Township is quite hilly. Campbell Hill, the highest point in Ohio, is located inside the Bellefontaine city limits in western Jefferson Township. On the other hand, the Marmon Valley, which extends through the southern part of the township, is a small pass through the Bellefontaine and Bristlecone Ridges. The same forces that shaped the township's terrain also created Zane Shawnee Caverns, a cave system in the northeastern part of the township.

Jefferson Township contains the source of the Mad River,[5] and a ski resort — unusual for western Ohio — is located near Valley Hi in the southern part of the township.

Name and history

It is one of 24 Jefferson Townships statewide.[6]

Jefferson Township was formed in 1813 from Zane Township. It was one of the earliest parts of Logan County to be settled: its first settler was Isaac Zane, who arrived in 1800 and built the first house in what is now Zanesfield in 1811,[7] and the Marmons who arrived in the township in 1805 were the first white families to live in the county.[8] Because a significant percentage of the early settlers were Quakers, the township was once home to a large number of African Americans.[9] Today, the township is the location of Goshen Friends Church, the oldest church in Logan County, and of the Martin Marmon House, one of the best examples of early nineteenth-century Quaker architecture in Ohio.[8]

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,[10] 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.

Transportation

U.S. Route 33 is the most important highway in Jefferson Township. Other significant highways include State Routes 47, 292, 533, and 540.

References
  1. "U.S. Gazetteer Files: 2019: County Subdivisions: Ohio". U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. "Jefferson township, Logan County, Ohio - Census Bureau Profile". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. DeLorme. Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer. 7th ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2004, p. 56. ISBN 0-89933-281-1.
  6. "Detailed map of Ohio" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
  7. Perrin, W.H. and J.H. Battle. History of Logan County and Ohio. Chicago: O.L. Baskin, 1880, 396.
  8. Barber, Rachel. National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Martin Marmon House. National Park Service, January 1985.
  9. Perrin, W.H. and J.H. Battle. History of Logan County and Ohio. Chicago: O.L. Baskin, 1880, 410.
  10. §503.24, §505.01, and §507.01 of the Ohio Revised Code. Accessed 4/30/2009.
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