Towns & Places

Known nationally as Ohio's Little Switzerland, the village of Sugarcreek is located in western Tuscarawas County, close to the Holmes/ Tuscarawas border. The village traces its history to 1882, soon after the Conotton Valley Railroad went through the Sugar Creek Valley. At that time, the area had only one settlement, named Shanesville.  Read Story.

The village of Smithville is located in Green Township, in the heart of Wayne County. Its founder, Thomas Smith, came to the area in 1818 and formally laid out a plan for the town in 1831. However, this first plan had to be abandoned when the land proved too wet for settlement.  Read Story.

The small community of Strasburg, Ohio is situated favorably at the junction of I-77 and US 250 in Tuscarawas County. The village has always enjoyed a prime location, as many of its earliest roads followed old Indian trails. Although settlers had been in the area for some time, the village of Strasburg was formally surveyed and laid out in 1827.  Read Story.

Travelling the rolling hills of the Amish Heartland, one is obviously aware of the Amish; their peaceful community has called the area home for more than 200 years. But long before the Amish arrived in Ohio, the heartland was the setting of many bloody incidents which took place before, during and after the Revolutionary War. This is the story of two other peaceful groups, the Delaware Indians and the Moravian Christians, who were caught in the crossfire of that highly volatile period in American history.  Read Story.

Orrville's history began in 1814 with the arrival of James Taggart Jr., a Revolutionary War veteran who came to the area and staked out a claim near what is today downtown Orrville. A year later, his sons, Samuel and Robert Taggart, came to settle on his claim, and they were followed by numerous other settlers, primarily of Pennsylvania Dutch and German heritage.  Read Story.

Located in Salt Creek Township in northeast Holmes County, the village of Mt. Hope is a quaint, quiet hamlet - on every day but Wednesday, that is. On this day, hundreds of visitors converge on the tiny village to attend the weekly flea market and livestock auction.  Read Story.

The county seat of Holmes County, the Village of Millersburg has a rich and varied history. Founded in 1815 by proprietors Charles Miller (for whom the town was named) and Adam Johnson, Millersburgs development had a slow start, with no record of the sale of lots in the town until 1819, more than three years after its founding. The first settler.  Read Story.

Located in central Tuscarawas County, the City of New Philadelphia will celebrate the 200th anniversary of its founding in 2004. Obviously, much has changed in the past two centuries. In 1804, Ohio was almost complete wilderness, with the exception of a few cities (Cincinnati and Marietta) and several Moravian missionary settlements in and around the Tuscarawas Valley.  Read Story.

When the business district of the village of Dalton burned down in 1894, some folks may have predicted the end of the little town. But Dalton - located in eastern Wayne County - has prospered, growing to a current population of more than 1,600, with many more people residing in the rural areas outside town. It's the home of a prominent.  Read Story.

Sometimes a place has to go through several names before it finds one to suit it. Such was the case with Holmesville, Ohio. Located in Prairie Township (northern Holmes County on SR 83, between US 250 and SR 39), the village of Holmesville is home to 386* residents.  Read Story.

The hamlet of Berlin (pronounced 'BER-lin') is known as one of the busiest places in all of Holmes County. Before the Amish became the main attraction, Berlin was known for being the first village settled (in the early 1810s) in the area that would become Holmes County; it was also the home of the first factory in the county, the Braden.  Read Story.

The City of Dover celebrated its 100th birthday in December 2001, and the settlement as a whole is rapidly approaching its 200th! In 1806, Christian Deardorff and his brother-in-law Jesse Slingluff purchased 2,175 acres of land in the Tuscarawas Valley. Part of this acreage is now present-day Dover. The original plat of the settlement allowed space for a square with a.  Read Story.

Like many towns in this area, the City of Ashland began as a tiny settlement consisting of one unpaved street lined with primitive cabins. In addition, the name first chosen for the village didn't last long. Formally planned in 1815 by William Montgomery, that dusty street and cluster of cabins was first called Uniontown.  Read Story.

Situated in East Union Township, Wayne County, the village of Apple Creek was actually formed from two separate settlements. Several Scotch-Irish families had settled in the area by 1817, the same year they organized a presbyterian church. Growth came quickly; in another year, the settlement had a mill, tavern, church building, general store, tannery, foundry and butcher shop.  Read Story.

Just about halfway between Berlin and Sugarcreek lies the village of Walnut Creek (eastern Holmes County, in Walnut Creek Township). Settled in the early nineteenth century, the area was once home to many small coal mines. Today it is a bustling village dominated by tourism-based businesses.  Read Story.

Just about halfway between Berlin and Sugarcreek lies the village of Walnut Creek (eastern Holmes County, in Walnut Creek Township). Settled in the early nineteenth century, the area was once home to many small coal mines. Today it is a bustling village dominated by tourism-based businesses.  Read Story.