Ghost Towns of Delaware County

[2006] Currently Ohio's "fastest-growing" county, Delaware is on the fast track to annexation by its neighbor to the south, Columbus. Towns like Powell and Lewis Center are already considered part of the city, and Columbus's newest mall, Polaris Fashion Place, was built in Delaware County without a second thought. All of which means that many of the various small towns which haven't already died a natural death are in danger of disappearing beneath the new suburban sprawl. The tireless research of Larry Durica was absolutely essential in completing this section; his work in collecting Delaware County ghost towns was profiled in a recent Delaware Gazette article. He credits the works cited at the foot of this page, as well as Troy Township historian Judy Burdette. (Found on ForgottenOhio.com which no longer exists. This version formatted and saved by SBS at Delaware County Regional Planning Commission in 2006.)

Africa Orange Twp. Grew up on the Columbus-Sandusky Pike, but now located at the huge three-way intersection of Lewis Center Road, Big Walnut Road, and Africa Road. Also known as East Orange. How the town came to be known as Africa (Africa PO operated 1884-1906) is not known, but it's thought that it comes from either the large number of blacks who settled here after the Civil War, or East Orange's status as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Bejamin Hanby, the well-known central Ohio pioneer, is said to have used a false- bottomed wagon to transport runaways here.

Alum Creek Berlin Twp. This town was half drowned by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the late 1960s when the creek was dammed and turned into the current lake and reservoir. From 1838 until 1899 the post office was in operation, while around it a small town with a mill, general store, and Pee Wee Church (that's really its name) grew. At the turn of the century a dance hall was built there, and later, a restaurant/gas station called Terrace Gardens opened up. It was still operating in the 1930s. Today the mill foundation is under the reservoir, but the building which once housed Pee Wee Church can still be seen.

Bellepoint Concord Twp. It was once known as Belle Point and is now just Bellpoint, located at SR 257 and Mills Road north of US 42. It's so nearly a ghost town that it warrants inclusion on this list. Belle Point's post office designation lasted just one year, 1836-37, and Bellepoint's didn't do much longer: 1893-1907. Today the mail comes through Delaware. Bellepoint once had two blacksmiths, two doctors, even a car dealership in the later years. Church and school were both held in a granary until a church was built in 1872 at a cost of $2,600. But the settlement got its start when James Kooken was suckered into a speculation deal on a square plot of land on the Scioto River, several miles north of Columbus. The plan was to "slack" the river, damming or spreading it in order to make it flow slower and more evenly for steamboat travel. Unfortunately, he didn't find out about the steep angle of descent the river takes between here and there until after he'd bought his land, and he saw his plots go from $14 an acre to $1.25. Still, Kooken made a go of it; the result of his effort was the village of Bellepoint, which was not a roaring success either.

Berkshire Berkshire Twp. This town almost exists today, in the form of about a dozen houses and a single traffic light at the intersection of Route 36/37 and Galena Road. There's also the old town cemetery. It was once a large town of some significance--the first village laid out in what was to become Delaware County. Moses Byxbe formed it from soldiers' land warrants in 1804 as Berkshire Corners. In 1808 Delaware County came into existence with Delaware as the seat, but residents of Berkshire Corners thought it was inevitable that they would move the courthouse to their town. Oddly enough, there was even talk of the possibility of moving the state capitol to Berkshire Corners; after all, it was centrally located, and easily accessible from anywhere. Then founding father Byxbe moved to Delaware and left the town he founded behind. Adonijah Rice operated a tavern and hotel there. In 1840, Berkshire Academy was established as an institution of higher learning; although it only operated for fifteen years, a number of its students were quite accomplished, including a future governor. Berkshire's post office closed in 1902 and the town petered out from there.

Berlin Station Berlin Twp. Railroad town known variously as West Berlin, Pershing Station, and Tanktown. Located on Berlin Station Road at the Conrail tracks, west of Gregory Road. It was a railroad station under the name Berlin Station but opening a post office in 1857 forced it to change to the unused name of Tanktown, then in 1884 to West Berlin. In 1860, West Berlin residents could purchase a round trip ticket to Columbus for fifty-five cents. The town had two streets besides Main Street: East Street and West Street. East still exists as a private driveway. A grocery story, sawmill, wagon-maker's shop, church, and schoolhouse once existed in the town, besides the railroad station and watering tank that gave it its names. The post office closed on August 31, 1907, and the grocery stayed in business until 1940.

Berlin Berlin Twp. Laid out in 1850 by J. R. Hubbell and Thomas Carney, this town had an aborted existence and was essentially a "paper" ghost town, meaning no one really lived there. The railroad was supposed to come through, but it decided instead to go straight to Delaware and therefore built its depot two miles south, in the woods. Hubbell and Carney had built a warehouse at their new town of Berlin and were selling off eighty lots when this blow shut them down. Ironically, the railroad added a curve years later that brought it right through the now-deceased village. The location of Berlin is on Route 36/37, at the railroad bridge near Baker Road and Sweeney Road.

Big Walnut Berkshire/Trenton Twp. Railroad town on the township line at the eastern edge of Sunbury--the town that swallowed it. Located at North Walnut Street and McGill Street, or where the Conrail tracks crossed Big Walnut Creek, just south of Hartford Road. Existed for about a decade between 1900 and 1913.

Boke's Creek Settlement Scioto Twp. Richard Hoskins and his family, immigrants from Wales, headed west in 1805 and arrived in Franklinton in December of that year. The following spring, they headed north on the Sandusky Military Road and settled at the mouth of Boke's Creek on the Scioto River. The settlement they founded there was the site of several firsts in the township, including the first log cabin (built by Zachariah Stephens, who died as soon as it was finished), sawmill, and school. Irish immigrants and their families built homes around the Hoskins land. Today there's nothing left of the two-hundred-year-old village.

Bowetown Brown Twp. Erastus Bowe, a settler from Vermont, moved his family into Delaware County in 1809 and founded a town he modestly named after himself. It never had a post office or any structures other than a log cabin, and nobody but the Bowe family ever lived there, so you have to wonder why it's even considered a town. Nevertheless, Bowtown Road (the "e" was dropped at some point) still runs east out of Delaware. The settlement was located between Bowtown Road and Route 36/37.

Brindle Corners Scioto Twp. Crossroads town located at the intersection of Brindle Road and Ostrander Road.

Buell's PO ? Twp. The location of this town is a mystery, probably because it was renamed. The only indication that it ever existed comes from a book listing post offices. Buell's Post Office operated from April to June of 1827.

Carpenter's Mill Liberty Twp. Also known as Liberty Settlement, it was the site of the first mill in Delaware County (1804). It was both a sawmill and a gristmill. Ten or fifteen years later a sawmill was built just below Liberty Settlement on the Olentangy, followed by another at the same spot--a stone structure built by Jones, Gunn & Co. and later operated by James Henkle as a woolen factory. A gristmill was built in 1843-44 and run by James Bieber, who replaced the wooden building with another of stone and operated both a sawmill and a the gristmill at the same time. Another mill was built on the other side of the river by Jospeh Cellar. Too many damn mills to keep straight. The post office ran from 1832-37, though the settlement had been there since 1801. Bieber's mill stands in ruins, and the pillars from the old iron bridge are still visible in the river near the place where Winter Road crosses Chapman Road.

Center Village Harlem Twp. Still in existence, barely, at the place where SR 605 intersects with Center Village Road. It was called Centerville until the post office forced it to change its name in 1851. The post office closed in 1907, and the mail was sent to Sunbury. The tavern is still there, but closed-down businesses include blacksmiths, mechanics, general stores, and an apothecary.

Centre PO ? Twp. The location of this town is a mystery, probably because it was renamed. The only indication that it ever existed comes from a book listing post offices. Centre Post Office operated from 1830 to 1845.

Coles Mills Troy Twp. Joseph Cole started this town on the bank of the Olentangy River in 1808 by building his own house there. In 1810 Marlborough Primitive Church was built there, with its own churchyard serving residents of the town. Panhandle Road and Horseshoe Road intersected in a V at Coles Mills, and Waterhill Road followed the bank of the river north. Joseph Cole made money collecting a toll to use this road. In 1948, the town was flooded as part of the Delaware Lake Dam Project. The US Army Corps of Engineers moved the church and its 600- grave churchyard (which includes Revolutionary War veterans) to the corner of the rerouted Horseshoe Road and Leonardsburg Road, and demolished most of the buildings in town, except for Cole's house, which stood for a while half-submerged. People would fish from its second-story windows before it fell apart in the lake.

Condit Station, North Condit, and South Condit Trenton Twp. All three of these towns once stood on Condit Road, near the place where it crosses Route 3/36. They were formed by the Condit brothers--Jonathan, Alvin P., and Smith--in 1832. The post office opened in 1856 in Condit, then moved to North Condit. Beginning in 1880, Condit had its own newspaper, The Agitator, which cost $1.00 for a year's subscription. A few large stores thrived in the various Condits until the advent of automobile travel, when people started patronizing stores in Delaware and Columbus. On May 31, 1952, the Condit post office finally closed. Mail was sent to Centerburg instead.

Crawford's Mills ? Twp. Another town whose location is lost because of renaming. The post office functioned from 1828 to 1831.

Culver Creek PO Porter Twp. Post office town. Founded in 1850; post office closed in January of 1852. Located at the corner of Centerburg Road and Fredericks Road.

Cutlers Corners Concord Twp. Crossroads town at SR 745 and Moore Road.

East Liberty Porter Twp. Laid out in 1840 by William Page, Jr. on his farm on the east bank of Big Walnut Creek. A sawmill, a church, and a schoolhouse, several physicians, and a hotel all occupied the once-flourishing town of thirty or forty people, which died when the railroad failed to come through. Its location is roughly where SR 656, Ulery Road, and East Liberty North Road come together.

Edinburg Scioto Twp. Also known as Fairview because of the natural beauty of the town's setting. In 1815-16 the Crafty, Lawrence, and Dodds families came together to found the village on the bank of Little Mill Creek. It eventually had four streets: Harrison, Columbus, Franklin, and East. When the railroad went to Ostrander instead of Edinburg it sealed the place's fate, and it was gone by 1888. Today there is a cemetery, an estate called Fairview, an apartment building, and a group of newer houses at the intersection of US 36 and Ostrander Road, where Edinburg used to stand.

Gabriel Corners Scioto Twp. Crossroads town. Intersection of Fontanelle Road and Ostrander Road.

Genoa Crossroads Genoa Twp. Founded December 7, 1848 when the post office opened up. Closed November 17, 1865 when postmaster Dr. Badger left without finding somebody to take his job.

Genoa PO Genoa Twp. Post office town, 1819-1849.

Green PO Harlem Twp. Post office town on North County Line Road at SR 37.

Gregory Berlin Twp. Railroad town. Conral and Norfolk & Western tracks cross Cheshire Road here; it was founded around the turn of the twentieth century.

Harlem Harlem Twp. Also known as Buddtown; founded in 1816 by Dr. John Budd. A Methodist church and schoolhouse, both built out of logs, had stood here in 1812, but it wasn't until Budd bought the land that it really became a town. Sawmills and gristmills, a cemetery, grocery stores, a blacksmith, a tannery, a wool dealer, a horse dealer, and a quarry all operated here, as well as a post office mastered by Colonel William Budd. A neighborhood still exists at the site of this town, at Harlem Road and Gorsuch Road.

Hills Grove Concord Twp. A quaint, wooded crossroads community located at the corner of Concord Road and Home Road near the Union County line.

Hyattsville Liberty Twp. Also known as Hyatts, named after Henry A. Hyatt, who laid it out in 1876. The post office opened in January 1877. It was a railroad town on the Columbus & Toledo line, providing 24-hour watering service to engines making that run, and a town grew up around that, including a mercantile, depot, saloon, and one of the best schoolhouses in the county. For a time Hyattsville was fairly important. Today only the Redman's Lodge and remnants of the watering dams still occupy the space.

Inskeep Corners Troy Twp. Named after a family with the name Inskeep, this crossroads community was, like Coles Mills, buried underwater when the US Army Corps of Engineers made Delaware Lake. It was once located near Radnor Road, and it is marked today by an antique store at US 23. A few gravestones in the relocated Marlborough Cemetery bear the name Inskeep.

Jacktown Berlin Twp. A sawmill, church, post office, and tavern once existed in this town, which was located along Africa Road south of Cheshire. It's likely that Africa Road was rerouted at some point and whatever is left of Jacktown is under Alum Creek Reservoir.

Jones Berlin Twp. Railroad town. On Curve Road near Sweeney Road and the Conrail tracks.

Kerr Corner Thompson Twp. Crossroads town at SR 4 and Hoskins Road.

Kingston Center Kingston Twp. A post office here operated between 1851 and 1865. The location is in dispute but is thought to be where SR 521 and Carter's Corners Road meet.

Klondike Scioto Twp. Ghost town located on Klondike Road at the Scioto River.

Leonardsburg Brown Twp. Also known as Eden Station. Founded in 1852 as a station on the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railroad. It's still a town, sort of, though the commerce is completely gone. At one time there was a Methodist church, a grangers' store, and a number of warehouses for grain and other shipments.

Liberty Church Liberty Twp. Also known as Union. Liberty Church, a cemetery, a schoolhouse, and a store were the only structures. The post office operated in two stretches, 1830-1844 and 1849-1861. Its location today is at the intersection of SR 315 and Home Road.

Loveless Corners Scioto Twp. Crossroads community. Located at crossing of Russell Road and Penn Road.

Lybrand Scioto Twp. Crossroads community with a post office that operated from 1898 until 1901. Its location is at the corner of Degood Road and Burnt Pond Road.

MacBride ? Twp. Post office town, location currently unknown, which operated from 1894 until 1901.

Maxtown Genoa Twp. Also known as Maxwell or Maxwell Corners. There's still a Maxtown Road (once Yankee Road); the town stood where Sunbury Road crosses it, though most of it is now under Hoover Reservoir. The town got its start around 1865 and was drowned by the creation of the reservoir.

Meredith Radnor Twp. Railroad town on the CSX tracks at Radnor Road and Hedley Road.

Mill Creek Concord Twp. The Mill Creek Settlement was established sometime before 1838 by Colonel Seburn Hinton. Hinton was illiterate and had very little formal schooling, but he had great business acumen, and he built a prosperous sawmill and gristmill, along with a store, on Mill Creek. He shipped logs and lumber to customers in Columbus and Portsmouth. Although he handled large amounts of money and had many paid employees, he never understood numbers and kept his books (perfectly, by all accounts) using a system of symbols that only he understood. He sold out to Jabez Coles in 1838 and moved to Goshen, Indiana, where he lived to a ripe old age on all the money he made without ever learning to read or write. After that the mill changed hands many times. It's gone now, of course, but there's still the Old Mill Creek Cemetery (not to be confused with Mill Creek Cemetery on Ostrander Road). The location is on Mills Road between Ostrander Road and Dix Road.

Napoleon Oxford/Brown/Kingston Twp. This is not the Napoleon in Henry County, but rather a central Ohio town recalled today only by a small cemetery on private property. It existed around 1875.

Norton Radnor Twp. Located on what is now US 23 and was then the military road, this town had a large number of roads in its layout for a relatively small population. US 23 was Main Street (its widening obliterated a few of the other streets); East, North, and South Streets; Verdure Street (now Cox Road), Mulberry Street, and Spice Street; and State Street, which is today Route 229. North and South Streets are now private drives, and East Street is Township Road 231. Colonel James Kilbourne, one of Ohio's founding fathers and originator of a large number of towns, laid Norton out in 1806, and was only able to attract one settler, William Reed, in a log cabin the following year. Captain William Drake came to Ohio from New York in 1810, and on his way met Kilbourne on the road. The Colonel was on his way to New York City from Chillicothe. Drake told him he was moving to Ohio to settle in or near a town called Norton, on the Olentangy River in the Scioto Valley. Kilbourne was elated. Kilbourne was elated. He said, "I congratulate you, sir; you are going to a perfect Eden. I am pleased that you have made such an excellent choice." When Drake made it to Delaware County he discovered the single cabin in a virtual swamp, and remarked that if this was James Kilbourne's idea of Eden, he never wanted to see his conception of hell. A tavern, blacksmith, and two churchs, Baptist and Methodist Episcopal, came later. Today only their cemeteries, Norton and Mayfield, exist to bear witness that the village of Norton existed at all.

Olive Green Porter Twp. Laid out in 1835, this was the first village in Porter Township. It had eight streets and several alleys, and almost made it big as a stop on the Springfield, Mount Vernon & Pittsburgh Railroad. Unfortunately, once the railroad made it west to Delaware, it stopped building, and all the preparations in Olive Green had to be abandoned. Still, the town thrived in a small way up through the twentieth century. A doctor and an attorney had offices here, and there was a post office, a blacksmith, two churches, a school, a creamery, a broom maker, and even a car mechanic in the later years. Today there's a very small community here, at the intersection of 656 and 521 and Plantation Road, but the town itself is gone.

Orange Station Orange Twp. Because the railroad couldn't keep Lewis Station going, George Gooding gave ten acres of land there for the establishment of a new town, as long as they would keep a station on the land. That was in 1852. A grocery store and post office occupied the area, until late 1878, when mail service was discontinued. The location today is on the Norfolk Southern tracks at East Orange Road. (East Orange was a different town, also known as Africa--see above.) Paget Brown Twp. Railroad town on Harris Road at the Conrail tracks.

Patterson PO Thompson Twp. An old frame house on the military road served as the township's post office from 1837 to 1866. The postmaster was a guy named McCausland. The house is probably one of the old houses still standing, on SR 257 between Fulton Creek Road and Radnor Road, along the Scioto River.

Peerless Station Porter Twp. Railroad town. Location is on Peerless Road at the point where Conrail tracks once crossed.

Pickerell's Mills Thompson Twp. Also known as Cone's Mills or Eagletown. This town was the site of the first gristmill in the township, built by James Cochran in 1827 at the mouth of Fulton Creek on the Scioto River. Other mills followed, as did brickmakers and woollen mill operators. For a while Pickerell's Mills was a thriving center of industry and employment in the county, but then Cone's woollen mill burned down, and after that a lot of the mills began to lose customers. Today there's nothing left of the industrial buildings, but you can still see where the town was located. The spot is near Fulton Creek Road at SR 257.

Potter PO ? Twp. A post office town that existed officially from September 29, 1888, until August 31, 1901. Its location is unknown, perhaps because it was renamed.

Prospect Hill Delaware Twp. Its eighteen lots, platted by Dr. Ralph Hills in 1852, were absorbed by the city of Delaware before 1880. The location is where Prospect Street dead ends near the Olentangy River. Back in 1866, when the town was in existence, Prospect intersected a street called Olentangy on the river's shore, but Olentangy Road is no longer there.

Ralph PO Harlem Twp. Post office town. Might not have been located in Harlem Township; its definite location is unknown, possibly due to renaming.

Rathbone Concord Twp. Crossroads town where road signs still mark its existence. Located at the intersection of SR 745 and Home Road, just west of White Sulphur Springs.

Robertsburg Radnor Twp. Railroad town and crossroads town located at the place where Roberts Road and Curtis Road intersect, and the railroad tracks cross them diagonally. Named after the Roberts family who once owned the land.

Rome Berkshire Twp. Also known as Rome Corners. It got its start (and its regal name) from founder Almon Price, who studied Roman history and named the town he formed from his farmland after the historic capital of the world. It was incorporated in 1838, but the residents had the incorporation annulled not long after, at which time it added "Corners" to its name. They called Almon Price, who ran a local chair factory, the Pope of Rome. The town, which stood at a five-way intersection, also boasted a sawmill, a grange hall, a church, and a fire insurance company. Between 1877 and 1914 an annual fair was held in Rome Corners. Today nothing is left of the village--a true ghost town, located at the intersection of South Galena, Cheshire, and Rome Corners Roads.

Rust Corners Berlin Twp. Crossroads community at South Old State Road and Hollenback Road.

Sandy Hill Scioto Twp. Small ghost town located at the top of a hill with a scenic view of the Scioto River Valley, on US 36 just east of Klondike Road.

Saunder's Corners Berlin Twp. Crossroads community.

Scioto Bridge Scioto Twp. Also known as Rigger's Ford. Harry Riggers operated the post office and a tavern at this spot on the Scioto River, where he later built a bridge and then a covered bridge on the Marysville Pike. The post office operated from 1842 until 1854. In 1866 a hotel was located at the bridge. Today the bridge is a wide highway bridge, over which US 36 crosses the river.

Scioto Scioto Twp. Located about a quarter mile northeast of Klondike Road and the town of Klondike. Its current condition is a bit of a mystery because it's located near an active quarry, and no public roads access it. There is, however, a private driveway with NO TRESPASSING posted prominently that leads to its old location. Scioto was a railroad town that stood on the tracks of a line which connected White Sulphur to Delaware.

Snipetown Harlem Twp. Located at the intersection of Fancher Road and Green-Cook Road. A post office, blacksmith shop, and small store once existed here.

Stark's Corners Kingston Twp. The Methodist Episcopal cemetery and a few old houses are all that's left to mark this town, which is notable as the birthplace of Major General William Stark Rosecrans. It was founded by members of a party of settlers from Pennsylvania's Wyoming Valley in 1809: James Stark; William Rosecrans and his sons Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and John; Daniel Rosecrans and his sons Nathaniel, Jacob, Purlemas, and Crandall; Joseph and Sarah Patrick; and Daniel Taylor, Sarah's father. It was James Stark who built his farm at the crossing of the Sunbury Road and the Mansfield Road (today State Routes 61 and 656, along with Wilson Road), thus forming Stark's Corners. He operated on his 200-acre farm a "house of entertainment" for travelers. By "house of entertainment" I assume they mean whorehouse. There was also a blockhouse to protect against Indian attack. Dr. Daniel Rosecrans settled nearby. His son Crandall had three sons with his wife Jemima, the oldest of which was William Stark Rosecrans, who would go on to notoriety in the Civil War.

Stewards Corners Berlin Twp. Crossroads town at the corner of Plumb Road and Africa Road.

Stratford-on-Olentangy Delaware Twp. This town is more properly referred to as Stratford-on-the-Whetstone. (The Olentangy River was originally named the Whetstone River.) Its location was along the west bank of the Olentangy, along SR 315 near the place where it intersects US 23. It was laid out in 1850, seventeen lots to provide housing for employees of the mills which had occupied that spot on the river since as early as 1808. More mills were built, adding carding and pulling, paper, and flour to the products made here. The paper mill was heavily damaged in a fire on All Hallow's Eve, 1840, but was rebuilt. Then, on February 27, 1857, another fire swept all the mills, doing $25,000 worth of damage. A new stone mill was built on the spot the following November. Aside from the industry, Stratford-on-Olentangy has quite a colorful history. They say that a guy named John Hoyt came up with the name while toasting to the town's prosperity in a local tavern. He said something like, "As Stratford- on-Avon has become famous as the birthplace of the immortal Shakespeare, so may Stratford-on-the- Whetstone be noted as the birthplace of some great genius." Most of the buildings in town were constructed from stone, including many of the houses. One of the stone mill buildings later served as a powerhouse and car storage barn for the Columbus, Delaware & Marion Railroad, circa 1900. It burned in 1927, but not badly. (As you can tell, Stratford-on-Olentangy was plagued by fires.) When the railroad folded in 1933, a plastics company bought the plant. It burned down in 1980. But the funniest piece of historical trivia from this ghost town is the brief life of Stratford Park, where the CD&M railroad brought more than a thousand people on May 25, 1903. They were there to see the "Famous Vernon Brothers" perform death-defying stunts, including a forty-five-foot dive into the Olentangy, and a bicycle ride across a cable strung high over the river. When showtime arrived, both of the famous brothers chickened out and left without performing their stunts, much to the pissed-off crowd's dismay.

Troyton Troy Twp. This railroad town was home to a popcorn plant run by Quaker Oats under the label Wheaton. Its post office operated for just a decade, 1894 through 1904. Currently an abandoned depot occupies the spot.

Van's Valley Trenton Twp. Also known as Trenton Works. The valley near Sunbury took the name of an early settler from New Jersey, Gilbert Van Dorn. Van Dorn opened a hotel under the name of "Center Inn" with the symbol of a gilded sun. As his reputation for running a great hotel and tavern grew, the sun symbol became well known. He built cabins around his original hotel to accommodate the large numbers of guests he attracted, then put up a brick tavern in 1829. He also operated a small grocery story until 1854. The post office opened in 1836 under the name Trenton Works, then changed in 1849 to Van's Valley, under which name it operated until 1899, when service was switched to Sunbury. Located at the intersection of State Routes 37 and 605.

Victory Camp Genoa Twp. Town of white cottages located off Big Walnut Road just west of Worthington Road.

White Sulphur Springs Concord Twp. Health spa and resort centered around a natural white sulphur spring. Between 1842 and 1869 people came here for therapeutic reasons; after that they came here because they were delinquent girls sentenced by the state. Future President Rutherford B. Hayes met his future wife at the White Sulphur Springs Resort.

White Sulphur Springs Station Scioto Twp. The railroad station which served first White Sulphur Springs and then the Girls' Industrial Home grew into a town of its own, with a post office (1858-1918), a grain warehouse, railroad depot, general store/Ford Model T dealership, stock pen, schoolhouse, and quarry. Toward the end of its life, a man named Frank Cowles owned nearly everything in town--the store/Model T dealership, quarry, and most of the houses. He also served as the raiload agent and the postmaster. When the post office closed up in 1918 mail was delivered to Ostrander. The location of White Sulphur Springs Station was about five miles from the White Sulphur Springs resort--at the intersection of SR 257 and Penn Road, on the west bank of the Scioto River.

Wildwood Springs Genoa Twp. A ghost town now drowned beneath Hoover Reservoir, along with several other ghost towns.

Williamsville Orange Twp. An historical marker indicates where this town was located, at US 23 and Orange Road. Anson Williams platted the town in 1836 and built what he hoped would become a thriving hotel/grocery/liquor store. Unfortunately, a similar establishment was already being operated north of Williamsville by George Gooding. A Mr. Saulsbury was one of the prominent citizens, first as the carpenter who built the hotel, and then after he was elected Justice of the Peace. He also started the village's first and only manufacturing business by contracting prison labor from the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus; the inmates helped him make high-quality grain candles. Today the wooden Williams hotel is gone but the Gooding Tavern, built of brick, still stands just north of the site of Williamsville.

Windsor Corners Oxford Twp. In 1810 Ezra and Comfort Olds built a log cabin at what is now the corner of SR 229 and Horseshoe Road. A few other families built homes around the Olds farm, and the result was a town known as Windsor Corners. It had a post office prior to 1834. Today a township building and the Windsor Cemetery on Claypool Road(misspelled Winsor Cemetery) are the only remnants of the town.

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Sources

Helwig, Richard. Ohio Ghost Towns No. 43: Delaware County. Sunbury, OH: Center for Ghost Town Research in Ohio, 1991.

History of Delaware County and Ohio. Chicago: O.L. Baskins Co., 1880.

Moore, Michael L. "County Has Ghost Towns, If You Know Where to Look." Delaware Gazette 18 Sep. 2003.

Ohio Atlas and Gazetteer. Yarmouth, ME: DeLorme, 1999.