Beaver Hat – Wooster Township
Location: 40.788630, -81.934719
on Madison Ave at the intersection of Timken Rd
Remnants: memorial for the area’s Native American trails at the intersection of Freelander Rd and S Bever St
Description: It was a Delaware (Lenape) Native American town run by Chief Pappellelond (Beaver Hat) and the site of a large apple orchard that was his summer home. The town land stretched from current day Schellin Park on Maple St in Wooster to Wooster Cemetery on Madison Ave.
Bloomingdale
Location: unknown
Description: none found
Branstetter – Wooster Township
Location: 40.810612, -81.980423
on Silver Rd at the intersection of McAfee Rd along Killbuck Creek
Remnants: none known
Description: The proprietor was Civil War veteran Andrew Branstetter (1843 – 1936) who owned the Wooster Brickyard and the Wayne County Fairgrounds in the late 1870s. The town was on the B&O Railroad. Andrew was buried with relatives in Wooster Cemetery on Madison Ave.
Brownfield – Salt Creek and Franklin Township
Location: 40.702581, -81.876999
on S Honeytown Rd along North Branch Salt Creek between Moreland Rd and Graber Rd
Remnants: none known
Description: It was founded by John Brownfield (1803 – 1883) and Phebe (Crow) Brownfield (1806 – 1876) from Pennsylvania. They had a nice farm and a few children. Their 15 minutes of fame was due to finding a wooly mammoth tooth on the island of a glacial pond on their property. The Cleveland, Columbus, & Mt. Vernon Railroad rolled through town in the late 1800s. John and Phebe were buried with relatives in Fredericksburg East Side Cemetery on E Clay St (Harrison Rd) in Fredericksburg.
Centersburg
Location: unknown
Description: none found
Custaloga – Clinton Township
Location: 40.670615, -82.072650
along the railroad tracks between Newkirk Rd and S Elyria Rd
Remnants: old houses and farm buildings in the area
Description: The town was on the Panhandle Route of the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne, & Chicago Railroad and was named after Delaware (Lenape) Chief Custaloga (Packanke).
Douglas – Milton Township
Location: 40.916166, -81.871805
on E Pleasant Home Rd at the railroad crossing between Honeytown Rd and Eby Rd
Remnants: Chippewa Church Of The Brethren and Beech Grove Cemetery northwest of the GPS coordinates on Eby Rd, Mt Zion Church and Cemetery on E Pleasant Home Rd east of the GPS coordinates, old houses and farm buildings in the area
Description: Douglas was on the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad and had a school and 2 local churches. Residents were buried in Beech Grove Cemetery and Mount Zion Church Cemetery.
East Liberty
Location: unknown
Description: none found
Eight Square – Chester Township
Location: 40.857986 -82.068183
on Smithville Western Rd (Co Hwy 86) along Little Killbuck Creek between Lattasburg Rd and Rutt Rd
Remnants: Eight Square Mennonite Church and Cemetery and large former school at the GPS coordinates, old houses and farm buildings in the area
Description: Eight Square is a sort of one-stop shop as far as exploring and photography goes. All of its main remnants are lined up in a row on the north side of Smithville Western Rd. The town was named after an octagon shaped school that once stood next to the cemetery. The public buildings were constructed on land acquired from the farm of Joseph Hagerman (1837 – 1927) and Elizabeth Hagerman (1829 – 1902) who were buried with relatives and other early residents in the cemetery. George Dintaman (1821 – 1881) owned a blacksmith shop just west of the GPS coordinates in the southwest corner of the intersection of Smithville Western Rd and SR 302 (Lattasburg Rd). He was also buried with relatives in the cemetery. The present wood frame Mennonite Church was constructed in 1873 and replaced an older log meeting house. The former school that is still standing was built in 1922 and is now a private residence. It’s unknown exactly when the octagon school existed, but a school and township house were pinpointed at the same spot on the county maps and atlases dating back to 1856. The township house was reportedly moved Bates Rd and became part of the Chester Township Garage. There were also several other local schools and churches on the outskirts of Eight Square that were pinpointed on the mid-1800s to early 1900s county maps and atlases.
Thanks to Cailin Goodrich for providing some of the info on Eight Square!
Georgetown – Green Township
Location: 40.888561, -81.819365
on SR 585 (Akron Rd) at the intersection of Fox Lake Rd
Remnants: former school west of the GPS coordinates in the northeast lot at the intersection of Fox Lake Rd and Egypt Rd
Description: Georgetown had a church and the school which is currently a private residence. It flourished in the 1870s with hopes of attracting a railroad but that never happened. Some residents were buried in East Chippewa Church Of The Brethren Cemetery at the intersection of Fox Lake Rd and Chippewa Rd.
Green Valley
Location: unknown
Description: none found
Horace – Plain Township
Location: 40.734041, -82.077068
on Wilderness Rd between S Funk Rd and Clay Plant Rd
Remnants: old houses and farm buildings in the area
Description: The proprietors were Horace Camp (1838 – 1907) and Amelia (Babb) Camp (1852 – 1938) who engaged in many business pursuits and had a few children. Horace was the president of several companies, owned a terra cotta works, clay mine, and coal mine in Plain Township, and built 2 railroads. The Ashland & Western Railroad connected to the terra cotta works and the other was the Lake Erie Terminal Railroad. Horace and Amelia also built the Amelia Flats, an upscale apartment complex near Grace Park in Akron. They were buried with relatives in Oakwood Cemetery on Oakwood Dr in Cuyahoga Falls, Summit County.
Jericho – Sugar Creek Township
Location: 40.736624, -81.730879
on Jericho Rd at the intersection of Zuercher Rd along North Fork Sugar Creek
Remnants: none known
Description: It had a wool mill and a blacksmith shop in the early to mid-1800s. The town was annexed into Kidron as it outgrew Jericho.
Killbucks Town
Location unknown, was 10 miles south of Wooster on the east side of Killbuck Creek
Description: This Native American town was named after Delaware (Lenape) Chief Killbuck (or Gelelemend) (1722 – 1811) who was a Revolutionary War veteran and sided with the Americans against his own tribe which agreed to help the British forces. He was baptized with the name William Henry, lived out a peaceful life after the war, and was buried in Zeisberger Memorial Cemetery on Goshen Valley Rd SE in Goshen, Tuscarawas County.
Lancetown – Milton Township
Location: 40.967198, -81.821909
on Shorle Rd between Rittman Ave and Sterling Rd
Remnants: none known
Description: It was founded by the massive Lance family in the county descended from Christopher Lance (1749 – 1824) and Sarah (Johnson) Lance (1751 – 1833) who moved to Ohio from New Jersey. The town had a blacksmith shop, school, and nicley cultivated farms. Many members of the Lance family were buried in Rittman Cemetery at the intersection of Rittman Ave and Decoursey St in Rittman.
McDowell – Sugar Creek Township
Location: 40.808838, -81.668570
on W Lebanon Rd N between Krug Rd and Blosser Rd
Remnants: old houses and farm buildings in the area
Description: The town was founded by War of 1812 veteran John McDowell (1787 – 1872) and Mary (Marshall) McDowell (d. 1873) who had a large farm and 11 children. John also built a grist mill and saw mill. Most of the family was buried in Dalton (Union) Cemetery on South Church St in Dalton.
McQuaid (Moscow) – Sugar Creek Township
Post Office: 1889 – 1903
Location: 40.795888, -81.745686
on Old Lincoln Way at the intersection of Kidron Rd
Remnants: none known
Description: In 1815 Joseph Larwill (1783 – 1867), Josiah Crawford (d. 1825), and John Larwill (1792 – 1875) platted Moscow. It had a school and church but never saw a population boom and lost its town status in 1878. All of Moscow’s founders were buried in Wooster Cemetery on Madison Ave. Just a decade later, the McQuaid family started up a new town on the same spot and opened a post office. The area’s church and school were carried over into McQauid, but once again the town didn’t grow much and eventually fell off the maps. Some of the McQuaid family members were buried in Arnold Cemetery on the north side of Arnold Rd between Kidron Rd and Sugar Creek.
New Brownsville
Location: unknown, was along Jerome Fork
Description: It was listed in The Ohio Gazetteer and Traveler’s Guide from 1837 – 1841 as an “inconsiderable” town. Being on Jerome Fork, the town land was given to Ashland County when it was formed in 1846.
Paradise – Green Township
Location: 40.844777, -81.820691
on Rohrer Rd at the intersection of Paradise Rd along Sugar Creek
Remnants: Paradise Church Of The Brethren and Paradise Cemetery at the intersection of Rohrer Rd and Apple Creek Rd west of the GPS coordinates
Description: The town had a tavern, saw mill, blacksmith shop, and the church in the mid to late 1800s. The church congregation formed in 1826 and is still active.
Pryor – Green Township
Location: unknown
Description: It was founded by a branch of the Pryor family in the county.
Smiths Settlement – East Union Township
Location: unknown
Description: The founders were a group of pioneers from Pennsylvania, mainly consisting of a Smith family.
Weavers – East Union Township
Location: 40.798520, -81.873316
on Lincoln Way E between N Honeytown Rd and Eby Rd
Remnants: East Union Cemetery at the GPS coordinates
Description: The town had a church and saw mill. It was founded by the Weaver family who moved to Ohio from Pennsylvania. Many of the family members were buried in East Union Cemetery.
Ohio Ghost Town Exploration Co. 