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History · Springfield

A history of Springfield,
then and now

Postcards, papers and photographs of Springfield from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.

6old images & papers
0recent photos
From Springfield’s archive · credits on each photo

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Springfield Township is one of the fourteen townships of Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 2,005 people in the township.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,367 to 2,005 (-15%). Half of its homes were built before 1957.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Springfield yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1900s6 items · Ohio Masonic HomeLOC
1910–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Help out

Finish Springfield’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewOhio Masonic Home, 1905: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Springfield

See all 22 →
GBGordon H. BowerScio · 11 miHenry CrewHenry CrewRichmond · 7 miWSWilliam Milligan SloaneRichmond · 7 miDBDoc BundyScio · 11 miEMEddie MapleCarrollton · 12 miWilliam CrozierWilliam CrozierCarrollton · 12 mi
By decade

Springfield, decade by decade

1900s6 items
Ohio Masonic HomeLOCOhio Masonic Home1905Ohio Masonic HomeLOCOhio Masonic Home1905Bushnell MausoleumLOCBushnell Mausoleum1905County BuildingLOCCounty Building1905City BuildingLOCCity Building1905Fountain SquareLOCFountain Square1905
1910s–
1990s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Springfield is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Springfield has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Kilgore Union Presbyterian Church in Loudon, 5.3 miles away.

Springfield and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Springfield. Tap a dot.
Kilgore Union Presbyterian ChurchPetersburg MillDaniel McCook HouseCarroll County CourthouseVan Horn BuildingBantam Ridge School

Closest to Springfield

Kilgore Union Presbyterian ChurchLoudon · Building5.3miPetersburg MillUnion · Building11.4miDaniel McCook HouseCarrollton · Federal11.8miCarroll County CourthouseCarrollton · Building11.8miVan Horn BuildingCarrollton · Building11.8mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Kilgore Union Presbyterian Church’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Springfield?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Springfield’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons