Ghost Towns of Fulton County, Ohio
Fulton County is located in Northwest Ohio along the border
with Michigan. The county seat is Wauseon.
Ackley Corners
Gorham Twp.
This town was once a pretty important trading center until nearby Fayette put it out of business. It was founded in 1840 and named after settler Calvin Ackley. It was home to at least one major industry: a cheese factory.
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Advance
Pike Twp.
Post office town which operated between 1893 and 1901.
Ai
Fulton Twp.
This odd little ghost town was officially platted on June 9, 1857, by O. E. M. Howards, but people had lived in the area since 1835 when the federal government had begun handing out land grants there. Its first store opened in 1835, and the town quickly blossomed into a trading and manufacturing center. P. Berry's wagon shop was located there, surviving fires in 1862 and 1870. There was a cider mill, two blacksmith shops, a drug store, a cheese factory, the cobbler shop, between four and eleven saloons, and the undertaker.
Ai did not get its unique name from the 2001 Steven Spielberg film; rather, it was named after the wicked city in the bible which was destroyed by Joshua. An early settler's name was Ami Richards, and it is sometimes asserted that it was named after him (yes, Ami was a guy) with the middle letter in his name taken out. Today all that remains of the town, which finally died with the post office on August 31, 1903, is the cemetery, a small schoolhouse (now used as a residence), an old grocery store that closed in the early 80s, and a crumbling grain elevator.
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Allston
Franklin Twp.
Post office town which operated between 1854 and 1859.
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Ambrose
Franklin Twp.
Post office town which operated between 1890 and 1891.
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Amsterdam
Franklin Twp.
A paper ghost town that was planned but never came into being on the northeast corner of section 32.
Assumption -see Caraghar below
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Batdorf
York Twp.
Post office town which operated between 1888 and 1901.
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Beta
Franklin Twp.
Post office town which operated between 1857 and 1901. The Post office was closed for a period between 1860 and 1861.
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Blanc
Franklin Twp.
Post office town which operated between 1847 and 1865.
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Brailey (also known as Milroy)
The Milroy post office was opened in Brailey on February 7, 1894, with Edward Milroy as postmaster and closed January 31, 1901, when mail service was transferred to Swanton.
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Caraghar
Amboy Twp.
(also known as St. Mary's Corners and now called Assumption
The first permanent white settlers arrived in Caraghar in the early
1830's. In the decades that followed, migrants from Kentucky and Virginia and immigrants from Germany and Ireland began to arrive in Fulton County. Caraghar was named for John Caraghar, the owner of a local general store. It was a Catholic community and the St. Mary's Church was formed in the 1850s.
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Centerville
Swan Creek Twp.
First settled in 1834-37 located on the northwest one-quarter of the Northeast one-quarter of section 12. The southern part of what is now Swanton, OH. In 1883, present-day Swanton was incorporated from three geographically merged communities: Centerville, Petersburgh, and Old or East Swanton. The town got its name when it was part of Lucas Co. as it was the center point of Lucas county before Fulton co. was formed in 1850.
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Chesterfield
Chesterfield Twp.
The town of Chesterfield was located in the northwest one-quarter of the Northwest one-quarter of Section 27 of Chesterfield Township, Fulton Co. OH. The town's location can be further described as being the intersection of ST RT 20 and Lena Morenci Road. The town was established by Alfred C. Hough, Samuel Gillis and Robert Clemmons about 1835. The Chesterfield Post Office was established on August 18, 1837, with Alanson Briggs as postmaster. It remained in operation until October 1, 1863, when mail service was relocated. The post office was reopened on April 2, 1864, with James Hough as postmaster and remained open until August 20, 1869, when mail service was transferred to Lyons.
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Cottrell's Corners (Also known as Gorham)
Gorham Twp.
The post office opened on January 24, 1837, then in Williams Co. OH at the home of Erastus Cottrell who was the first postmaster. It operated until January 19, 1873, when mail service was transferred to Fayette and its name was changed to Fayette. Cottrell's Corners was also known at various times as Gorham PO and Handy.
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Denson
Chesterfield Twp.
The Toledo and Western Electric Railroad had a station here. The town itself existed from 1897 through 1909. The post office was established on April 29, 1897, with Thomas Jones as postmaster. It remained in operation until August 31, 1909, when mail service was transferred to Morenci, Michigan.
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Eckley Station
German Twp.
Ghost town located at the place where Eckley-Powers Road crossed the Norfolk and Western Railroad. It was located in the northwest one-quarter of the Northwest one-quarter of Section 14 of German Township, Fulton Co, OH.
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Edinburg
German Twp.
This town was platted in 1837 by George Eaton on the north bank of the Tiffin River, on the site of an old Indian village. At one time Edinburg had a tavern, carpenter shop, and harness shop, but by 1870 every resident was gone.
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Emery
Dover Twp.
The village of Emery was located in the northwest one-quarter of the Southwest one-quarter of Section 4 of Dover Township, Fulton Co. Ohio bing on West Unity-Swanton Road between Hartman-Inlet and Lena-Morenci Roads. The post office was established on July 11, 1846, with Amos Gay as the postmaster. It remained in operation until January 23, 1861, when mail service was relocated. The post reopened on May 23, 1861, with William Waid as the postmaster and remained open until August 31, 1903, when mail service was transferred to Wauseon.
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Essex
York Twp.
Post office town which operated between 1844 and 1855. The Post Office was established on May 27, 1844, in Lucas Co. OH with Smith Geer as the postmaster and remained in operation until December 27, 1855.
Gorham see Cottrells' Corners above
Groveland
??? Twp.
Post office town which was established on January 24, 1851, with Elisha Hanson as postmaster. It remained open until April 20, 1877.
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Handy
Gorham Twp.
The Village of Handy was located in the southeast one-quarter of the Northeast one-quarter of Section 21 of Gorham Township, Fulton Co. Ohio at the intersection of US 20 and Spies-Handy Corners Road. The Handy Post Office was established on August 11, 1856, with Jared Parker as the postmaster. It remained in operation until April 7, 1874, when mail service was transferred to Fayette.
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Inlet
Chesterfield Twp.
The village of Inlet was located in the northwest one-quarter of the Northwest one-quarter of Section 23 at the intersection of Inlet-Lytton and Hartman-Inlet Roads. The post office was established on July 10, 1897, with John Bushey as postmaster. It remained open until August 31, 1903, when mail service was transferred to Wauseon.
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Lauber Hill
German Twp.
In 1834, German immigrants from the Alsace region settled this portion of northwestern Ohio. Christian Lauber and his family had first gone to France, then emigrated to the United States via New York City. When they arrived they and other Germans they met rode the waterways west, intending to settle with other Germans in Wayne County, but when they arrived they found that the area had been largely bought up, and land nearby was expensive. So they headed northwest, to the "bustling" town of Napoleon. (At this time Napoleon had one permanent building.) They bought land miles from Napoleon and proceeded to cut a footpath between their new homes and the city. The town was finally named after Lauber because he managed to build the first house. His home was later used for religious services until the town's two churches were constructed.
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Lavona
York Twp.
Post office town which operated between March 14, 1850 and January 13, 1864. Philander Robertson was the postmaster.
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Lena
Clinton Twp.
The town of Lena could never decide if it wanted a post office or not. The first one opened there on March 31, 1852, with Thomas Bayes as postmaster, then closed on April 26, 1860. One month later it reopened on May 12, 1860, with Joel Brigham as postmaster, then closed again November 16, 1866. It reopened again January 6, 1875, with John Drebing as postmaster only to close for good on October 12, 1876, when the mail service was transferred to Wauseon.
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Leslie
Amboy Twp.
Post office town which operated between July 14, 1892, and December 15, 1898, with John Robinson as the postmaster when mail service was transferred to Caraghar.
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Lytton
Fulton Twp.
Post office town which operated between March 3, 1893, and July 15, 1895, with John R. Babcock as postmaster, then January 6, 1896, and August 31, 1903, with Samuel Everett as the postmaster. Mail service was transferred to Delta, OH.
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Mill Creek
Gorham Twp.
This post office town stood where US 127 intersects Hibbard-Belding Road, between Novemeber 8, 1849 and June 20, 1863 with Calvin Ackley as the postmaster.
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Milroy- see Brailey above
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Morey's Corners
Was also was known as Vernon and now as Lyons
Oak Shade
Chesterfield Twp.
Oak Shade was a cheese town. Established in 1874 at the place where SR 108 and US 20 cross, it was originally placed because of the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railroad, which passed through. Later on, though, it became known for P.S. Lee's cheese factory, which was built there sometime before the town was even officially founded. In 1909 Hervey Partridge bought it and changed the name to Partridge Bros. Dairy Products. The building survived until sometime before 1975 when it was demolished. Today the Oakshade Raceway stands where the town was prior to 1910.
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Parchers Corners
Pike Twp.
Post office town which operated between 1844 and 1846, then 1847 and 1857.
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Pelton
Swan Creek Twp.
In 1888 there was a store at Pelton; in 1889 there was a post office. In 1901 the post office closed down for good.
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Philip's Corners
Royalton Twp.
This town was named for Eli Philips, the first settler in the county. It was founded in 1832 at the place where SR 109 and SR 120 intersect. The first business was a bark-covered shanty which served as a store. Also known as Royalton and Seward. The village of SEWARD was established April 25, 1890, with William H. Seward as postmaster, It remained in operation until Aug 31, 1913, when mail service was transferred to Lyons.
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Plattston
York Twp.
Post office town which operated between 1887 and 1901.
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Power's Station
Gorham Twp.
Power's Station was a stop on the Toledo & Western Interurban Railroad. It stood where US 20 crosses Eckley-Powers Road.
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Ritters
Gorham Twp.
Town founded in 1870 by J.P. Ritter. The Chicago & Canada South Railroad had a station here, and there was a post office between 1874 and 1912. The town died when the Toledo & Western took business away.
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Royalton
see Phillip's Corners above
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Seward
see Phillip's Corners above
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Siney
Pike Twp.
A town which stood where Delta-Santee and Inlet-Lyon Roads cross, from April 14, 1884, with Chapman Smith as the postmaster and operated through September 30, 1901.
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Spring Hill
Now known as Tedrow
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St. Mary's Corners- see Caraghar above
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Thelma
Gorham Twp.
The town at the intersection of County Road MN and Pettisville-Morenci Roads from December 1, 1897, with Benjamin Prik\ckette as the postmaster through April 30, 1901.
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Waldeck
York Twp.
This town only existed two years, from 1897 through 1899. Its location can be described as being on alternate US 20/SR 2, between Biddle-Scott and Winameg-Lyons Roads.
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West Barre
York Twp.
This town stood at a three-way intersection, at the point where West Barre-Advance, Archbold-West, and Adams Ridge Road cross today. It was in existence between January 23, 1851, with Amos Taft as the postmaster and relocated to Wauseon January 15, 1872. It was named for Barre, Vermont. The reason for this name was that a company resided in the town which distributed tombstones built by a company in Barre, Vermont.
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Whiteville
Amboy Twp.
This post office existed between February 1, 1901, with Elmer White as the postmaster till March 15, 1910. It was located at the intersection of Reighard-Whiteville Road and SR 120. The Toledo & Western Railroad passed through. Mail service was transferred to Metamora.
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Winameg
(Also known as DeMutre & Indian name was Neshenowba)
Pike Twp.
Was also known as Aetna and is located at the intersection of Co Rd 10-2 and Co. Rd. L. The old Pike Twp. school building still stands there as well as the Aetna Grange and the new Pike Twp Hall. The corner store burned several years ago but there are several residences that still remain there.
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York Center
York Twp.
York Center has been gone for a long time. When it existed, it was at the point where Winameg-Lyons and Wauseon-Perkins Road cross today. It was also at the intersection of two railroads: the Conrail, and the Norfolk Southern. Its lifespan was 1842-1848, which means that it spent its entire life as part of Lucas County, in the years before Fulton County was partitioned off.
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For more info and towns check out Ohio Ghost Town Exploration Company