BlockBefore
Decorative drawing: a county panorama. Not a photograph of this place.

Highland County, Ohio

64 topographic sheets and 23 fire insurance atlases across 4 places.

Research this county

This curated hub for Highland County, Ohio brings together the page's documented record links, visible map or image evidence where published, and routes to related local records.

What is documented here?

Use the page's provenance and linked records to distinguish the source material from the site's navigation and summaries.

How should I cite it?

Open the original record, preserve its repository and identifier, then use the citation tool for this page as a path back to the source.

Where should I go next?

Follow the county or state hub for related places and records, then use the guide for a source-aware research sequence.

From the record

14 National Register listings · 50 businesses named in the fire insurance atlases from 1887 to 1910 · the 1925 county history tells 0 stories and names 0 people.

Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service

Ohio within the United States
Highland County within Ohio
Explore by year 1887 1911

What the record shows

  • 4 places in this county were surveyed for fire insurance: Hillsboro, Greenfield, Leesburg, Lynchburg, between 1885 and 1949.
  • 23 fire insurance atlas(es) survive for the county. Topographic coverage is national; fire insurance survey reached only incorporated places with something worth insuring.
  • 905 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 14 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places, including 10 houses and farms.
  • 7 of the 14 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 65 populated places in this county; 0 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
  • 3 public-domain county histories, 1887 to 1905, supply 0 words of narrative reproduced here in full.

Photographs

2 photographs,

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Oakgrove Road Bridge, Township Road 42 Spanning Little Miami River, Dodsonville, Highland County, OH
Oakgrove Road Bridge, Township Road 42 Spanning Little Miami River, Dodsonville, Highland County, OH
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Octagonal Schoolhouse, Sinking Spring, Highland County, OH
Octagonal Schoolhouse, Sinking Spring, Highland County, OH
Unattributed, . Library of Congress

Places on the National Register

14

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Barretts Millsdistrict197272001024
Barretts Mills (Boundary Increase)district197979003168
Eubanks-Tytus Housebuilding197979001865
Highland County Courthousebuilding197878002087
Highland Egg and Poultry Company Buildingbuilding200201001524
Hirons-Brown Housebuilding197676001455
Morrow-Overman-Fairley Housebuilding198484003729
Mother Thompson Housebuilding198282003596
New Market Township Community Housebuilding200404000151
Saint Mary's Episcopal Church and Parish Housebuilding198888001421
Scott, William, Housebuilding198787001981
Smith, Samuel, House And Tannerybuilding197878002086
Travellers' Rest Innbuilding197979001864
Trop Farmbuilding198282003597

Covered bridges

0

Highland County holds 0 covered bridges on the National Register, more than any other property type here. Each is a listed structure with a federal nomination on file.

The county from the air

22 of 706 shown

Flown by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1937 and 1989, the Aerial Photo Single Frames collection is the definitive mid-century view of the land: fields, roads and rivers as the camera saw them. 706 frames touch this county; the selection below spreads across the decades of flights (at most four per year), so one flight cannot crowd out the rest. The full set is free to browse and download at EarthExplorer under the dataset Aerial Photo Single Frames.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1952-10-21, scale 1:60000
1952-10-21, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1952-10-21, scale 1:60000
1952-10-21, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1956-05-24, scale 1:30000
1956-05-24, scale 1:30000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1956-05-24, scale 1:30000
1956-05-24, scale 1:30000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1956-05-24, scale 1:30000
1956-05-24, scale 1:30000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1956-05-24, scale 1:30000
1956-05-24, scale 1:30000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1960-04-07, scale 1:24000
1960-04-07, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1960-04-07, scale 1:24000
1960-04-07, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1960-04-07, scale 1:24000
1960-04-07, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1960-04-07, scale 1:24000
1960-04-07, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-12-19, scale 1:24000
1967-12-19, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-12-19, scale 1:24000
1967-12-19, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-12-19, scale 1:24000
1967-12-19, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1967-12-19, scale 1:24000
1967-12-19, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1974-05-01, scale 1:76000
1974-05-01, scale 1:76000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1974-05-01, scale 1:76000
1974-05-01, scale 1:76000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1974-05-01, scale 1:76000
1974-05-01, scale 1:76000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1974-05-01, scale 1:76000
1974-05-01, scale 1:76000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1979-11-01, scale 1:80000
1979-11-01, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1979-11-01, scale 1:80000
1979-11-01, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1979-11-01, scale 1:80000
1979-11-01, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1979-11-01, scale 1:80000
1979-11-01, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

12 stations, 6 gages

The thermometers that kept this county's weather, and the gages that watched its rivers, as the federal records hold them. The extremes below are measured values from those records, not estimates.

The 1950 census, district by district

36 districts

Who lived here in 1950, one enumeration district at a time, as the Census Bureau described each district. Each row opens its official National Archives result, with Population Schedules and ED Maps available there.

  • 36-1Brush Creek township: Sinking Spring village
  • 36-2Brush Creek township - That part outside Sinking Spring village
  • 36-3Clay township
  • 36-4Concord township
  • 36-5Dodson township: Lynchburg village
  • 36-6Dodson township - That part outside Lynchburg village
  • 36-7Fairfield township: Highland village
  • 36-8Leesburg village
  • 36-9Fairfield township - That part outside Highland and Leesburg villages
  • 36-10Hamer township
  • 36-11Jackson township
  • 36-12Liberty township: Hillsboro village: Hillsboro village - That part Bounded by Village limits; Village limits; Main; High, U.S. Hwy. 62
  • 36-13Hillsboro village - That part Bounded by Village limits; U.S. Hwy. 62, High; Collins Ave., West, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; Village limits
  • 36-14Hillsboro village - That part Bounded by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, West, Collins Ave.; High; Main, U.S. Hwy. 50; Village limits
  • 36-15Hillsboro village - That part Bounded by U.S. Hwy. 50, Main; High; South, Elm, Pleasant, Oak, South, Village limits; Village limits
  • 36-16Hillsboro village - That part Bounded by South, Oak, Pleasant, Elm, South; High, U.S. Hwy. 62; Village limits; Village limits
  • 36-17Hillsboro village - That part Bounded by Main; East, State Hwy. 73; Village limits; U.S. Hwy. 62, High
  • 36-18Hillsboro village - That part Bounded by Main; Village limits; State Hwy. 73; East
  • 36-19Liberty township - That part north of U.S. Hwy. 50, outside Hillsboro village
  • 36-20Liberty township - That part south of U.S. Hwy. 50, outside Hillsboro village
  • 36-21Madison township: Greenfield village: Greenfield village - That part Bounded by Village limits; Village limits; Jefferson; Fifth, Village limits
  • 36-22Greenfield village - That part Bounded by Village limits; Fifth; Jefferson; Village limits
  • 36-23Greenfield village - That part Bounded by Jefferson; Fifth; Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Village limits; Village limits
  • 36-24Greenfield village - That part Bounded by Jefferson; Village limits;Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; Fifth
  • 36-25Greenfield village - That part Bounded by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; Village limits; Village limits; Village limits
  • 36-26Madison township - That part outside Greenfield village
  • 36-27Marshall township
  • 36-28New Market township
  • 36-29Paint township: Paint township - That part north of U.S. Hwy. 50
  • 36-30Paint township - That part south of U.S. Hwy. 50
  • 36-31Penn township
  • 36-32Salem township
  • 36-33Union township
  • 36-34Washington township
  • 36-35White Oak township: Mowrystown village
  • 36-36White Oak township - That part outside Mowrystown village

Businesses named in the atlases

50 businesses

Every Sanborn volume opens with a printed index naming the town's mills, tanneries, hotels and works by proprietor. Those indexes were read off the scanned sheets by machine and then matched to each other, so a business surveyed four times appears here once, with the years it survived. 24 of these 50 were named in more than one atlas. Each carries a crop of the line it was read from: the spelling is the recogniser's and the 1880s lithographer's, and the scan behind it is the proof.

Wildfire, 2002 to 2020

52 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 52 of them, burning about 339 acres. 0 started naturally and 5 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning25
Missing data/not specified/undetermined18
Arson/incendiarism5
Equipment and vehicle use2
Fireworks1
Smoking1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
2 February 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined125 acresOhio Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
15 March 2014Missing data/not specified/undetermined70 acresOhio Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
17 November 2015Missing data/not specified/undetermined25 acresOhio Department of Natural Resources2545
1 April 2014Missing data/not specified/undetermined25 acresOhio Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
17 September 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined12 acresOhio Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
26 April 2007Debris and open burning10 acresOhio Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
11 November 2014Debris and open burning7.0 acresOhio Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
19 April 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined6.5 acresOhio Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1958 to 2026

60 of 425 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 425 reports for this county, causing 0 deaths, 7 injuries and about $5,461,750 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind263
Hail63
Flash Flood48
Flood23
Tornado22
Heavy Rain5
Lightning1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
February 1959Tornado (F3)not stated6 hurt, $250,000no account filed
March 2011Thunderstorm WindEast Danville1 hurt, $10,000A greenhouse collapsed due to damaging thunderstorm winds. One woman was injured inside the greenhouse when it collapsed.
March 2023Tornado (EF1)Pricetown$1,000,000The tornado first touched down in a field southwest of Certier Road, about three miles northeast of Buford. This tornado affected a property on Certier Road, causing significant damage to several barns, with winds estimated to 90 mph. From here, the tornado generally moved to the north-northeast.||Tree damage and minor structural damage was noted on Ruble Cemetery Road and Hollowtown Road. More significant damage was noted at a couple of properties on State Route 131. One home had an attached garage that was compromised by the wind and detached from the main structure of the house, mostly flattening the walls of the garage. Significant roof and tree damage was also found at a couple of adjacent properties. Winds here were estimated at 100 mph.||Damage north of State Route 131 was much sparser, with minor tree damage observed on Dawson Road and north of Barr Cemetery Road. A power pole was downed on Sherry Road. Overall, while the tornado did travel through mostly open fields north of State Route 131, it is likely that it weakened or briefly lifted during this time period.||A more concentrated area of damage was then observed near the intersection of Danville/Russell Road and US Route 50. While some tree damage was noted on the west side of Danville/Russell Road, more extensive damage was noted to the east. A church on the south side of US Route 50 was heavily damaged, with the majority of the east side of the roof removed. Just north of the church, an outbuilding was damaged adjacent to a stand of trees that had significant damage and snapping. Winds here were estimated at 100 mph.||Damage was again sparser north from US Route 50 until becoming more significant and widespread in Willettsville. Tree and structural damage in Willettsville was extensive, with roof damage to numerous homes and outbuildings, including one home that had a collapsed attached garage. Winds here were also estimated at 100 mph and likely over a larger area than at other locations earlier in the track of the tornado.||Minor roof and tree damage were observed as the tornado turned slightly to the right, moving northeast. A few properties had roof damage on Panhandle Road west of State Route 73. Some minor tree damage was found near State Route 73 where the tornado is believed to have dissipated.
March 1997Heavy RainRocky Fork Lake$400,000no account filed
August 2016Flash FloodBelfast$300,000Ohio State Route 785, just south of Belfast, had a culvert underneath it washed out, which washed away the road. The road will be closed for 2 to 3 months.
June 2014Tornado (EF0)Dodsonville$300,000The tornado touched down in an open field west of State Route 134, south of Dodsonville. Next to the highway, minor structural damage occurred to a farm building. Heavy tree damage occurred on both sides of Route 134, some of which impacted a home. The tornado continued across the property of Lynchburg-Clay schools. An open-ended storage shed sustained roof removal and partial wall collapse. The high school had a garage door blown out with the interior ceiling collapsing in a narrow hallway. Numerous large branches were snapped on the property, some of which impacted automobiles. Bleachers, a backstop, and other athletic equipment were tossed downstream. A portable toilet was blown over in a northwesterly direction. Debris from damage near Route 134 was also strewn across the athletic fields immediately south of the high school.||Across Dawson Road, a single family home sustained damage to shingles and roofing. A mobile home had a window air conditioner unit blown in from the north and a trampoline was tossed into a tree toward the north. An open-ended, un-anchored garage blew over and collapsed. Numerous large limbs were downed in this vicinity, with one limb breaking the windshield of a car. A narrow path with heavy tree damage clearly indicated where the strongest winds associated with the tornado entered the adjacent woods. Along Dodson Lane, more heavy limb damage occurred. One large limb impacted a garage and truck to the west of Dodson Lane, and another tree limb was blown into a home on the east side of the road. Tree damage was also observed along the tree line behind the homes on the east side of Dodson Lane. On Abernathy Road, an un-anchored large shed was destroyed with debris tossed about 1000 feet downstream. Other outbuildings sustained minor damage, more limbs were downed, and vinyl fencing was blown over. Limb damage was also observed at the edges of field east of the road. Additional tree limb damage occurred on Gibler Road. The last noted damage before the tornado lifted was along the tree line to the east of Gibler Road. Based on the damage surveyed, the maximum estimated wind speed of this tornado was 85 miles per hour.
June 1986Tornado (F1)not stated$250,000no account filed
April 1965Tornado (F2)not stated$250,000no account filed
April 1961Tornado (F2)not stated$250,000no account filed
March 2023Tornado (EF0)Willettville$100,000This short-lived tornado is believed to have touched down near Panhandle Road, just west of Wolfe Road. One house on Panhandle Road had siding damage on the east-facing wall. A shed behind another home was largely demolished, with debris strewn about a quarter mile into the field to the north-northeast.||A few homes on Wolfe Road had roof and siding damage. One home even had damage to the siding on both the east and north facing walls. Some minor tree damage was observed near a bend in Wolfe Road with no additional damage observed further to the north.
October 2021Tornado (EF1)Samantha$100,000Damage associated with the tornado began east of U.S. 62 and consisted of uprooted trees and large snapped limbs. The first structural damage was observed north of Selph Road near Lewis Lane, where a large portion of roof covering was removed from an outbuilding. Additional tree damage was observed along Lewis Lane. Due to no road availability, there was a length of unreachable damage likely stretching around 1 mile between Lewis Lane and Kincaid Road to the east. A structure on the east side of Kincaid Road sustained side wall damage associated with a garage door failure. The tornado continued east, crossing State Route 138 and causing tree damage and additional minor structural damage. The most intense damage occurred along Morrow Road where numerous trees were snapped and uprooted and several outbuildings received considerable damage. The tornado weakened quickly with the final observed damage near Fall Creek.
May 2010Tornado (EF1)Buford$100,000The tornado touched down in the vicinity of Highway 32 and Klein Road in Brown County. The tornado crossed into Highland County just west of Sicily Road. The tornado lifted in Highland County near Highway 321, southeast of Buford. The worst damage occurred to a residence on Sicily Road in Highland County. A section of roofing was removed from part of the home, the front porch supports were lifted and removed, numerous trees were uprooted near the residence, and a piece of wood was driven into decking material. Several other barns and outbuildings were destroyed or heavily damaged along the path. Based on the damage caused by this tornado, wind speeds were estimated at 100 miles per hour. The tornado was in Brown County from 0544 PM EST until 0545 PM EST. The tornado continued in Highland County from 0545 PM EST until 0553 PM EST.
July 2014Tornado (EF0)Hoagland$80,000The tornado touched down on a residential drive about a quarter mile north of SR 138, where it brought down a couple of large trees. It then continued southeast across a field and crossed SR 138 where it downed a large tree and other branches, snapped 3 pine trees several feet above the ground, peeled back part of a barn roof on both its east and west sides, and damaged some fencing. Isolated trees were snapped further southeast along the tornado's discontinuous path.||At a residence along Holladay Road, a large well-constructed barn had its cap blown from its roof and a small section of the roof's southeast corner was peeled back, exposing the inside. Large pine trees were snapped with large segments carried 50 to 60 yards downstream. A few small branches were blown onto a van and a car tire had a piece of bark completely impaled through it. A 100 foot TV tower was knocked down and the house sustained minor roof and fascia damage. A large well-constructed metal storage barn across the street had its front door ripped off and carried southeast.||Numerous large trees and branches were downed along Ervin Road, just north of a quarry. Further east along Ervin Road, the roof of a house had numerous shingles ripped off and a small section of its southeast corner was peeled back. Fascia on the north side of the garage was completely ripped off and a 100 foot TV tower was toppled along the south side of the house and garage. A small shed southwest of the house was completely destroyed with the damage strewn into the front yard. Another small shed south of the house was twisted off its foundation and moved a short distance. A short distance southeast of this residence was a trailer home that had its west wall and a portion of its south wall blown in, but most of the walls remained intact. An old wooden pole barn just southeast of the trailer home was completely destroyed.||A church along US 62 sustained very minor roof and fascia damage. The church sign was blown through a school bus window and the bus itself was pushed sideways several feet. Two very large picnic tables (each weighing over 500 pounds) were pushed a short distance into a van, causing minor damage to the van. Another heavy table that was located in front of the van was picked up and smashed into a wooden pavilion support post, snapping the post. Just southeast of the church, a residence along Green Road had several large trees knocked down. A large, unanchored shed with a lawn tractor inside was carried off its foundation and blown 200 feet eastward. Just to the east, a boat on a trailer was nudged a few feet southeast from where it was parked. Several large trees were knocked down a short distance further to the east, and this was where the tornado ended.
June 2025Flash FloodGreenfield$50,000Several inches of water were flowing into an apartment building on South 5th Street and homes along South 6th Street. Numerous cars were also submerged in water.
June 2021Flash FloodHillsboro$50,000A culvert was washed on on U.S. Route 62 near Northview Drive.
March 2017Tornado (EF1)New Market$50,000At a location on Sanders Road just west of US Route 62, a barn roof was significantly damaged with roofing material thrown to the east as much as a half mile away. A few trees were downed in this area.||Damage was most significant at a dairy farm on State Route 136, about 1.3 miles south of Millers Chapel Road. A large barn at this property experienced a significant amount of roof damage, including a total loss of the roof on the east side of the structure. Insulation, wood beams, and sheet metal from this roof were scattered across the property and well into a field across State Route 136. A roof was also removed from a dog kennel and a roof was partially removed from another barn at the property. Other outbuildings had minor damage as well and another house sustained minor roofing damage and several broken windows, along with some damage of siding. Trees were snapped or downed at this property, as well as along a tree line further to the west.||Tree damage occurred on Millers Chapel Road near the intersection with Poole Lane. A few other trees were snapped in the field just to the north of Poole Lane, but damage was not observed west of the end point of Poole Lane.
April 1994Thunderstorm WindBuford$50,000Trees were downed and a camping vehicle was blown into a pond.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindMowrystown and$50,000Trees were downed. In Greenfield two hay wagons were also blown over into a ditch. Almost three inches of rain fell in less than an hour producing flooding of streets and poor drainage areas.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindGreenfield$50,000A barn was destroyed (time approximate).
April 2017Thunderstorm WindGath$45,000At a farm property on New Market Road, a collection of grain bins was heavily damaged, with one bin pulled down completely.
May 2024Flash FloodGreenfield$40,000Approximately 40 individuals were displaced from an apartment complex on North 11th Street due to high water entering the lowest level.
October 2021Tornado (EF0)Fairview$40,000The tornado started near the intersection of Danville Road and Roush Road. Numerous trees were damaged on the west side of Danville Road. A house had some roof damage and broken windows. The tornado then crossed Danville Road, heading east down Roush Road. The strongest damage was found at a residence on the north side of Roush Road where an outbuilding sustained roof damage. Multiple trees at the same property were also damaged or uprooted. The circulation weakened as it continued east along Roush road and eventually dissipated east of Kesler Road.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindRocky Fork Lake$40,000A garage was destroyed, numerous trees were downed, a roof was taken off of a barn, and a horse was killed due to thunderstorm winds.
October 2006Flash FloodGreenfield$40,000High water rescues and evacuations occurred at an apartment complex along State Route 41 on the south side of Greenfield.
March 2017Tornado (EF0)Samantha$30,000Damage was first observed at a farm residence on the north side of Larkin Road, where one tree was downed and a barn was destroyed. Northeast of there, some minor tree damage was seen on State Route 72 and along tree lines in adjacent fields.||Structural damage occurred at a property on US Route 62 near the intersection with Old US 62, with several outbuildings destroyed or heavily damaged. The house at this location had minor damage, mainly to roofing materials, with shingles removed on multiple sides. One large evergreen tree was uprooted and other trees were snapped. At another property slightly northeast on US Route 62, a garage was destroyed and numerous trees behind the garage were snapped.||On Leaverton Road, a barn was partially collapsed. Two evergreen trees were also snapped and other tree damage was observed both at this location and across the field to the east. Slightly south of this location, also on Leaverton Road, several trees were downed along a low spot on the road and a fence was blown flat. Minor tree damage was also observed where the tornado crossed Smith Road and a garage door was blown in at a residence on State Route 771 with some trees snapped in the vicinity. A few trees were also damaged where the tornado crossed Monroe Road.||Tree damage was observed to be significant in several locations along Milner Road. A house on Milner Road sustained siding damage to both the east and west sides of the structure and tree damage was extensive at this property. An adjacent modular home had its roof removed and other outbuildings were damaged, with debris thrown northeast across an adjacent field. ||A hay barn on Bridges Road had most of its top half removed with the top also removed from another adjacent outbuilding. A home on Big Oak Road had part of its roof removed with debris observed in an adjacent field, likely a result of damage further to the west.||The last observed damage from this tornado occurred along Cope Road, where an outbuilding was mostly destroyed and a garage had part of its roof removed. Debris was thrown across Cope Road into a field to the east and southeast.
May 2006Tornado (F0)Hillsboro$30,000A brief tornado moved along a half mile path just north of Rocky Fork Lake. A restaurant along North Shore Road sustained minor siding damage. A real estate office along North Beach Road had portions of its aluminum roof peeled back or completely ripped off. The most extensive damage occurred to a residence about a tenth of a mile to the north-northeast of the real estate office. The home sustained major roof damage, and had an enclosed patio on its front porch completed removed and strewn behind the home. The majority of the patio was deposited into a deck and above ground pool behind the house, causing additional damage. A few trees between six and twelve inches in diameter were snapped between the real estate office and the residence.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindHighland$30,000A severe thunderstorm produces winds that knocked down several barns and destroyed numerous trees.
August 2018FloodEast Danville$25,000East Berryville Road was washed out just east of State Route 73.
April 2017Thunderstorm WindBurford$25,000A trailer home on Beltz Road was completely destroyed by high winds.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindHillsboro$25,000Numerous trees were downed onto several houses along Ivy Hill Road. A garage door and wall were damaged at one residence. A few homes also had shingle and siding damage.
October 1999Thunderstorm WindGreenfield$25,000The side of the Greenfield Fire Department garage was blown out. Several trees were also knocked down in the Hillsboro area.
June 1996LightningConcord Twp$25,000no account filed
June 1978Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
April 1977Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
April 1970Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 1960Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 2025Flash FloodCenterfield$20,000Hudson Road was washed out.
March 2023Thunderstorm WindMarshall$20,000A home sustained roof and garage damage off of Turkey Road. Trees were also downed and a small silo and barn were damaged.
March 2023Thunderstorm WindSinking Spg$20,000A house roof and garage were damaged off of Hizer Road. Some trees were also downed.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindBoston$20,000Numerous trees and power lines were downed along U.S. 50.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindBelfast$20,000Trees and power lines were downed in the southeastern portions of Highland County.
July 2013Flash FloodCareytown$20,000Deep high water was reported over Jones Road and New Vienna Road due to heavy rainfall. Vehicles were reportedly flooded out in attempts to cross the flooded roadways.
December 2013Thunderstorm WindHillsboro$20,000Trees were blown down county wide due to thunderstorm winds. Some of the debris caused roads to be closed.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindCountywide$20,000Numerous trees downed and a barn destroyed.
June 1995Thunderstorm WindNorth Half$18,000Thunderstorm winds toppled several trees and destroyed a small screen house. Just north of Hillsboro, a van was crushed due to downed trees.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindNew Market$17,000A home along Miller Lane had siding removed along with some roof damage. Also, several large trees were snapped.
March 2023Thunderstorm WindSinking Spg$15,000A barn was knocked down. Some trees were also downed.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindHillsboro$15,000Windows were blown out of the senior center in Hillsboro. Also large branches were knocked down.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindHillsboro$15,000Trees and power lines were down due to damaging thunderstorm winds. A barn was also damaged due to the winds.
February 2011Thunderstorm WindSamantha$15,000A carport was blown fifty feet, a shed was destroyed, and a fence was damaged due to thunderstorm winds.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindMowrystown$15,000The roof of a barn collapsed on Certier Road. Trees were also knocked down.
August 2003Flash FloodBelfast$15,000A bridge was washed out on State Route 247.
June 2006HailLeesburg$15,000no account filed
April 2023Thunderstorm WindLeesburg$12,000Several trees and wires were downed.
April 2025Thunderstorm WindCarmel$10,000A mobile trailer was overturned and a roof panel was lifted off of a small barn.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindLynchburg$10,000A roof was damaged.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindHillsboro$10,000A tree fell onto a vehicle.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindHillsboro$10,000Numerous trees were reported knocked down throughout the city.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindDanville$10,000A trailer was rolled onto its roof in East Danville.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindHillsboro$10,000Approximately ten large trees were knocked down at the Hillsboro Cemetery.

Mines and quarries

11 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 11 workings inside this county. 3 still produce and 8 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Stone, Crushed/Broken5
Limestone, General4
Sand and Gravel, Construction2

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Ruggles Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Ruggles Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Haven PitLimestone, GeneralPast ProducerSedimentary
Highland QuarryLimestone, GeneralPast ProducerSedimentary
Main PitLimestone, GeneralPast ProducerSedimentary
New Vienna QuarryLimestone, GeneralPast ProducerSedimentary
Haven PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Highland Stone DivisionStone, Crushed/BrokenPlant
Main PitStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
New Vienna Mill & QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPlant
Own Crews QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer

Collected here, 1876 to 1975

8 of 1,769 shown

Museum specimens collected inside this county and catalogued with a date and a place: 1,769 of them, by kingdom 1,112 animalia, 529 fungi, 102 plantae, 22 protozoa, 4 unrecorded. Each is a physical object in a named collection, not a sighting. Held by Ohio State University - Fish Division, Columbus, OH (OSUM), Ohio State University - Mammal Division, Columbus, OH (OSUM), CINC, Ohio State University - Amphibian Division, Columbus, OH (OSUM), NY, TENN-F among others, and each settlement page carries the specimens collected near it.

The oldest of them. A specimen proves something was collected on that day; its absence proves nothing.

Photograph YearSpecies KingdomWhere CollectorCatalogue
A photograph of the species Cordyceps militaris, not of this specimen1876Cordyceps militaris (L.) LinkFungiFort Hill State MemorialW. B. CookeNY 2777645
A photograph of the species Strophitus undulatus, not of this specimen1880Strophitus undulatus (Say, 1817)AnimaliaLees Creek, Leesburg, North Americanot recordedINHS 38170
A photograph of the species Elimia semicarinata, not of this specimen1881Elimia semicarinata (Say, 1829)AnimaliaLees Creek, Leesburg, North AmericaS.M. TaggertINHS 73288
Specimen of Entyloma compositarum Farl.1894Entyloma compositarum Farl.FungiHighland Falls.F. L. StevensILL ILL00058251
Specimen of Aecidium asterum Schwein.1895Aecidium asterum Schwein.Funginot statedF.L. StevensILL ILL00054266
Specimen of Puccinia podophylli Schwein.1895Puccinia podophylli Schwein.FungiHighland CountyF. L. StevensILL ILL00065208
A photograph of the species Andropogon gerardi, not of this specimen1910Andropogon gerardi VitmanPlantaePaint CreekHopkins, L.S.CM CM233131
A photograph of the species Asplenium rhizophyllum, not of this specimen1910Asplenium rhizophyllum L.Plantae"Caves" Paint CreekHopkins, L.S.CM CM208572

Every populated place in the county

65

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the watercourse or landform it stands on and the survey quadrangle it falls on. The 4 places that were also surveyed for fire insurance come first, with the number of atlases and photographs held for them.

Recorded here

Hillsboro, Ohio

14 topographic sheets and 7 fire insurance atlases, 1887 to 1949

Greenfield, Ohio

13 topographic sheets and 6 fire insurance atlases, 1885 to 1936

Leesburg, Ohio

12 topographic sheets and 5 fire insurance atlases, 1899 to 1948

Lynchburg, Ohio

12 topographic sheets and 5 fire insurance atlases, 1895 to 1925

Everything this county holds

The complete index, with nothing left out. Each of these is a separate record with its own page: a federal survey report, or the case file that argued a property on to the National Register. Both are public domain and reproduced word for word.

Surveyed structures

2 structures

Nomination case files

14 case files

The vanished settlements of Highland County, the places these records name that are no longer on the map.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.