115 topographic sheets and 29 fire insurance atlases across 4 places.
This curated hub for Portage County, Ohio brings together the page's documented record links, visible map or image evidence where published, and routes to related local records.
Use the page's provenance and linked records to distinguish the source material from the site's navigation and summaries.
Open the original record, preserve its repository and identifier, then use the citation tool for this page as a path back to the source.
Follow the county or state hub for related places and records, then use the guide for a source-aware research sequence.
42 National Register listings · 57 businesses named in the fire insurance atlases from 1884 to 1950 · the 1885 county history tells 1 stories and names 15 people · people the book names include Hiram Toavnship (Suffield Township, 1885) · Hiram Toavnship (Hiram Township, 1885) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
A captivity, a drowning, a famine, a man scalped clearing his lot in 1789. These are passages from History of Portage County, Ohio, written while people who remembered the events were still alive, and each one opens the section it comes from.
Judson's first wife in 1804; Wareham Loomis' child, two years old, in 1805; Jacob Blnir, killed at a " raising" in 1807; Mark Moore died in 1812; Sanjuel Jodsoa's wife in 1813; Ichabod Payne in 1S13; Melissa Keed in 181G; Enoch Jndson's aeoond wife died in 1810; Amzi Atwater, son of ilmzi, Sr., in 1810; Caleb, son of Rnfus Edwarda, aboat 1817; Leona^N], son of L orouz ) Chapin, in 1818; wife of Basil Windsor, Sr., in 1818; Martha, ciau^'ht.
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.
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 | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Atwater Congregational Church | building | 1973 | 73001517 |
 | Aurora Train Station | building | 1986 | 86001131 |
| Beebe, Horace Y., House | building | 1983 | 83002022 | |
 | Crafts William H., House | building | 1982 | 82003634 |
 | Crystal Lake Stock Farm | building | 1986 | 86000698 |
 | Davey, John, House | building | 1975 | 75001524 |
| Diver, John, House and Storebuilding | building | 1982 | 82003632 | |
| Ellenwood House | building | 1975 | 75001523 | |
 | Etna House | building | 1985 | 85001641 |
 | Ferrey, Aaron, House | building | 1974 | 74001605 |
 | Franklin Hotel | building | 2013 | 12000802 |
 | Franklin Township Hall | building | 1975 | 75001525 |
 | Freedom Congregational Church | building | 1975 | 75001521 |
 | Garfield, James A., House | building | 1975 | 09000098 |
 | Griffin, A. B.,--O. H. Griffin House | building | 1985 | 85000485 |
 | Griffin, Alexander B., House | building | 1987 | 87000987 |
 | Gross, L.N., Company Building | building | 2016 | 16000598 |
 | Hine, Horace L., House | building | 1976 | 76001513 |
| Hopkins, Benjamin F., Stone Building | building | 1982 | 82003633 | |
 | Howard, C. R., House | building | 1974 | 74001602 |
 | Johnson, John, Farm | building | 1976 | 76001512 |
 | Kent Industrial District | district | 1974 | 74001603 |
 | Kent Jail | building | 2001 | 01000895 |
 | Kent, Charles House | building | 1978 | 78002174 |
| Kent, Zeno, House | building | 1973 | 73001518 | |
| Mantua Center District | district | 2023 | 74001607 | |
 | Mantua Center School | building | 2013 | 13000682 |
| Mantua Station Brick Commercial District | district | 1974 | 74001606 | |
 | Masonic Temple | building | 1974 | 74001604 |
 | Mott Drug Store | building | 1996 | 96000221 |
 | Nelson, Luman, House | building | 1993 | 93001393 |
 | Ohio State Normal College At Kent | building | 1975 | 75001526 |
| Olin, Arvin, House | building | 1995 | 95001157 | |
 | Palmyra Center Hotel | building | 1976 | 76001514 |
 | Phoenix Block | building | 1985 | 85000624 |
 | Reed, C. A., House | building | 1985 | 85003116 |
 | Riddle Block | building | 1976 | 76001515 |
 | Riddle Block #11 | building | 1985 | 85000626 |
 | Riddle Block #5 | building | 1985 | 85001642 |
 | Riddle Block #9 | building | 1985 | 85000625 |
| Wadsworth, Frederick, House | building | 1975 | 75001520 | |
 | Young, Thomas F., House | building | 1976 | 76001511 |
Portage 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.
Sampled issues, machine-read from the Library of Congress scan and published page by page, so every headline and column is searchable text.
Ravenna, Ohio, 1830 to 1854. Machine-read from the Library of Congress scan.
Ravenna, Ohio, 1854 to 1868. Machine-read from the Library of Congress scan.
Drawn when these were printed as single large sheets: the town seen from the air, and the county divided into its farms with every owner named. Each opens the original at the Library of Congress.
Selected from the Digital Public Library of America's 20 image records catalogued for this county. Every one shown here carries a public-domain status or a licence that permits reuse on a site that carries advertising; non-commercial, share-alike and restricted images are excluded. The selection is spread across the county's towns (at most eight per town), so no single institution's bulk upload crowds out the rest. Each opens the holding library's record, and the complete set at the Digital Public Library of America is one click away.
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. 970 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.
The "who lived here, by year" answer: pre-1929 public-domain directory volumes naming the county's people, machine-read and searchable as text.
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.
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.
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. 18 of these 57 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.
School
1898 to 1922, named in 4 atlases
Appears in 1898 1911 1913 1922
Read elsewhere as Grammar and High School; High School (new).
Church
1911 to 1919, named in 2 atlases
Read elsewhere as Methodist Episcopal Church.
Church
1911 to 1919, named in 2 atlases
Read elsewhere as St.Patrick's R. C. Church and School.
Hotel
named once, in the 1919 atlas
Appears in 1919
On the National Register as Mantua Station Brick Commercial District
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 3 of them, burning about 1 acres. 0 started naturally and 0 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 November 2020 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Ohio Department of Natural Resources | 16005 |
| 17 November 2020 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Ohio Department of Natural Resources | 16004 |
| 4 November 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Ohio Department of Natural Resources | 16003 |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 525 reports for this county, causing 0 deaths, 4 injuries and about $295,360,000 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 298 |
| Hail | 169 |
| Flash Flood | 28 |
| Tornado | 18 |
| Lightning | 7 |
| Flood | 4 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1996 | Lightning | Geauga Lake Park | 2 hurt | no account filed |
| June 1973 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 1 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1968 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 1 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1985 | Tornado (F5) | not stated | $250,000,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $20,000,000 | Thunderstorms dumped heavy rains on Portage County. Rainfall rates at times exceeded two inches per hour. Rainfall totals for the day exceeded four inches in some areas with highest amounts across the central portion of the county. Spotters in Kent measured 4.13 inches of rain by 8:30 p.m. and a total of 4.6 inches of rain fell at the water treatment plant in Kent. Mantua received 4.7 inches of rain by 9:00 p.m. and 3.6 inches of rain fell at Ravenna between 7 and 9 p.m. Extensive lowland and urban flooding occurred as many stream and creeks left their banks. The northern and central portions of the county were the hardest hit by the flooding. Knee deep water was reported over large sections of Ravenna just after sunset and bucket surveys indicate that as much as 7 inches of rain may have fallen on the city. Boats had to be sent to a mobile home park on the west side of the city to rescue 101 residents. Around 150 homes and businesses were damaged in Ravenna. Reports of up to 5 inches of rain were received from Aurora. Many homes were damaged in this area and several roads were washed out. The Holiday Acres and Pike Parkway neighborhoods in Streetsboro were hard hit with water in some areas up to four feet deep. The occupants of five motor vehicles had to be rescued. Kent was also hard hit with many damaged homes and washed out streets. Damage to roads and bridges in the county was near $1 million. Hundreds of homes were damaged in the county and damage to private property topped $20 million. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Suffield | $5,000,000 | Tennis ball size hail was observed. Several large limbs were also reported down. Hundreds of homes and vehicles sustained damage from the hail. |
| November 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Geauga Lake | $3,000,000 | Thunderstorm downburst winds in excess of 100 mph caused extensive damage across northern Portage County. A 105 mph wind gust was measured by an automated sensor in Aurora. Damages stretched from the county line west of Aurora across the northern tier of townships to the eastern end of the county. The damage was most concentrated in Aurora and adjacent Mantua Township. Thousands of trees were downed across the county. Many homes lost roofing or siding and several others were damaged by fallen trees. Many vehicles were reported damaged by flying debris or from fallen trees or limbs. Widespread power outages occurred with full restoration taking around five days. Bleachers at an athletic field at Aurora High School were overturned and destroyed. Several school districts in Portage County were closed on November 6th and some on the 7th because of power outages. Clean up from the storms took weeks. |
| July 2013 | Flash Flood | Shalersville | $2,400,000 | High water closed most roads in Shalersville after an estimated 3 to 4 inches of rain fell within one hour. This rainfall was after 16 consecutive days with rain in the region. Subsequently the saturated ground could not absorb the water and widespread flooding resulted. The water came up so quickly that emergency officials had to evacuate homeowners. Several people became stranded in their cars or homes. Hardest hit areas include Wentworth Street in the Bolingbrook neighborhood and Aurora East where water was several feet deep in homes. The flood waters inundated about half of the 350 homes. The waters receded within an hour or two. |
| May 2004 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $2,400,000 | During the early morning hours of May 22nd, heavy rain producing thunderstorms moved across Portage County for the the third time in less than 24 hours. Rainfall totals of over three inches were reported in the the county with rainfall rates at times approaching two inches per hour. A spotter in Kent measured 3.77 inches of rain between 3 a.m. on May 21st and 3 a.m. on the 22nd. This rain combined with ground already saturated from the earlier storms led to the renewal of widespread flooding in the county. The Kent, Ravenna, Charlestown and Paris Township areas were the worst affected in the county. In Ravenna, 40 people had to be evacuated from a mobile home park after flood waters rose to several feet deep. Several residents in a nearby apartment building also had to be evacuated. Dozens of roads and streets were flooded and had to be closed. Several vehicles became stranded in the flood waters. Damage to roads and other government property from the storms on the 21st and 22nd topped $750,000. Almost 300 homes and businesses sustained flood damage in the county. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kent | $1,500,000 | A thunderstorm downburst with winds estimated at 85 to 95 mph hit the west side of Kent. The area affected by the downburst was one quarter wide mile and approximately a mile in length. Several hundred trees and 40 power poles were downed. A total of 25 homes were damaged including four that were declared unhabitable. In addition, a camper and over a dozen automobiles were crushed by fallen trees. Widespread power outages occurred and a state of emergency was put in effect because of the widespread and severe damage. |
| June 2006 | Flash Flood | North Portion | $1,000,000 | Thunderstorms dumped torrential rains on Portage County during the late afternoon and early evening hours of June 22nd. Radar estimated that as much as 3 to 5 inches of rain fell across the northern portion of the county. This rain fell on ground already saturated from earlier rains. Flooding was reported in Aurora with dozens of homes in the northern half of the city sustaining damage from flooding. Most of this was basement flooding and no significant structural damage was reported. Significant street flooding also occurred in Streetsboro. Near Ravenna, a stream left it's banks and flooded much a mobile home park near State Route 59. Several residents of the park had to be evacuated. Many other homes in the county also sustained damages, mainly from basement flooding. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $750,000 | A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Portage County and downed hundreds of trees and caused widespread power outages. A spotter measured a 63 mph gust in Ravenna. The southern half of the county, including the Ravenna and Kent areas saw the most extensive damage. Around 100 homes sustained damaged with one mobile home destroyed by fallen trees. Many vehicles were also reported damaged. Several roads had to be closed because of the extensive tree damage. At the peak of the storm, over 7,000 customers were without power. |
| April 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Windham | $500,000 | An EF1 tornado with estimated peak winds of 110 mph occurred in Windham. The tornado began near the intersection of OH Route 303 and Stanley Road. The tornado|produced wind damage of EF0 to low end EF1 intensity as it downed trees and damaged roofs of several buildings. The tornado continued northeastward toward Bryant Road, where the tornado caused significant damage to a large garage and moved a shed several yards, in addition to downing several trees. The tornado crossed|the Ohio Turnpike, impacted three tractor trailers, and closed the highway for some time. North of the Ohio Turnpike and off Bryant Road, the tornado heavily damaged a mobile home, flipped over a car and boat, and caused other minor structural damage,|indicative of EF1 damage. The tornado continued northeast toward Parkman Road, Crestview Drive, Wisteria Street, and Geneva Drive. This area experienced the greatest damage from the tornado, indicative of the 110 mph rating. Several homes were heavily damaged with loss of roofing material, siding, and blown out windows. Two homes were shifted off their foundations. Numerous large trees were downed onto some homes. The tornado continued northeastward and crossed OH Route 82, west of Horn Road, where several trees were snapped. The tornado continued producing tree|damage to Frazier Road before dissipating prior to reaching Silica Sand Road. |
| July 2003 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $500,000 | Thunderstorms dumped one to two inches of rain on Portage County during the evening hours. With the ground still saturated from flooding the previous week, rapid rises in streams and creeks occurred. Many roads were flooded and at least two dozen homes sustained minor flood damage. Several vehicles were stranded in flood waters up to two feet deep. In the Charlestown area, a vehicle was swept off of a flooded road. The occupant swam to a tree and was later rescued. |
| July 2003 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $500,000 | Thunderstorms dumped another inch or two of rain on already saturated grounds. Streams and creeks near bankful or already in flood quickly rose during the afternoon and evening hours. Widespread flooding was reported across the county. Homes near Mantua were reported to have as much as two feet of water on their first floors. Water up to three feet deep forced many roads to be closed near Freedom. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Suffield | $500,000 | A thunderstorm downburst produced a six mile damage path in Portage County. A 67 mph wind gust was measured in Ravenna with gusts along the remainder of the damage path estimated to be in excess of 60 mph. The damage path was oriented from southwest to northeast and began near Suffield in Suffield Township. The most significant damage occurred further northeast in Rootstown and Ravenna Townships. Especially hard hit was the City of Ravenna where over 100 trees were downed. Hundreds of additional trees were downed elsewhere along the damage path. Two mobile homes were destroyed on the north side of Ravenna. An occupant of one of the mobile homes sustained minor injuries. A home was heavily damaged in Rootstown Township with two other homes suffering minor damage. In addition, several vehicles were either destroyed or damaged. |
| August 2024 | Flash Flood | Kent | $300,000 | Widespread flash flooding in Kent and Ravenna. Several roads flooded and impassable with several feet of standing water, including OH-59 between downtown Ravenna and OH-44. Dispatch received 30 calls to assist motorists stranded in flood waters. Widespread basement flooding reported. Radar estimates and gauge measurements indicate 3 to 3.25 inches of rainfall in a two hour period. |
| August 2024 | Flash Flood | Brady Lake | $300,000 | Widespread flash flooding in Ravenna. Several roads flooded with two motorists needing rescued. Widespread flooding of mobile homes along Bramley Drive. Several reports of basement flooding throughout the city. Flooding of a church on Bridge Street was reported. Radar estimated and gauge measured rainfall of 3 to 3.5 inches fell in a 2 to 3 hours period over Ravenna. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Ravenna | $250,000 | Widespread flooding through the northern half of the county. Hewins Road in Windham Township has 6 ft. of water across the roadway. Three mobile home parks in Ravenna Township were inundated. Over 20 homes in Ravenna Township had basement flooding, with additional flooding reported throughout Nelson Township, Garrettsville, and Freedom Township. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Atwater | $250,000 | Golf ball size hail was observed. Many homes and vehicles were damaged by the hail. |
| July 2003 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $250,000 | For the second day in a row, heavy thunderstorm rains fell on Portage County. One to two inches of rain fell during the day. This rain combined with soil already saturated from flooding on the 21st caused streams and creeks near bankful or already in flood to rise dramatically during the day. Many homes and roads were damaged by this latest round of flooding. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $250,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power poles near Aurora, Mantua, Brimfield, Hiram, Garrettsville and Nelson. A barn was blown down near Nelson. Several vehicles were damaged by fallen trees. |
| July 1992 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1981 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1962 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $200,000 | Thunderstorms dumped up to four inches of rain on Portage County during the late afternoon and evening hours. Widespread street and lowland flooding occurred in the county. The flooding was most severe in Ravenna, Rootstown and Charlestown. Several streets and roads in these areas had to be closed because of high water. A house in Charlestown was severely damaged by flood waters. |
| April 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ravenna | $150,000 | An 56 knot thunderstorm wind gust was measured by the AWOS in Ravenna. Emergency Management reported one building collapsed with three others damaged. One of the damaged buildings may have shifted off its foundation. Broadcast media also relayed reports of pine trees down in the area. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Brimfield | $150,000 | Penny to golf ball size hail was observed. Many vehicles sustained damage from the hail. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Randolph | $150,000 | Golf ball size hail was observed. Also, approximately thirty trees were reported down. Many vehicles were damaged by the hail. Some crop damage was also reported. |
| April 2004 | Hail | Ravenna | $150,000 | Hail from nickel to golf ball size was observed in the Ravenna area for several minutes. Many automobiles and homes sustained minor damage. |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | $150,000 | Considerable trees and limbs were downed, some on structures, cars and power lines. Some roof damage occurred. Winds were estimated at 60 mph in Ravenna. Large hail covered the ground in some areas. |
| June 2019 | Flash Flood | Ravenna | $100,000 | Heavy rain fell across central Portage County on the evening of June 17th. Rainfall estimates from local officials were 2 to 3 inches with a few reports of 4 inches which fell in an hour. Some roads were damaged and manhole covers blown off. Ten properties sustained minor water damage to basements and first floors. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Ravenna | $100,000 | Thunderstorms produced nickel to golf ball sized hail during this event. Vehicles and homes were damaged by the large hail. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Atwater | $100,000 | Golf ball size hail was observed. Many homes and vehicles were damaged by the hail. Some crop damage was also reported. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $100,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed over 30 trees in Paris Township, five trees in Hiram and scattered trees elsewhere across the county. A roof was torn off of a garage in Paris Township. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $100,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed many trees across the county. Up to 9,000 electric customers lost power during the storm. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlestown | $100,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed over 25 trees and four power poles. One of the trees fell on a house and caused some roof damage. |
| August 1997 | Lightning | Brimfield | $95,000 | Lightning struck a house in Brimfield Township and the ensuing fire gutted the house. |
| July 2013 | Flash Flood | Streetsboro | $90,000 | Flooding was significant across the Streetsboro community on the evening of July 10th. Some of the roads that were flooded included Route 303, Russell Drive, Luke Drive, portions of Camelot Village and Fronek Road. Over a dozen cars were caught in the flood waters, and one family had to be rescued after being swept off the road and into a creek. The intensity of the rain caused several building alarms set off by high water and some traffic signals out. A nearby rain gauge measured 3.25 inches from the storm, however this rain fell quickly onto saturated ground cover. Updated storm drainage systems supported most of the runoff which reduced impacts to homes and businesses. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $80,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $75,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed several trees and large limbs across the county. Homes were damaged by fallen trees in Ravenna and Brimfield. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $75,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed many trees across the northern and central portions of Portage County. A car was damaged by a fallen tree near Brimfield. A small farm building was heavily damaged in Ravenna Township. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $75,000 | Trees downed across the county. A mobile home in Garretsville was ripped off of its foundation and blown 45 feet. Thirty trees were blown down on a golf course just north of Kent. |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rootstown | $75,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kent | $60,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed between 15 and 20 trees in Kent and surrounding Franklin Township. Two houses in Kent were damaged by fallen trees. Both houses sustained roof damage with one also having a wall knocked down. |
| May 1996 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $60,000 | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kent | $50,000 | There were numerous reports of wind damage to structures and trees. Several cars were damaged due to flying debris and falling trees.. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rootstown | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed many trees. At least five homes were damaged by fallen trees. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mantua | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed numerous large trees. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ravenna | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed numerous large trees and power poles. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Kent | $50,000 | Half dollar size hail was observed. Many vehicles sustained minor damage. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brady Lake | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed trees and large limbs throughout Portage County. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brady Lake | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed trees and large limbs throughout Portage County. |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed over two dozen trees in the county. Trees were reported downed in Ravenna, Kent, Aurora, Brimfield, Mantua and Shalersville. |
| July 2003 | Hail | Ravenna | $50,000 | Golf ball size hail was observed. Several cars were damaged. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed trees and large limbs across the county. A home in Ravenna was damaged by a fallen tree. |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mantua | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed many trees in Mantua and Rootstown. A mobile home was damaged by a fallen tree near Rootstown. |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ravenna | $50,000 | Trees downed, some on power lines. A section of roof was torn from a furniture store. |
| May 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Palmyra | $50,000 | no account filed |
| September 2014 | Tornado (EF0) | Earlville | $40,000 | The same thunderstorm that produced a weak tornado in Stow also produced a tornado a few miles away near the small village of Sugar Bush Knolls in western Portage County. This EF0 tornado initially touched down near the intersection of Spell Road and Judson Road. The tornado continued northeast for nearly a mile and crossed the Raccoon Hill Golf Club. The tornado eventually lifted after crossing Hudson Road. Many trees were downed along the damage patch which was up to 50 yards in width. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 60 workings inside this county. 33 still produce and 27 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 58 |
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 2 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage Plant | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Portage Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| American Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Auburn Aggregates Pit & Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Plant | ||
| Beck Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Beck Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Becks Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Brimfield Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Brimfield Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Charlestown Sand and Gravel, Inc. | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Deerfield Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Donald Wartko Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Donald Wartko Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| General Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Haueter Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Hilltop Aggregate, Inc. | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Hilltop Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Howitt Plant & Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Plant | ||
| Hugo Sand Co. Dredge | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Jefferson Materials Company Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Karg Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Karg Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Plant | ||
| Karl Brugmann Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Karl Brugmann Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Lakeside Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Lakeside Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Lappins Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Leone Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Lucky Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Lucky Sand and Gravel Company Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Miller Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Miller Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Miller Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Miller Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Oscar Brugmann Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Oscar Brugmann Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| R.A. Cruise Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| R.A. Cruise Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Sand Inc Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Sand Pit Products Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Sand Pit Products Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Sand, Incorporated Dredge | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Sand, Incorporated Dredge | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Shalersville Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Shalerville Sand & Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Plant | ||
| Sober Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Solon Sand & Gravel Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Plant | ||
| Solon Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Streetsboro Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Stroup Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Stroup and Sons Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Terra Vista Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Treat Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Twin Lakes Sand Inc. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Twin Lakes Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Twin Lakes Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Twin Lakes Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Twin Lakes Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Valley Sand & Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Wartko Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Museum specimens collected inside this county and catalogued with a date and a place: 1,278 of them, by kingdom 905 animalia, 324 plantae, 42 fungi, 5 unrecorded, 1 bacteria. Each is a physical object in a named collection, not a sighting. Held by Cleveland Museum of Natural History, OH (CLEV), CM, Ohio State University - Fish Division, Columbus, OH (OSUM), USNM, UMMZ, OSUC 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 | Year | Species | Kingdom | Where | Collector | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1880 | Icterus galbula (Linnaeus, 1758) | Animalia | Atwater, Near | Collection of R. Spires | WFVZ 217658 |
 | 1883 | Colaptes auratus luteus Bangs, 1898 | Animalia | Ravenna | John C. Catlin | YPM YPM ORN 015968 |
 | 1883 | Dolichonyx oryzivorus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Animalia | Ravenna | John C. Catlin | YPM YPM ORN 023135 |
 | 1884 | Lepidozia reptans (L.) Dumort. | Plantae | not stated | Czekaj | AMU POZW-0007888 |
 | 1884 | Pyganodon grandis (Say, 1829) | Animalia | Garretsville | G. Dean | USNM USNM 519298 |
 | 1885 | Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Animalia | Windham | Collector(s): S. N. Denton | CHAS CHAS:Bird:8125 |
 | 1889 | Glaucomys volans volans (Linnaeus, 1758) | Animalia | Ravenna | C. P. Streator | FMNH 4755 |
 | 1893 | Ambloplites rupestris (Rafinesque, 1817) | Animalia | Cuyahoga River, Mantau, Ohio | A. Woolman | USNM USNM 69399 |
History of Portage County, Ohio devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 22 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
Everyone History of Portage County, Ohio stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1885.
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.
Garrettsville village · 44231 · On Camp Creek · Garrettsville quadrangle
13 sheets, 1905 to 1994
Fire insurance: 6 atlases
Kent city · 44240 · On Nash Hill · Kent quadrangle
14 sheets, 1906 to 1994
Fire insurance: 9 atlases
Charlestown township · 44266 · On Hinkley Creek · Ravenna quadrangle
15 sheets, 1906 to 1994
Freedom township · 44255 · On Black Creek · Mantua quadrangle
13 sheets, 1905 to 1994
Edinburg township · 44266 · On Silver Creek · Deerfield quadrangle
14 sheets, 1906 to 1994
Ravenna township · 44266 · On Clara Root Creek · Ravenna quadrangle
15 sheets, 1906 to 1994
Charlestown township · 44266 · On Hinkley Creek · Ravenna quadrangle
15 sheets, 1906 to 1994
Charlestown township · 44266 · On Hinkley Creek · Ravenna quadrangle
15 sheets, 1906 to 1994
Deerfield township · 44411 · On Willow Creek · Deerfield quadrangle
14 sheets, 1906 to 1994
Charlestown township · 44266 · On Goose Island · Windham quadrangle
13 sheets, 1906 to 1994
No longer a settlement
Shalersville township · 44255 · On Elliman Run · Kent quadrangle
14 sheets, 1906 to 1994
Charlestown township · Windham quadrangle
13 sheets, 1906 to 1994
No longer a settlement
Paris township · 44444 · Windham quadrangle
13 sheets, 1906 to 1994
No longer a settlement
Brimfield township · 44260 · Suffield quadrangle
11 sheets, 1906 to 1994
No longer a settlement
Nelson township · 44231 · On Camp Creek · Garrettsville quadrangle
13 sheets, 1905 to 1994
Deerfield township · 44411 · On Mill Creek · Deerfield quadrangle
14 sheets, 1906 to 1994
No longer a settlement
Palmyra township · 44411 · Deerfield quadrangle
14 sheets, 1906 to 1994
No longer a settlement
Windham township · 44231 · On Mahoning Creek · Garrettsville quadrangle
13 sheets, 1905 to 1994
Charlestown township · 44266 · On Hinkley Creek · Ravenna quadrangle
15 sheets, 1906 to 1994
Rootstown township · 44272 · On New Milford Creek · Atwater quadrangle
18 sheets, 1906 to 1994
Deerfield township · 44449 · On Mill Creek · Alliance quadrangle
20 sheets, 1909 to 1994
Windham township · 44231 · On Mahoning Creek · Garrettsville quadrangle
13 sheets, 1905 to 1994
Randolph township · 44201 · On Cranberry Creek · Atwater quadrangle
18 sheets, 1906 to 1994
Rootstown township · 44272 · On New Milford Creek · Atwater quadrangle
18 sheets, 1906 to 1994
Rootstown township · 44266 · On New Milford Creek · Atwater quadrangle
18 sheets, 1906 to 1994
14 topographic sheets and 9 fire insurance atlases, 1884 to 1947
15 topographic sheets and 9 fire insurance atlases, 1884 to 1949
13 topographic sheets and 6 fire insurance atlases, 1884 to 1928
13 topographic sheets and 5 fire insurance atlases, 1900 to 1950
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.
The vanished settlements of Portage County, the places these records name that are no longer on the map.
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