44 topographic sheets and 20 fire insurance atlases across 3 places.
7 National Register listings published here · 48 businesses named in the fire insurance atlases from 1890 to 1946 · the county-history sources name 8 people · people the book names include Streams, Soil And General Features (Jerome Township, 1915) · Vote For Governor (Claibourne Township, 1883) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Elmwood Place | building | 1979 | 79001972 |
 | Fort, The | building | 1982 | 82003662 |
| Gilcrist House | building | 1976 | 76001537 | |
 | Dr. David W. Henderson House | building | 2001 | 01000391 |
| Marysville Historic District | district | 1978 | 78002201 | |
| Oakdale Cemetery Historic District | district | 2024 | 100010203 | |
 | Reed Covered Bridge | structure | 1975 | 75001547 |
Union County has 1 covered bridge on the National Register. Each is a listed structure with a federal nomination on file.
| Reed Covered Bridge | Listed 1975, 12 map sheets show this crossing |
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. The Survey holds 558 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 35 frames below were taken over the county itself, chosen across the decades of flights (at most four a year from that rectangle), 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 thermometers that kept this county's weather, and the gages that measured the flow of its streams, 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. 7 of these 48 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.
Carriage Shop
1895 to 1901, named in 2 atlases
Read elsewhere as Bellus, L. E., Carriage Shop.
Church
named once, in the 1921 atlas
Appears in 1921
Read elsewhere as Baptist Church (colored).
School
named once, in the 1921 atlas
Appears in 1921
Read elsewhere as High School, The.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 274 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 11 injuries and about $5,541,030 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 147 |
| Hail | 67 |
| Flood | 31 |
| Flash Flood | 15 |
| Tornado | 12 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1965 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 5 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1981 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | 3 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| November 2002 | Tornado (F3) | Raymond | 2 hurt, $500,000 | The tornado moved into the northwest part of the county from Logan County, tracking northeast across rural areas. Nine homes were damaged, four of which were completely destroyed. Half a dozen barn and sheds were destroyed. A 400-foot metal hi-tension cellular tower was toppled and destroyed and numerous cars were totalled. The worst damage occurred to a modular home along Newton-Perkins Road. Two individuals in the home were severely injured. |
| June 1973 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | 1 hurt, $2,500 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Flash Flood | Countywide | $3,000,000 | Thunderstorms moved repeatedly over the same areas causing most creeks and streams to overflow their banks and flood county roads. Several residents were evacuated as up to 7.5 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours. |
| March 2024 | Tornado (EF2) | Lunda | $500,000 | The tornado developed in far western Union County near Newton Perkins Road and strengthened as it moved east across Lunda and Morse Roads where it caused some roof damage to homes. The tornado quickly strengthened further and affected a number of homes along Evans Road as it crossed State Route 739 and then continued southeast to areas just north of Broadway. Across portions of that corridor, damage was consistent with wind speeds of 115 to 125 mph. One modular home was completely destroyed with its contents thrown downstream nearly a half mile and another home lost a majority of its roof with exterior wall collapse. ||Significant tree damage was observed near Broadway, including in a cemetery just to the east of Broadway. As the tornado passed Broadway and continued southeast across State Routes 31 and 4, a number of additional homes and barns were impacted, with roof damage being common. Tree damage along the entire length of the tornado was considerable with trees uprooted and trunks snapped. The tornado crossed into Delaware County about 4 miles northeast of New Dover at 1948EST. The tornado continued east across far western Delaware County before ending at 1952EST, about 2 miles northeast of Ostrander. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $250,000 | Numerous trees and power lines were downed throughout Union County, including in the Marysville area. |
| June 2010 | Tornado (EF0) | West Marysville | $64,000 | Damage from the tornado consisted of several large tree limbs and trees down. Light structural damage occurred to several homes near State Route 38 and Timberview Drive. This damage included the loss of shingles and siding. The most significant damage occurred to a home along State Route 38 which suffered near total roof loss. Based on the damage, wind speeds were estimated to be around 85 miles per hour. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Raymond | $50,000 | A detached garage was destroyed, and a flat bed trailer was flipped on its side. A nearby residence sustained minor roof damage. |
| November 2002 | Tornado (F1) | York Center | $50,000 | A tornado briefly touched down near the intersection of Boundary and McPeek Roads, causing damage to a barn and the roof of a nearby home. |
| September 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Milford Center | $50,000 | Numerous trees were knocked down and some damage occurred to homes and businesses. |
| June 1998 | Flash Flood | South Portion | $50,000 | Frp, |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plain City | $50,000 | A roof was blown off a barn and trees downed. |
| April 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Dover | $35,000 | A barn was destroyed on White Stone Road, along with several large trees knocked down and damage to several other small structures. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Magnetic Spgs | $25,000 | Barn damaged and numerous trees downed. Two of the trees fell across homes causing considerable damage. |
| July 1966 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| September 1963 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Richwood | $20,000 | Numerous trees were downed and a trailer was destroyed. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | York Center | $20,000 | Structural damage occurred to an industrial building due to thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Essex | $20,000 | A roof was blown off of a home northwest of Richwood due to thunderstorm winds. |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Peoria | $20,000 | A church had its chimney blown off the foundation and a few windows blown out. A nearby shed was also destroyed. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $20,000 | Large trees were downed. A well constructed tool shed was heavily damaged and a corn bin was blown across a road. |
| August 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plain City | $20,000 | Trees downed across the country, one of which fell on a house. |
| December 2024 | Tornado (EF0) | West Marysville | $15,000 | The weak tornado began on a property near Payne Road just west of Marysville, Ohio. The tornado toppled a small silo, several small to medium-sized trees, and caused minor damage to an older barn and a few roof shingles. Additional damage occurred to a large metal barn located around a third of a mile to the north. This barn sustained uplift of the roof along with partial collapse of the metal walls. In addition, several trees were snapped in the woods adjacent to the barn. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $15,000 | A barn and roof was damaged due to thunderstorm winds. |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $15,000 | Several trees and large limbs were knocked down. Fallen trees caused damage to two homes in town, and a business lost part of its roof. |
| June 1995 | Hail | North Half | $15,000 | Trees were downed in several locations, some on cars and across power lines. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $12,000 | A garage sustained minor damage on Robinson Road. Trees and powerlines were downed across the county. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $10,000 | A large oak tree snapped and fell onto a house. |
| April 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Richwood Grindell Ar | $10,000 | Several power poles were downed on Boundary Road. |
| September 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Magnetic Spgs | $10,000 | Several large trees were downed near the intersection of Springdale and Lowe Roads. One tree fell onto a house and a barn was also blown over. |
| March 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $10,000 | Part of a roof was blown of a barn and damage occurred to a garage due to damaging thunderstorm winds. |
| January 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $10,000 | A mobile home roof became partially loose in the Hillcrest Mobile Home Park. Large tree limbs were downed as well. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Richwood | $10,000 | A trailer was blown over at a construction site. Three power poles were downed along with 1.00 hail. |
| November 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $10,000 | Trees and large limbs knocked down in several locations across the county. |
| September 2000 | Flash Flood | Plain City | $10,000 | Heavy rainfall flooded Highway 42 across the southern part of the county. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Richwood | $10,000 | Several trees downed. |
| June 1995 | Hail | North Half | $10,000 | Large hail destroyed crops and damaged automobiles. |
| April 2002 | Hail | Richwood | $10,000 | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Summersville | $8,000 | Several trees and power lines were downed, primarily across the northern part of the county. |
| April 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Irwin | $8,000 | Numerous trees were knocked down at residences on Champaign County Line Road. Also, minor roof damage occurred to a barn. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Unionville Center | $8,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused garage damage to a house on Darby Blvd West. Several trees were also downed. |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $8,000 | Several trees were knocked down. One tree fell onto a house on Raymond Road, causing minor damage. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $7,000 | Trees and power lines were downed at several locations. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pharisburg | $6,000 | Several trees were downed between Richwood and Milford Center. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Dover | $6,000 | Part of a barn roof was removed at a residence on White Stone Road. Also, some branches were knocked down. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Summersville | $5,000 | Several trees were downed. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jerome | $5,000 | Multiple utility poles were downed, causing a road closure at the intersection of Jerome Road and Blaney Road. |
| April 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Dover | $5,000 | A box truck was blown over on US-33 near Beecher Gamble Road. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $5,000 | Multiple trees and limbs were knocked down in the area. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pharisburg | $5,000 | Structural damage occurred to a barn due to thunderstorm winds. |
| November 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Essex | $5,000 | A roof was blown off of a barn near the Union and Marion County line due to thunderstorm winds. |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $5,000 | Numerous trees were downed across the southeast portion fo the county. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $5,000 | Trees and powerlines were blown down across town. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $5,000 | Several trees downed. |
| April 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $5,000 | Trees were blown down along state route 245. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Summersville | $5,000 | Several trees downed. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Milford Center | $5,000 | Trees and power lines downed. |
| May 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $5,000 | Numerous trees downed. |
| August 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Marysville | $5,000 | no account filed |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 3 workings inside this county. All of them still produce. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockhold Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Union Aggregates Company | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Union Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Museum specimens collected in and around this county - inside the rectangle that bounds it - and catalogued with a date and a place: 758 of them, by kingdom 717 animalia, 28 fungi, 12 plantae, 1 unrecorded. Each is a physical object in a named collection, not a sighting. Held by Ohio State University - Fish Division, Columbus, OH (OSUM), UMMZ, Ohio State University - Bird Division, Columbus, OH (OSUM), Ohio State University - Amphibian Division, Columbus, OH (OSUM), Ohio State University - Mammal Division, Columbus, OH (OSUM), FMNH 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 | Ardea herodias herodias Linnaeus, 1758 | Animalia | Marysville, Union, Ohio, USA | not recorded | Ohio State University - Bird Division, Columbus, OH (OSUM) OSUM Birds B 443 |
 | 1881 | Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) | Animalia | Pleasant Valley, Union, Ohio, USA | not recorded | Ohio State University - Bird Division, Columbus, OH (OSUM) OSUM Birds B 1575 |
 | 1892 | Galium circaezans Michx. | Plantae | Prospect | E E Bogue | KU 235334 |
| 1894 | Anomodon rostratus (Hedw.) Schimp. | Plantae | not stated | Mrs. Smyth | NY 513239 | |
 | 1894 | Leucobryum glaucum (Hedw.) Ångstr. | Plantae | not stated | not recorded | NY 344617 |
 | 1894 | Tetraphis pellucida Hedw. | Plantae | not stated | not recorded | NY 374294 |
 | 1894 | Thelia asprella (Schimp.) Sull. | Plantae | not stated | Mrs. Smyth | NY 707433 |
| 1897 | Uredo | Fungi | not stated | W. A. Kellerman | F C0293220F |
History of Union County, Ohio; Its People, Industries and Institutions devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 13 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.
2 books written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 34 chapters in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| The Town of Marysville - Paris Township | 34,063 words in 3 parts |
| Mill Creek Township | 6,789 words |
| Biographical sketches | 8,044 words |
Everyone History of Union County, Ohio; Its People, Industries and Institutions 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 1915.
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 nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on. The 3 places that were also surveyed for fire insurance come first, with the number of atlases and photographs held for them.
Paris township · 43040 · On Crosses Run · Marysville quadrangle
12 sheets, 1916 to 1992
Fire insurance: 8 atlases
Union township · 43045 · On Hay Run · Milford Center quadrangle
12 sheets, 1916 to 1992
Fire insurance: 5 atlases
Claibourne township · 43344 · On Peacock Run · Richwood quadrangle
11 sheets, 1913 to 1992
Fire insurance: 7 atlases
Allen township · 43040 · On Bear Swamp Run · Milford Center quadrangle
12 sheets, 1916 to 1992
Paris township · 43040 · On Phelps Run · Magnetic Springs quadrangle
13 sheets, 1913 to 1992
Dover township · 43040 · On Tombstone Creek · Marysville quadrangle
12 sheets, 1916 to 1992
Paris township · 43040 · On Crosses Run · Marysville quadrangle
12 sheets, 1916 to 1992
Paris township · 43040 · On Phelps Run · Magnetic Springs quadrangle
13 sheets, 1913 to 1992
Washington township · 43340 · On Rocky Fork · York Center quadrangle
12 sheets, 1913 to 1992
No longer a settlement
Paris township · 43040 · On Crosses Run · Marysville quadrangle
12 sheets, 1916 to 1992
Dover township · 43040 · On Tombstone Creek · Marysville quadrangle
12 sheets, 1916 to 1992
Paris township · 43040 · On Crosses Run · Marysville quadrangle
12 sheets, 1916 to 1992
Dover township · 43040 · On Tombstone Creek · Marysville quadrangle
12 sheets, 1916 to 1992
Allen township · 43040 · On Bear Swamp Run · East Liberty quadrangle
14 sheets, 1913 to 1992
York township · 43344 · On Powder Lick Run · York Center quadrangle
12 sheets, 1913 to 1992
Taylor township · 43067 · Peoria quadrangle
14 sheets, 1913 to 1992
No longer a settlement
Paris township · 43040 · On Phelps Run · Magnetic Springs quadrangle
13 sheets, 1913 to 1992
The vanished settlements of Union County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
12 topographic sheets and 8 fire insurance atlases, 1885 to 1942
11 topographic sheets and 7 fire insurance atlases, 1885 to 1944
12 topographic sheets and 5 fire insurance atlases, 1901 to 1946
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 Union County, the places these records name that are no longer on the map.
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