Decorative drawing: a small American settlement seen from a low hill. Not a photograph of this place.

Danville, Ohio

12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1912 and the latest in 1966. It stands in Union Township. It lies in ZIP code area 43014. The Survey maps it on the Danville quadrangle. 1,019 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 994 feet above sea level.

Danville within Knox County

Population over time

2 figures

Danville fell from 1,044 to 1,019 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

Year	People	Change
2010	1,044
2020	1,019	-25 (-2%)

Then and now

1912 to 1966

The same ground, surveyed 54 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Danville, surveyed 1966

Topographic sheet of Danville, surveyed 1912

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

In the county-history sources

10,681 words on this township

A History of Knox County, Ohio, from 1779 to 1862 Inclusive; Comprising Biographical Sketches, Anecdotes .., published 1862; History of Knox County, Ohio, Its Past and Present, Containing a Condensed, Comprehensive History of Ohio, Including an Outline History of the Northwest; a Complete History of Knox County ... a Record of Its Soldiers in the Late War; Portraits of Its Early Settlers and Prominent Men ... Biographies and Histories of Pioneer Families, Etc, published 1881 names this settlement in its chapter on Union Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

The towns of Danville, Millwood and Oavallo are in this township. The first is one of the oldest in the county. For the past twenty years it has not improved much. It is the oldest post-ofiice in the eastern part of Knox: its post-masters have been W. R. Sapp, Enoch Sapp. G. H. Davidson, and S. W. Sapp. Oavallo was a great place on paper in the days of the Canal fever. While Isaac Means, S. W. Farquhar, W. Y. Richardson, D. S. Fairchild, 0. Keller, H. Thomas and others lived there it had much trade. From 1813 to 1818 were its best days ; then, almost all the exports and imports of Knox were through this port, four large warehouses were erected, and goods were sold by wholesale ; now, the only man living within its limits is i*^elson Thatcher, and his neighbor on the old Butler farm is Solomon Gearner. The future

Passage source: A History of Knox County, Ohio, from 1779 to 1862 Inclusive; Comprising Biographical Sketches, Anecdotes .., published 1862.

John Welker, sr., came from Pennsylvania in 1808, settling on section fifteen. About the same time his brother, David Welker, came. The Welkers were of German descent. These pioneers were industrious, energetic, hard-working men. They had to encounter all the privations of early occupation of unsettled territory. At that early day they packed their salt and other necessaries with horse and pack-saddle from Zanesville, through an almost unbroken wilderness, and did their milling at the same place. In the War of 181 2 John Welker served as a high private, and received a land warrant for his services, and that was the highest position he ever sought. Although often urged by his neighbors to accept office, he always refused. He reared a family of fourteen children, all of whom lived to the age of manhood and womanhood. One of his sons, Martin Welker, born in Union in 1819, left the farm in 1831, and went with his brother, John, jr., to clerk in his store at Millwood, where he remained several years. He intended to make a merchant of himself, but an incident occurred, which changed his plans of life. In the store one day, a man offered him a bank bill which, on inspection he found to be counterfeit, and so informed the man. It was passed on another individual, and he prosecuted, and Martin was subpoened as a witness, before the grand jury at Mt. Vernon. He attended, and was compelled to remain several days. He had never seen a court, or a live judge. He there saw Judge Dean, then in the prime of life on the bench, and who seemed to him a much greater man than General Jackson, of whom he had heard. He also there saw Brown, the Curtises, Delano and other lawyers engaged in court matters, and he concluded it would be a great thing himslf to be a lawyer. Sitting beside another boy of his acqaintance, he informed him that he would be a lawyer and a judge, and some day take the place of Judge Dean. He kept that resolve before him, and worked for that aim and purpose, and within twenty years, with their great changes, he became a lawyer, and was elected in 1851, judge of the district over Judge Dean, who was his opponent at the election. He sat upon the same bench, held the same court at Mt. Vernon, the holding which by Judge Dean had inspired his youthful ambition. After leaving his brother's store, he studied law with the late Hon. W. R. Sapp at Millersburgh, Holmes county, and subsequently practiced law in partnership with him for several years. In 1851 he was elected judge of the sixth district as before mentioned. In 1857 he was elected by the Republicans, lieutenant-governor on the ticket with Governor Salmon P. Chase. He served one term, and declined a renomination. In 1864 he was nominated for Congress for the fourteenth district, and elected, and was reelected in 1866 and 1868, serving six years in Congress. During the war he served as as aid-de-camp to Governor Dennison, and assistant adjutant general with Governor David Tod, with the rank of colonel. In November, 1873, he was appointed by President Grant, district judge for the United States, for the Northern district of Ohio, which office he still holds. John Welker, sr., lived many years in the enjoyment of the fruits of his pioneer labors. He died in 1869.

Passage source: History of Knox County, Ohio, Its Past and Present, Containing a Condensed, Comprehensive History of Ohio, Including an Outline History of the Northwest; a Complete History of Knox County ... a Record of Its Soldiers in the Late War; Portraits of Its Early Settlers and Prominent Men ... Biographies and Histories of Pioneer Families, Etc, published 1881.

William Lydick, a brother-in-law of John Welker, sr., came at the same time with him to Union township. He settled on section sixteen. He was married while residing in Pennsylvania to Miss Catharine Welker. He continued to reside in Union until his death in 1861. One of his sons, Reuben, still lives here.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Union Township - it names this place 12 more 12 times.

Photographs

1 photograph, 2016

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.

Autumn is upon you in rural Knox County, Ohio, near Danville
Highsmith, Carol M, 2016. Library of Congress

Fires near this place

57 since 2004

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 57 fires within 5 miles of Danville between 2004 and 2020, burning about 49 acres in total. None started naturally. 3 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Debris and open burning	40
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	8
Arson/incendiarism	3
Recreation and ceremony	3
Equipment and vehicle use	2
Power generation/transmission/distribution	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
9 August 2020	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Ohio Department of Natural Resources	15805
14 August 2020	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Ohio Department of Natural Resources	15810
5 July 2017	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Ohio Department of Natural Resources	8446
11 July 2017	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Ohio Department of Natural Resources	8508
8 May 2019	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Ohio Department of Natural Resources	15191
8 May 2015	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	Ohio Department of Natural Resources	1206
5 May 2015	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Ohio Department of Natural Resources	1202
3 May 2015	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	Ohio Department of Natural Resources	1104

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Knox County

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 257 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 257 specimens collected within 10 miles of Danville between 1890 and 1974: 224 Animalia, 20 Plantae, 13 Fungi. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by C F WALKER, C. Stein, R. Johnson & J. Jenkinson, Collector unknown and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Species	Year	Collected by	Where, as recorded
Puccinia galii (Pers.) Schwein.	1896	F. L. Stevens	Hayden Falls
Taphrina deformans (Berk.) Tul.	1897	F.L. Stevens
Lampetra aepyptera (Abbott, 1860)	1890	Parker, J. B.	Big Jelloway Creek, within in Knox County OH no other locality info coordinates approximate
Aesculus hippocastanum L.	1892	Collector unspecified
Cornus florida L.	1892	Collector unknown
Cypripedium parviflorum var. makasin (Farw.) Sheviak	1892	M. C. Ferguson	Gambier
Erythronium americanum Ker Gawl.	1892	M. Warner	Gambier
Oxalis violacea L.	1892	Collector unspecified
Polytrichum commune Hedw.	1892	not recorded	Gambier
Rumex acetosella L.	1892	Collector unspecified
Rumex obtusifolius L.	1892	M. C. Ferguson
Puccinia eatoniae Arthur	1897	W. A. Kellerman	Brinkhaven.

All 257 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this place

7 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Danville: 5 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Flagstone. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
Briar Hill Brinkhaven Pit	Flagstone	Producer
Brinkhaven Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer	Sedimentary
Brinkhaven Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Number 6 Quarry	Flagstone	Past Producer
Knox County Quarries	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer	Sedimentary
Millwood Sand Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer	Sedimentary
Millwood Sand Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer

Every working recorded in Knox County

Storms near this place

23 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Danville in 23 storm reports between 1994 and 2022: 18 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 1 tornado, 1 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
July 2013	Flood	Danville	$200,000	In Knox County water had closed sections of Waterford, Quaker, Darlington, Yankee, Toms, Lock, Orange Hill, Lanning, Wally and Knox Lake roads. According to the Knox County EMA, Fredericktown and Danville were hit the hardest in that area. Campers were moved to higher ground at Camp Kokosing after the North Branch of the Kokosing River inundated the campground with 3 to 5 feet of water. Several camper trailers were inundated.
October 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$100,000	Thunderstorm winds destroyed a three story 30 by 50 foot barn. A power pole nearby fell on a car and severely damaged it.
July 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$25,000	Thunderstorm winds downed many trees.
June 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$15,000	Thunderstorm winds downed many trees.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$10,000	Several trees and power lines were blown down.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$10,000	Several trees and power lines were blown down around Danville.
May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$10,000	Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees in northeastern Knox County near Greer.
June 1998	Tornado (F0)	Danville	$10,000	A tornado touched down south of Danville and remained on the ground for a short time. Numerous trees were downed.
August 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$7,000	Thunderstorm winds downed two trees and a few large limbs.
April 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$5,000	Trees were downed.
September 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$5,000	Trees were downed, some on power lines.
July 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$4,000	The post office reported trees down with hail of unknown size.
July 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$2,000	Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree across U.S. Highway 36 just west of the county line.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$2,000	Thunderstorm winds downed a tree and large limb.
August 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$2,000	Trees were downed.
May 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$1,000	Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree limb.
August 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	$1,000	A tree and a large limb was reported down.
June 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	-	Numerous trees downed in Danville.
August 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	-	Numerous trees and power lines downed in Danville.
May 2014	Hail	Danville	-	Nickel sized hail was observed.
July 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Danville	-	Thunderstorm winds downed a tree and a few large limbs.
June 2010	Hail	Danville	-	Penny sized hail was observed.
April 2010	Hail	Danville	-	Nickel to quarter sized hail was observed.

Every storm recorded in Knox County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Place	Distance	Sheets
Buckeye City	0.3 miles	12
Oak Hill	2.5 miles	12
Millwood	3.4 miles	12
Brinkhaven	3.8 miles	12
Hollisters (historical)	4.5 miles	12
Howard	4.5 miles	12
Umbria (historical)	5.0 miles	12
Zuck	5.0 miles	12

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on Danville	An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2216280	The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1039574. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

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.