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

Eaton, Ohio

11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1911 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Eaton City. It lies in ZIP code area 45320. The Survey maps it on the Eaton South quadrangle. 8,375 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,040 feet above sea level.

Research this city

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

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Eaton within Preble County

Population over time

2 figures

Eaton fell from 8,407 to 8,375 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	8,407
2020	8,375	-32 (-0%)

Then and now

1911 to 1986

The same ground, surveyed 75 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Eaton, surveyed 1986

Topographic sheet of Eaton, surveyed 1911

Compare 1911 against another survey:

Topographic sheets covering this place

11 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

1,164 words on this township

History of Preble County Ohio, published 1881 names this settlement in its chapter on Eaton City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

In laying before our patrons the history of Preble county, the publishers wish not only to return thanks to all who have given them encouragement in their undertaking and assistance in carrying out their plans, but to make especial acknowledgment of services afforded, and courtesies extended by many citizens of Eaton and of the various townships of the county. Some measure of assistance in collecting and compiling the materials which compose this volume, it is safe to say, has been Fully that number of people have been interviewed by our historians received from, at least, a thousand persons. and note-collectors. While we wish all to feel themselves the recipients. of our gratitude, we desire also to address our thanks personally to a few individuals who have been qualified and enabled, through the possession of, or ability to secure information upon, certain single topics, to lend the members of our writing corps invaluable aid. To the clergy generally, the editors of the several newspapers and the always painstaking and obliging county officials we extend our sincerest thanks for many favors received. Among individuals we feel it our duty even at the risk of being invidious, to mention gratefully-as those from whom important assistance has been secured, Thomas J. Larsh, esq., Judge John V. Campbell, Levin T. McCabe, Judge Curry, S. H. Hubbell, R. G. D. Mc- Kemy, Jacob Chambers, Alfred Demy, C. W. Moore, Frank Mitchell, Dr. F. M. Michael and Robert W. Quinn, esq., all of Eaton, as well as Col. George D. Hendricks and Joseph D. Tracey, late of the same place, and that old-time and always esteemed citizen-of Eaton, now and for many years a resident of Indianapolis - Mr. George Bruce. To the late Dr. W. H. H. B. Minor, whose death has occurred since the inception of this ' work, we have been largely indebted for facts in connection with the history of Eaton.

Passage source: History of Preble County Ohio, published 1881.

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 Eaton City.

Photographs

1 photograph,

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.

Roberts Bridge, Old Camden Pike, Spanning Seven Mile Creek, Eaton, Preble County, OH
Unattributed, . Library of Congress

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 890 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 890 specimens collected within 10 miles of Eaton between 1877 and 1974: 819 Animalia, 46 Fungi, 25 Plantae. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A.R. Gaufin, H.H. Ross, Arden R. Gaufin, B. Fink 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
Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.	1877	Matthes,B.	USA, Ohio, Hamilton County, Camden
Uromyces ari-triphylli (Schwein.) Seeler	1901	W. A. Kellerman	West Alexandria
Equisetum arvense L.	1940	Hoermans	Camden.
Uria lomvia lomvia (Linnaeus, 1758)	1896	Stewart, R. T. (Robert T.)	Israel Twp, Fairhaven, Preble, Ohio, USA
Phyllosticta Pers., 1818	1901	W. A. Kellerman
Puccinia circaeae Pers.	1901	W. A. Kellerman	West Alexandria
Septoria oenotherae Westend.	1901	W. A. Kellerman
Uromyces caladii (Schwein.) Farl.	1901	W. A. Kellerman	West Alexandria
Porella platyphylla (L.) Pfeiff.	1910	Braun, Lucy E.
Collybia zonata (Peck) Sacc.	1911	Overholts, L. O.	Camden
Crinipellis zonata (Peck) Sacc.	1911	L. O. Overholts	Camden
Gymnopus dryophilus (Bull.) Murrill	1911	L. O. Overholts	Camden

All 890 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Storms near this place

60 of 75 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Eaton in 75 storm reports between 1994 and 2023: 43 thunderstorm wind, 19 hail, 10 flash flood, 2 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
March 2020	Flash Flood	Eaton	$30,000	Rapidly rising water caused a portion of a basement wall to collapse, flooding the lowest level of the structure.
August 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$30,000	Fifteen or more large trees were knocked down near Eaton High School. An equipment trailer and a marching band tower were blown over by high wind, and there was damage to fencing at the athletic complex. Also, shingle damage occurred to roofs along Hillcrest Drive from wind and hail.
May 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$20,000	A two story 100 foot by 100 foot barn was destroyed. A camper was blown into the road near the intersection of US Route 35 and Wayne Trace Road just east of Eaton.
May 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$15,000	A tree fell onto a car.
April 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$15,000	A gas station canopy was blown over due to thunderstorm winds.
June 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$12,000	Twelve power poles were snapped along State Route 122.
June 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$12,000	Twelve power poles were snapped along State Route 122.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$10,000	Several trees and power lines were downed in the Eaton area.
May 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$10,000	A roof was peeled off of a barn, and a few trees were downed.
May 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$8,000	A truck was overturned due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
July 2006	Flood	Eaton	$7,000	Numerous roads were flooded and closed. Several homes had flooding in their basements.
May 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$6,000	A gust of 60 mph was measured by a trained spotter with wind equipment. Also, several trees were knocked down in Camden.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$5,000	A few trees were downed near the intersection of State Route 127 and Consolidated Road.
June 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$5,000	A tree fell and knocked down a power pole and line due onto a highway due to damaging thunderstorm winds. Numerous tree limbs were also down in town.
March 2011	Flood	Eaton	$5,000	Several roads were flooded due to heavy rainfall.
July 2000	Flash Flood	Eaton	$5,000	Over 2 inches of rain fell in just a few hours causing roads to become flooded.
April 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$5,000	Trees were downed by winds measured at 60 mph.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$3,000	A few trees were downed.
December 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$3,000	Several trees were downed in the Eaton area.
June 2020	Flash Flood	Eaton	$3,000	Widespread flooding was reported with some cars under water.
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$3,000	Multiple trees were downed in the city of Eaton.
June 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$3,000	Several large trees were knocked down at the Eaton Country Club.
June 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$3,000	Several power poles knocked down on Route 122.
June 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$3,000	Large trees were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$3,000	A few trees were downed.
May 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$3,000	Trees and power lines were knocked down near the intersection of US Route 40 and Gettysburg Road.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$3,000	A few large limbs were downed.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$3,000	Trees and power lines were downed.
June 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$3,000	Large tree limbs were downed with patio furniture destroyed at a residence.
June 2001	Flash Flood	Eaton	$3,000	Street flooding reported in town
February 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$3,000	Trees and power poles were knocked down.
August 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$3,000	Numerous large limbs downed.
November 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$2,000	A few trees were downed on the south side of Eaton.
August 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$2,000	Some lights and signs were damaged on a few buildings along U.S. 127 North.
June 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$2,000	Power poles were knocked down on U.S. Route 35 near the Henny Penny Corporation.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$2,000	Two trees were knocked down.
June 2001	Flash Flood	Eaton	$2,000	A few streets flooded in and around town
December 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$1,500	One large tree was knocked down.
December 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$1,500	One large tree was knocked down.
June 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$1,000	A large tree was downed on Eaton Gettysburg Road.
July 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$1,000	A healthy 18 to 24 inch diameter tree was uprooted.
February 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$1,000	One foot diameter tree, which was at least 60 feet tall, was knocked down on Antioch Road.
July 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$1,000	Numerous tree limbs were downed.
July 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$1,000	A large tree was downed near State Route 122.
June 2014	Flash Flood	Eaton	$1,000	Flash flooding was reported along Vine Street due to heavy rainfall.
July 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$1,000	Several trees were reported down due to damaging thunderstorm winds.
April 2011	Heavy Rain	Eaton	$1,000	Roads were closed due to high water from heavy rainfall.
September 2006	Hail	Eaton	$1,000	no account filed
June 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$500	One large branch was downed.
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$500	A tree was downed onto Maple Street.
June 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	$500	Two large limbs were knocked down.
March 2020	Flash Flood	Eaton	-	Water was running over Waynes Trace Road.
June 2020	Flash Flood	Eaton	-	A manhole cover was being pushed up by water in Eaton.
April 2018	Flash Flood	Eaton	-	Water was covering the road.
April 2018	Flash Flood	Eaton	-	Water was covering the road.
June 2009	Hail	Eaton	-	One and three quarter inch to two inch hail fell in Eaton. Reported by spotters and public.
September 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Eaton	-	A 65 mph wind gust was reported by a spotter.
July 2020	Hail	Eaton	-	no account filed
July 2016	Hail	Eaton	-	no account filed
April 2012	Hail	Eaton	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Preble County

Newspapers printed here

0 digitised pages

5 papers published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read: 0 issues, 0 pages. Every page is searchable, so a name or a street can be looked for directly in what the town printed about itself at the time.

Newspaper	Published
The Democratic Press	1860 to 1865
The Eaton Democrat	1875 to 1903
Eaton Weekly Democrat	1866 to 1875
Preble County Democrat	1857 to 1859
Eaton Democrat	1843 to 1856

What the paper printed

109,178 words

Front pages of the local paper, read from the Library of Congress scans: 22 issues spread across its run from 1847 to 1887, 109,178 words in total. Each is reproduced on its own page, exactly as the recogniser returned it.

These pages read less well than anything else here, and the number is worth stating: about three words in four come through cleanly, against nine in ten for the building records. An 1896 broadsheet sets eight-point type in seven columns on microfilm, which is the hardest thing in this archive to read by machine. We tested our own recognisers against the Library's and they were not better, so the Library's text is what appears, with the wholly unreadable columns removed. Read it as a guide to what the paper covered, and follow the link to the scan before quoting anything.

Issue	Paper	Length
1847-07-22	Eaton Democrat	2,839 words
1856-12-19	Eaton Democrat	2,608 words
1857-01-08	Preble County Democrat	4,417 words
1857-03-26	Preble County Democrat	5,043 words
1857-06-11	Preble County Democrat	4,445 words
1857-08-20	Preble County Democrat	5,338 words
1857-11-05	Preble County Democrat	5,116 words
1870-04-07	Eaton Weekly Democrat	2,369 words
1870-06-02	Eaton Weekly Democrat	6,940 words
1870-07-28	Eaton Weekly Democrat	7,805 words
1870-10-13	Eaton Weekly Democrat	7,903 words
1873-12-25	Eaton Weekly Democrat	5,627 words
1860-08-30	The Democratic Press	4,262 words
1860-09-20	The Democratic Press	3,210 words
1860-10-18	The Democratic Press	5,172 words
1860-11-08	The Democratic Press	3,160 words
1860-12-27	The Democratic Press	3,626 words
1875-06-03	The Eaton Democrat	6,051 words
1875-07-29	The Eaton Democrat	5,129 words
1875-09-16	The Eaton Democrat	6,027 words
1875-11-11	The Eaton Democrat	5,353 words
1887-06-30	The Eaton Democrat	6,738 words

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
Oklahoma (historical)	2.9 miles	8
Ransom	3.0 miles	10
Sampleville	3.2 miles	10
Lake Lakengren	4.9 miles	11
Wheatville	5.0 miles	10
Brennersville	5.1 miles	8
New Hope	5.2 miles	8
Sugar Valley	5.4 miles	11

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 Eaton	An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1000148	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 1040043. 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.

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.

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.