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

Gnadenhutten, Ohio

15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1909 and the latest in 1994. It stands in Clay Township. It lies in ZIP code area 44629. It stands on Frys Creek. The Survey maps it on the Gnadenhutten quadrangle. 1,240 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 837 feet above sea level.

Gnadenhutten within Tuscarawas County

Population over time

2 figures

Gnadenhutten fell from 1,288 to 1,240 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.

YearPeople Change
20101,288
20201,240-48 (-4%)

Then and now

1909 to 1994

The same ground, surveyed 85 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Gnadenhutten, surveyed 1994
Topographic sheet of Gnadenhutten, surveyed 1909

Topographic sheets covering this place

15 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

5,598 words on this township

The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, published 1884 names this settlement in its chapter on Clay Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

PERHAPS to no region in Eastern Ohio clings so tragic an interest as that which attaches to the beautiful shaded groves of Gnadenhutten, for it was here, on the fatal 8th of March, 1782, that ninety-six unoffending, peace-loving Indians fell innocent victims of the fierce border hatred that raged relentlessly between two bitter, hostile races. It was not the mere destruction of the Indians that shrouds the locality with so deep an interest, but the fact that they were martyrs, sacrificed by an implacable venom engendered by Indian warfare, which demanded victims, guilty or innocent, before it would be appeased. Within the secluded cemetery, near the banks which overlook the Tuscarawas, is the site of the tragic occurrence, narrated in an earlier chapter of this volume. Clay Township was also the region of Tuscarawas County that was first permanently settled by the whites. When the faithful remnant of Indian converts returned from Canada to the Tuscarawas Valley, in charge of the Moravian missionaries in 1798, John Hecke welder, the agent of the Society of United Brethren, which held in trust the three Moravian tracts, sought to induce Moravians of Pennsylvania to occupy, by lease, the lands not needed by the Indians. An Indian mission was re-established at Gnadenhutten, but not long after it was consolidated with the Goshen mission in what is now in Goshen Township, leaving the Gnadenhutten and Salem tracts unoccu- pied. From the records of the church of Beersheba, from which much of the following has been obtained, it is learned that on the 8th of October, 179S. both the Salem and Gnadenhutten tracts were surveyed into farming lots.

Passage source: The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, published 1884.

John Heckewelder and William Edwards, accompanied by live Indian brethren, arrived at Gnadenhutten, June 18, 1798, after a very difficult and fatiguing journey throught the wilderness from Fairfield, Canada. Heckewelder built the first house in Gnadenhutten, and moved into it September 29.

Passage source: The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, published 1884.

All these families settled as lessees on the Gnadenhutten tract, west of the river. They were members of the Moravian Church. The beginning of the present century thus found about half a dozen families settled on this tract in Clay Township. Besides the missionaries at Goshen, there were probably no other white men within the limits of what now constitutes Tuscarawas County. The children of Ezra and Maria Magdalina Warner, some of whom were born in Tuscarawas County, were Samuel, Lydia, Ruth, Sarah, Maria Magdalina and Hannah Susanna. All except Ruth moved farther west in 1811, and settled on the Mohican River. The children of Nathan and Ann Deliverance Warner were Massa, Nathan, Peter, John, Moses, Joshua, Jesse. Anna and Susanna. The family of Asa and Catherine Walton consisted of six children - Mary, Joel, Jeremiah, Sarah, Elizabeth and Stephen, all born in this county.

Passage source: The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, published 1884.

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 Clay Township - it names this place 26 more 26 times.

Fires near this place

26 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 26 fires within 5 miles of Gnadenhutten between 2005 and 2020, burning about 43 acres in total. None started naturally. None was 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 burning13
Missing data/not specified/undetermined6
Power generation/transmission/distribution4
Smoking1
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Equipment and vehicle use1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
7 August 2016Debris and open burning1.0 acresOhio Department of Natural Resources5305
9 July 2020Debris and open burningunder an acreOhio Department of Natural Resources15776
20 May 2016Debris and open burningunder an acreOhio Department of Natural Resources4905
11 May 2018Power generation/transmission/distribution4.0 acresOhio Department of Natural Resources13588
11 May 2018Power generation/transmission/distribution18 acresOhio Department of Natural Resources13665
3 April 2020Power generation/transmission/distribution1.0 acresOhio Department of Natural Resources15602
3 April 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresOhio Department of Natural Resources15599
17 April 2005Misuse of fire by a minor1.0 acresOhio Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Tuscarawas County

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 498 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 498 specimens collected within 10 miles of Gnadenhutten between 1851 and 1973: 386 Animalia, 75 Plantae, 35 Fungi, 2 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. Perry, Adams J. M. R., Adams J. R. M. 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.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Pisidium cruciatum Sterki, 1895Pisidium cruciatum Sterki, 18951894G. MarstonTuscarawas River, New Philadelphia
Specimen of Pisidium fallax Sterki, 1896Pisidium fallax Sterki, 18961894G. MarstonTuscarawas River, New Philadelphia
Specimen of Pisidium noveboracense Prime, 1858Pisidium noveboracense Prime, 18581895G. Marstonfrom spring - brook lat. 4 miles south of New Philadelpia (Sterki)
A photograph of the species Hydrophyllum appendiculatum, not of this specimenHydrophyllum appendiculatum Michx.1851Wolle, J.Tuscarawa City
A photograph of the species Alasmidonta marginata, not of this specimenAlasmidonta marginata Say, 18181883Sterki, VictorNew Philadelphia
A photograph of the species Alasmidonta viridis, not of this specimenAlasmidonta viridis (Rafinesque, 1820)1883Sterki, VictorNew Philadelphia
A photograph of the species Anodontoides ferussacianus, not of this specimenAnodontoides ferussacianus (I.Lea, 1834)1883Sterki, VictorNew Philadelphia
A photograph of the species Cyprogenia stegaria, not of this specimenCyprogenia stegaria (Rafinesque, 1820)1883Sterki, VictorTuscarawas River, New Philadelphia
A photograph of the species Lasmigona complanata, not of this specimenLasmigona complanata (Barnes, 1823)1883Sterki, VictorNew Philadelphia
A photograph of the species Pyganodon grandis, not of this specimenPyganodon grandis (Say, 1829)1883Sterki, VictorNew Philadelphia
A photograph of the species Theliderma cylindrica, not of this specimenTheliderma cylindrica (Say, 1817)1883Sterki, VictorNew Philadelphia
A photograph of the species Cyclonaias pustulosa, not of this specimenCyclonaias pustulosa (I.Lea, 1831)1884Sterki, VictorNew Philadelphia

All 498 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 13 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 13 workings within 5 miles of Gnadenhutten: 7 producers, 6 past producers. 7 still produce. What was taken out: Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Clay, Coal, Coal. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Arrow Head PitClay, CoalProducer
Urichsville PitStone, Crushed/Broken, Clay, CoalProducer
Stewart and Reichman PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Stocker Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Stocker Sand and Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Can-Tex Pit Number 1ClayPast Producer
Evans Farm PitClayProducer
Fox Valley Mining Co. PitClayPast ProducerSedimentary
Fox Valley Mining Co. PitClayPast Producer
L and M Mineral Clay PitClayPast ProducerSedimentary

Every working recorded in Tuscarawas County

Storms near this place

16 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Gnadenhutten in 16 storm reports between 1998 and 2023: 11 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 1 flash 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2010Thunderstorm WindGnadenhutten$75,000Law enforcement reported large trees down in Gnadenhutten.
November 2005Thunderstorm WindGnadenhutten$30,000Trees and power lines blown down. One tree fell on a car. [CORRECTED TIME]
June 2022Thunderstorm WindGnadenhutten$15,000Emergency manager reported multiple trees and wires down, trees blocking roads, and 4 structured evacuated.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindGnadenhutten$8,000Law enforcement reported numerous trees and power lines down on roadways.
August 2004Thunderstorm WindGnadenhutten$3,000Tree fell and blocked road.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindGnadenhutten$2,000Law enforcement reported power lines down in Gnadenhutten.
April 2019Thunderstorm WindGnadenhutten$2,000Multiple trees were reported to be blown down near Gnadenhutten.
June 2023HailGnadenhutten-Hail reported.
June 2023HailGnadenhutten-Hail sized estimated.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindGnadenhutten-Numerous trees and power lines down.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindGnadenhutten-Large tree limbs reported down along with pea sized hail.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindGnadenhutten-Large tree branches down.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindGnadenhutten-Trees down.
June 1998Flash FloodGnadenhutten-Thunderstorm rains produced flodding on US Route 36.
April 2001HailGnadenhutten-no account filed
June 1998HailGnadenhutten-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Tuscarawas 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.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Yankeetown (historical)0.5 miles15
Lock Seventeen1.1 miles15
Riverside Park2.2 miles15
Tuscarawas2.9 miles15
Elm (historical)3.4 miles15
Wainwright4.2 miles15
Gilmore4.7 miles15
Rush4.8 miles14

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 GnadenhuttenAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1428061The 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 1064736. 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.