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

Wakeman, Ohio

14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1903 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Wakeman Township. It lies in ZIP code area 44889. The Survey maps it on the Berlin Heights quadrangle. 990 people lived here at the 2020 count.

Wakeman within Huron County

Population over time

2 figures

Wakeman fell from 1,047 to 990 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
20101,047
2020990-57 (-5%)

Then and now

1903 to 1986

The same ground, surveyed 83 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Wakeman, surveyed 1986
Topographic sheet of Wakeman, surveyed 1903

Topographic sheets covering this place

14 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.

What happened here

An account from the chapter on Wakeman township, The inset identifies its exact source book and publication year.

From History of Huron County Ohio Its Progress and Development, published 1909 - Wakeman Township

George H. Gates

George H. Gates, who is serving efficiently as court bailiff of Huron county, is a native son of the Buckeye state, born in Newark, Ohio, May 26, 1858, his parents being Jacob and Rose (Chamberlin) Gates. The father was an engineer on the Pan Handle Railroad and was killed at Coshocton the morning prior to Thanksgiving day of 1872.

Read the rest of this passage

In the county-history sources

331,951 words on this township

History of Huron County Ohio Its Progress and Development, published 1909 names this settlement in its chapter on Wakeman Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

Wakeman was attached to Florence for township purposes until February, 1824, at which time, on petition of the inhabitants, it was set off by the county commissioners, and organized independently. The election was held at the log school house near Mr. Canfield's, in April following.

Passage source: History of Huron County Ohio Its Progress and Development, published 1909.

The first religious meeting in Wakeman was held at the house of Augustin Canfield, Sunday evening, January 10, 1819. Rev. Lot B. Sullivan, a missionary, was the preacher. Mr. and Mrs. Canfield, Dr. Clark and wife led the singing. They were the pioneer choir of Wakeman for many years.

Passage source: History of Huron County Ohio Its Progress and Development, published 1909.

The first wedding in Wakeman was that of Marshall Johnson and Marinda Bradley. They were married in October, 1820, at the house of Abram Bronson, Dr. Clark performing the ceremony. The next couple married was Nathaniel Hine, of Berlin, and Ruth Sherman, in the winter of 1821.

Passage source: History of Huron County Ohio Its Progress and Development, published 1909.

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 Wakeman Township - it names this place 127 more 127 times.

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 108 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 108 specimens collected within 10 miles of Wakeman between 1887 and 1975: 70 Animalia, 20 Plantae, 15 Fungi, 3 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. Woolman, C. Rutter, D. P. Rogers 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 Dryopteris marginalis (L.) A.GrayDryopteris marginalis (L.) A.Gray1887Leonard, F.E."Rich woods, bluff of Vermillion River at Beecher's.
Specimen of Polyporus resinosus (Schrad.) Fr.Polyporus resinosus (Schrad.) Fr.1926F.O. GroverEast Branch, Vermilion River
A photograph of the species Cephalanthus occidentalis, not of this specimenCephalanthus occidentalis L.1888Shafer, J.A.W of Brighton near Cleveland
A photograph of the species Chrysemys picta, not of this specimenChrysemys picta (Schneider, 1783)1893not recordedClarksfield, Vermillion River
A photograph of the species Etheostoma caeruleum, not of this specimenEtheostoma caeruleum Storer, 18451893not recordedVermillion River, Clarksfield, Ohio
A photograph of the species Etheostoma nigrum, not of this specimenEtheostoma nigrum Rafinesque, 18201893A. WoolmanOhio, Wakeman, Vermillion River
A photograph of the species Gymnosporangium clavipes, not of this specimenGymnosporangium clavipes Cooke & Peck1893Hall W. B.Wakeman
A photograph of the species Micropterus dolomieu, not of this specimenMicropterus dolomieu Lacepède, 18021893A. WoolmanVermillion River, Clarksfield, Ohio
A photograph of the species Moxostoma erythrurum, not of this specimenMoxostoma erythrurum (Rafinesque, 1818)1893A. WoolmanVermillion River, Clarksfield, Ohio
A photograph of the species Notropis chrysocephalus, not of this specimenNotropis chrysocephalus (Rafinesque, 1820)1893A. WoolmanOhio, Wakeman, Vermillion River
A photograph of the species Notropis cornutus, not of this specimenNotropis cornutus (Mitchill, 1817)1893not recordedVermillion River, Clarksfield, Ohio
A photograph of the species Notropis spilopterus, not of this specimenNotropis spilopterus spilopterus1893A. WoolmanOhio, Wakeman, Vermillion River

All 108 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Wakeman: 1 past producer, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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
Sandstone QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast ProducerSedimentary
Sandstone QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer

Every working recorded in Huron County

Storms near this place

34 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wakeman in 34 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 23 thunderstorm wind, 9 hail, 2 lightning. The reports record 2 deaths and 1 injury. 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
June 2008LightningWakeman1 killed, 1 hurtA married couple was struck by lightning while standing outside of their rural Huron County home. The husband was temporarily knocked unconscious and sustained burns to his ankle. His 51 year old wife was also knocked unconscious. She was taken to a nearby hospital where she died early the next day. Witnesses stated that it had just quit raining and that the sun had just come out at the time of the lightning strike.
June 1999LightningWakeman1 killedA 59 year old man man was struck by lightning bolt that traveled through a nearby tree. The man had been camping and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindWakeman$40,000Thunderstorm downburst winds estimated to be at least 75 mph toppled over three dozen trees along a mile long damage path in the Wakeman area.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindWakeman$25,000Thunderstorm winds downed several trees. A business in Wakeman was damaged by a fallen tree.
November 2017Thunderstorm WindWakeman$20,000Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree. The tree landed on a car causing extensive damage.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindWakeman$12,000Numerous trees and large limbs were reported down.
November 2017Thunderstorm WindWakeman$10,000Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree. The tree landed on a parked vehicle causing some damage.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindWakeman$10,000Amateur radio operator reported a tree down near the intersection of Route 20 and 303. Power lines were down east of Wakeman.
July 2007Thunderstorm WindWakeman$10,000A few trees and power lines were reported down.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindWakeman$7,500Downed tree damaged transformer and caused transformer fire in Wakeman.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindWakeman$6,000A few trees were reported down from thunderstorm winds.
April 2002HailWakeman$5,000Dime size hail was reported.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindWakeman$5,000Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindWakeman$5,000Thunderstorm winds downed several large limbs.
July 1999Thunderstorm WindWakeman$5,000Trees downed.
November 2013Thunderstorm WindWakeman$4,500The Sheriff reported a few trees brought down by thunderstorm winds near Wakeman.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindWakeman$2,000Thunderstorm winds downed a few large tree limbs.
May 2008Thunderstorm WindWakeman$2,000Thunderstorm winds downed a couple large tree limbs.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindWakeman$2,000A few large limbs were reported down.
June 2002HailWakeman$2,000Dime size hail was observed two miles northeast of Wakeman.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindWakeman-Numerous trees downed in Wakeman resulted from convective outflow, and therefore straight-line winds, enhanced by a mesovortex.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindWakeman-Numerous trees downed near intersection of OH Route 303 and Butler Road, about two-miles ESE of Wakeman.
May 2024HailWakeman-Hail up to quarter-size fell for about five-minutes in Wakeman.
April 2023Thunderstorm WindWakeman-Trees downed in Wakeman.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindWakeman-Multiple trees and power lines were blown down.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindWakeman-Trained spotters estimated thunderstorm winds at 60 mph.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindWakeman-A trained spotter measured a 70 mph wind gust.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindWakeman-A trained spotter measured a 62 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
April 2006HailWakeman-Nickel size hail was observed.
May 2004HailWakeman-Penny size hail was observed.
May 2010HailWakeman-no account filed
June 2008HailWakeman-no account filed
July 1999HailWakeman-no account filed
May 1998HailWakeman-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Huron 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
Clarksfield4.2 miles10
West Clarksfield4.6 miles10
Collins4.9 miles14
East Townsend4.9 miles10
White Fox5.4 miles11
Hartland Station5.7 miles10
Hartland7.3 miles10
West Hartland8.2 miles12

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 WakemanAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2673168The 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 1065446. 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.

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.