BlockFrom the record
One of 38 National Register listings published here for Ashtabula County · listed in 2019 · category: Building.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Ashtabula Post Office and Federal Building
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. 5 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1905.
The listing
- What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
- Address. 4400 Main Ave., Ashtabula, 44004
- When was it listed? 2019-06-24
- Category. building
- Township. Ashtabula township
- National Register reference number. 100004053 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.
The ground it stands on
14,376 wordsThe chapter on Ashtabula Township in History of Ashtabula County, Ohio, published 1878 names Ashtabula. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
On arriving at Buffalo he found that all of the boats and shipping on the lake had been taken by the government, for the purpose of bringing General Har- rison's army down the lake, and the road west from Buffalo was almost impassable, having been badly cut up by the transportation of military stores. Leaving most of his goods in Buffalo, he employed two teams to transport his family and some light goods, and in nine days arrived at Erie, Pennsylvania, where he remained over two months. In the mean time the British took Buffalo and burnt it, and he lost all the goods that he had left there. He was at Erie when General Harrison arrived there from the west, and the town being crowded with soldiers and sailors, he started again, with his family and what property he had, in wagons, and arrived at Ashtabula, January 15, 1814, and being detained there by the birth of a son, and having no merchandise to sell, lie concluded to settle there.
Passage source: History of Ashtabula County, Ohio, published 1878.
His father and mother were with him, and as his father was a tanner, he at once started a tannery on the west side of Ashtabula creek, and continued in that business for about fifteen years. In the fall of 1827 he commenced merchandising in company with his son-in-law, Charles Crosby, and continued in the business for many years, generally in company with one of his sons.
Passage source: History of Ashtabula County, Ohio, published 1878.
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 Ashtabula Township - 14,376 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.
Fires near this property
1 since 2020Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Ashtabula Post Office and Federal Building in 2020, burning under an acre 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 April 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Ohio Department of Natural Resources | 15697 |
Specimens collected near this property
12 of 1,009 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,009 specimens collected within 10 miles of Ashtabula Post Office and Federal Building between 1872 and 1975: 846 Animalia, 139 Plantae, 22 Fungi, 1 Unrecorded, 1 Chromista. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. A. Bill, A. B. Fuller, A. Burhanna 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 | Species | Year | Collected by | Where, as recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Actinonaias carinata gibba (C.T.Simpson, 1900) | 1903 | not recorded | Cuyahoga River, South Park, Above Cleveland |
 | unnamed | 1915 | Munsell; Harvey | |
 | Hymenostylium recurvirostrum (Hedw.) Dixon | 1872 | not recorded | |
 | Dicranum scoparium Hedw. | 1891 | J. B. Brockway | |
 | Moxostoma anisurum (Rafinesque, 1820) | 1891 | not recorded | Geneva |
 | Riccia fluitans L. | 1892 | E. E. Bogue | |
 | Ameiurus melas (Rafinesque, 1820) | 1893 | A. Woolman | Ohio, Conneaut Creek |
 | Ameiurus natalis (Lesueur, 1819) | 1893 | A. Woolman | Ashtabula River, Ashtabula, Ohio |
 | Aplodinotus grunniens Rafinesque, 1819 | 1893 | A. Woolman | Red Brook, Harbor, Ohio |
 | Cambarus bartonii (Fabricius, 1798) | 1893 | Woolman & United States Fish Commission | Geneva, Cowles Creek |
 | Catostomus commersonii (Lacepède, 1803) | 1893 | not recorded | Cowles Creek, Geneva, Ohio |
 | Chelydra serpentina (Linnaeus, 1758) | 1893 | not recorded | KINGSVILLE, CONNEAUT CREEK |
All 1,009 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Mines and quarries near this property
7 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Ashtabula Post Office and Federal Building: 4 past producers, 2 plants, 1 producer. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Titanium, Metal, Iron, Titanium, Pigment. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashtabula #1 & #2 Plants Ti | Titanium, Pigment | Plant | 1967 | |
| Ashtabula Plant Ti | Titanium, Metal | Plant | 1968 | |
| Union Carbide | Iron | Producer | ||
| Dreslinski Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Dreslinski Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Pinney Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Pinney Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this property
48 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ashtabula, the town this property stands in, in 48 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 30 thunderstorm wind, 14 hail, 4 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2025 | Flash Flood | Ashtabula | $100,000 | Widespread basement and street flooding in Ashtabula, with several videos of flowing water of six inches or more across roadways. Radar estimated 2.75 to 3.5 inches of rainfall in a two to three hour period, which roughly equates to a 50 year recurrence interval. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Ashtabula | $100,000 | Several roads closed due to flowing high water. Vehicles stranded in high water at West Avenue and West 34th Street, West 58th Street and Jefferson Road. Underpass on Main Avenue inundated with 5 to 6 feet of water, stranding a vehicle. Several reports of flooded basements in the area. |
| January 1999 | Flash Flood | Ashtabula | $75,000 | An ice jam on the Ashtabula River at Northcoast Marina and Yacht Club broke loose and snapped the docks apart like twigs. The river also flooded bottom land and at least one road. Other rural roads were flooded by melting piles of snow. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Ashtabula | $50,000 | Widespread road flooding in Ashtabula and Plymouth areas. Some reports of basement flooding as well. Many of the roads flooded due to creeks coming out of their banks. A few cars stranded in a flooded underpass on Main Avenue in Ashtabula. Radar estimated 4 to 5.5 inches of rainfall in a 1.5 to 3 hour period. Two rain gauge reports in Plymouth reported nearly 6 inches of rainfall over a three hour period. |
| August 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $50,000 | Trees and large limbs were downed, some on power lines with at least one building suffering damage. |
| August 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $50,000 | Trees and large limbs were downed. Hard hit was the west side of Conneaut where several roads were closed from downed trees. Utility poles were also downed along with some signs and awnings. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Ashtabula | $40,000 | A trained spotter reported golf ball size hail in Ashtabula. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $35,000 | A 86 mph thunderstorm wind gust was measured at the Ashtabula Light House. Several dozen trees were downed in the City of Ashtabula. At least two homes were damaged by fallen trees. Other trees were downed to the west of Ashtabula in Saybrook Township. |
| October 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $25,000 | Trained spotters estimated 60 mph winds in Ashtabula. A few trees were downed in an around the City of Ashtabula. One of the trees landed on a house trailer and caused some structural damage. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees and large limbs. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $10,000 | A large section of a tree was blown down on a house along with utility lines. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $10,000 | A tree was blown down on to a car near Main Street. Several trees were blown down at Bunker Hille and Austinburg Road. |
| January 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed two trees. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed several trees. |
| December 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $8,000 | Several large limbs were reported down. Power outages were also reported in the area. |
| January 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed several large tree limbs. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed a couple of trees approximately four miles south of Ashtabula. |
| August 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $5,000 | Several trees and large branches were downed. |
| September 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $5,000 | Trees were downed. |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $4,000 | Several large limbs were reported down. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $3,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree southeast of Ashtabula and several large limbs near Richmond Center. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $2,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed two trees and a few large limbs. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $2,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed several large tree limbs. |
| April 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $2,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed a few large tree limbs. |
| December 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | $1,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed a tree. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | - | Tree downed in Ashtabula and another downed about two-miles ESE of Ashtabula. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | - | Power poles were broken in Ashtabula. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | - | Several trees were blown down. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Ashtabula | - | Nickel sized hail was observed. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Ashtabula | - | Thunderstorms produced nickel size hail. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | - | A peak wind gust of 60 mph was measured by wind sensing equipment at the Ashtabula Lighthouse. |
| July 2004 | Hail | Ashtabula | - | Penny size hail was observed. |
| August 2003 | Hail | Ashtabula | - | Penny size hail was observed on the west side of Ashtabula. |
| August 2003 | Hail | Ashtabula | - | Penny to quarter size hail was observed. |
| October 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | - | A 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust was measured in Ashtabula. |
| August 2000 | Hail | Ashtabula | - | Dime size hail fell five miles south of Ashtabula. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | - | A 71 mph thunderstorm wind gust was measured at the Ashtabula Light House. |
| May 1995 | Hail | Ashtabula | - | Winds of 60 mph and large hail was reported. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | - | Winds were measured at 62 mph at the lighthouse. |
| August 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashtabula | - | Winds were measured at 70 mph (61 knots). |
| June 2008 | Hail | Ashtabula | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Ashtabula | - | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Hail | Ashtabula | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Ashtabula | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Ashtabula | - | no account filed |
| May 1997 | Hail | Ashtabula | - | no account filed |
Newspapers printed here
3 papers3 papers published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read. 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 |
|---|---|
| Ashtabula Weekly Telegraph | 1853 to 1873 |
| Ashtabula Telegraph | 1874 to 1880 |
| Ashtabula Weekly Telegraph | 1880 to 1886 |
Maps showing this location
5 surveysUnited States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.
- 1905 USGS Ashtabula quadrangle1:62500 - 5 printings
- 1956 USGS Cleveland quadrangle1:250000 - 3 printings
- 1960 USGS Ashtabula South quadrangle1:24000 - 3 printings
- 1962 USGS Cleveland quadrangle1:250000
- 1986 USGS Ashtabula quadrangle1:100000 - 2 printings
Listed places nearby
6 within 8 milesOther National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashtabula Main Avenue Historic District | under 500 feet | 2020 | |
 | Hotel Ashtabula | under 500 feet | 1985 |
| Castle Block | 0.2 miles | 2020 | |
 | Francis E. Harmon House | 0.7 miles | 1975 |
 | Blakeslee Log Cabin | 1.5 miles | 1998 |
 | Mother of Sorrows Church | 2.4 miles | 1995 |
Sources for this property
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 100004053 in Record Group 79. |
| Ashtabula County | All 38 listed properties in this county. |
Provenance
- Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
- Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
- How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
- 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.