BlockFrom the record
One of 20 National Register listings published here for Shelby County · listed in 1979 · category: Building.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Botkins Elementary School
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. 6 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1913.
The listing
- What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
- Address. Main St., Botkins, 45306
- When was it listed? 1979-07-26
- Category. building
- Also known as. Cross-Tipped Churches of Ohio TR
- Township. Dinsmore township
- National Register reference number. 79002851 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.
The ground it stands on
90,739 wordsThe chapter on Dinsmore Township in History of Shelby County, Ohio, published 1883 names Botkins. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
The township is bounded north by Auglaize County, east by Jackson, south by Franklin, and west by Van Buren townships. It contains an area of thirty-six square miles. It is crossed north and south within two miles of the west line by the Dayton and Michigan Railroad. Within one mile of the north line Botkins station is located, while Anna station is on the south-line, the village extending into Franklin Township. Small streams take their rise in the township, and, flowing west by south, afford drainage and an outlet to Loramie Reservoir in Van Buren and McLean townships.
Passage source: History of Shelby County, Ohio, published 1883.
The surface of the township is level throughout, and the soil is of an excellent quality. Improvements have gone on apace, and although the township was a late organization, it has enjoyed a rapid and satisfactory development. The people are industrious, frugal, and energetic, as shown by the houses and farms of the people. School-houses and churches, saw-mills and tile factories are seen throughout the township, while institutions and enterprises of various characters are properly represented. Two live and thriving villages, Anna and Botkins, are within the township, the former at the south line, and the latter near the north side of the township. Both are important stations on the Dayton and Michigan Railroad, and both enjoy an extensive local trade. Another village, Northumberland, was laid out in the township years ago, but proved too transitory for continued growth and life.
Passage source: History of Shelby County, Ohio, published 1883.
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 Dinsmore Township - 90,739 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.
Specimens collected near this property
12 of 121 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 121 specimens collected within 10 miles of Botkins Elementary School between 1800 and 1970: 99 Animalia, 15 Fungi, 6 Plantae, 1 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by Ballenstedt, B., Baßmann, C. Clark 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Mentha aquatica L. | 1800 | Ballenstedt, B. | Bremen: An der WÅmme in Oberneuland bei Bremen |
 | Geum urbanum L. | 1883 | Baßmann | Bremen: Vegesack, feuchtes, schattiges Gehîlz bei Holthorst, sehr selten |
 | Rubus idaeus L. | 1889 | Meyerholz | Bremen: auf Quellgrund, Torf u. Humus |
 | Lobelia dortmanna L. | 1892 | Wendelken | Bremen: Bremen-Lesum, Lesum |
 | Rubus condensatus P.J.Müll. | 1892 | Elmgoeth, Fr. | Niedersachsen: Soltau in der Lüneburger Heide |
| unnamed | 1897 | WA Kellerman | Shelby County | |
| Sorosporium reilianum (J.G.Kühn) McAlpine | 1897 | W. A. Kellerman | ||
 | Sphacelotheca reiliana (J.G.Kühn) G.P.Clinton | 1897 | Kellerman W. A. | Shelby Co. |
 | Ustilago reiliana J.G.Kühn | 1897 | Kellerman, W.A. | Shelby County, Ohio. |
 | Accipiter cooperii (Bonaparte, 1828) | 1904 | Henninger, W. F. (Walther Frederick) | New Bremen, Shelby, Ohio, USA |
 | Campostoma anomalum pullum (Agassiz, 1854) | 1905 | Clark, C. F. (Clarence F.) | Muddy Creek, section 27 Washington Township, estimated 3 miles N of Kettlersville OH, Washington Township |
 | Catostomus commersonii (Lacepède, 1803) | 1905 | Clark, C. F. (Clarence F.) | Muddy Creek, section 27 Washington Township, estimated 3 miles N of Kettlersville OH, Washington Township |
All 121 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
Mines and quarries near this property
4 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Botkins Elementary School: 3 past producers, 1 plant. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Pit & Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Plant | ||
| Quality Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Wapak Sand and Gravel Pit No.8 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Wapak Sand and Gravel Pit No.8 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this property
27 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Botkins, the town this property stands in, in 27 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 10 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 7 flood, 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2019 | Flash Flood | Botkins | $100,000 | Flowing water was completely covering Botkins Road and Sidney Freyburg Road. Several homes were also flooded in the Botkins area. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Botkins | $35,000 | Two power poles and a silo were blown over. One tree was reported down and another was broken. These occurrences were due to damaging thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Botkins | $25,000 | Five homes sustained roof damage and a barn was destroyed to the southwest of Botkins. A semi-trailer was flipped on its side and numerous trees were knocked down, including a few on houses. The damage was from a possible microburst. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Botkins | $20,000 | Roof blown off a barn and numerous trees downed. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Botkins | $15,000 | Roofs were damaged and a barn wall collapsed due to thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Botkins | $5,000 | Two trees were reported knocked down along with damage to the siding of a barn. |
| March 2011 | Flood | Botkins | $5,000 | Roads were covered with water due to heavy rainfall in the area and previous snow melt. Flooding began around 0215 EST on February 28th and ended around 0900 EST on March 2nd. Damage estimates from February were around five-thousand dollars. |
| February 2011 | Flood | Botkins | $5,000 | Roads were covered with water due to heavy rainfall in the area and previous snow melt. Flooding began around 0215 EST on February 28th and ended around 0900 EST on March 2nd. Damage estimates from March were around five-thousand dollars. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Botkins | $3,000 | Several trees were downed along the roadway. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Botkins | $3,000 | A vehicle became stranded in high water on State Route 274 near Wenger Road, resulting in a water rescue. |
| October 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Botkins | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Botkins | $2,000 | Several trees were knocked down in the Botkins area. |
| July 2025 | Flash Flood | Botkins | - | County Road 25 had water swiftly flowing across it. |
| June 2019 | Flood | Botkins | - | High water was reported in Botkins. |
| June 2019 | Flood | Botkins | - | Several roads were closed in the Botkins area due to high water. |
| June 2019 | Flood | Botkins | - | High water was reported in the Botkins area, causing a road to be closed. |
| June 2017 | Flood | Botkins | - | High water was reported in several places in the Botkins area. |
| July 2017 | Flash Flood | Botkins | - | Several inches of water was flowing over a portion of Route 25A north of Anna, making the road impassable. |
| July 2014 | Hail | Botkins | - | no account filed |
| April 2013 | Hail | Botkins | - | no account filed |
| April 2013 | Hail | Botkins | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | Botkins | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Botkins | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Botkins | - | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Botkins | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Botkins | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Botkins | - | no account filed |
Maps showing this location
6 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.
- 1913 USGS Sidney quadrangle1:62500 - 2 printings
- 1944 USGS Sidney quadrangle1:62500
- 1953 USGS Muncie quadrangle1:250000 - 5 printings
- 1956 USGS Muncie quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Botkins quadrangle1:24000 - 3 printings
- 1986 USGS Piqua quadrangle1:100000 - 3 printings
From the nomination file
433 words on recordWhen this property was proposed for the National Register, someone wrote the case for it: what the building is, and why it matters. That document is a federal record in the public domain. It is reproduced in full on its own page, word for word and never summarised. The text was read off the scanned case file by machine, so the occasional stray character is the recogniser's and the 1970s typewriter's.
The whole case file for this property - 433 words, 5 pages, reproduced complete.
Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 79002851, 5 pages, held by the National Archives in Record Group 79. See the catalogue record.
Listed places nearby
5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Shelby House | 0.3 miles | 1978 |
 | Immaculate Conception Rectory at Botkins | 0.4 miles | 1979 |
 | Anna Town Hall | 5.1 miles | 1978 |
 | Emanuel Lutheran Church of Montra | 5.4 miles | 1982 |
 | Sacred Heart of Jesus Rectory | 6.7 miles | 1979 |
Sources for this property
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 79002851 in Record Group 79. |
| Shelby County | All 20 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.
- 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.