BlockBefore
Photograph of Ohio Theatre
Photograph by Chris Light, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

City Hall and Opera House

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. A historic map-sheet match is not published yet. The record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary.

From the record

“The Ohio Theatre is a historic theater in Loudonville, Ohio. It is one of many theaters in the state named "Ohio Theatre".”

Wikipedia article Ohio Theatre (Loudonville, Ohio), CC BY-SA 4.0.

one of 11 National Register listings in Ashland County · listed in 1997 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Still standing. The Park Service records this property as extant.
  • Address. 156 N. Water St., Loudonville, 44842
  • When was it listed? 1997-01-25
  • Category. building
  • Township. Hanover township
  • Architectural style. Neoclassical architecture
  • Architect. Q86986707
  • National Register reference number. 96001618 - 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

33,901 words

This property stands in Hanover Township. HISTORY OF HANOVER COLOMBIANA COUNTY OHIO 1804-1913, published 1913 gives that township a chapter of its own.

The chapter covers the township.

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 Hanover Township - 33,901 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

13 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 13 fires within 5 miles of City Hall and Opera House between 2005 and 2020, burning about 21 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 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
Smoking4
Debris and open burning3
Missing data/not specified/undetermined3
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Recreation and ceremony1
Arson/incendiarism1

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
4 June 2017Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreOhio Department of Natural Resources8368
5 April 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreOhio Department of Natural Resources8013
2 April 2020Smoking3.0 acresOhio Department of Natural Resources15655
15 April 2005Debris and open burningunder an acreOhio Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
12 April 2018Arson/incendiarism3.0 acresOhio Department of Natural Resources14825
24 March 2015Smoking2.0 acresOhio Department of Natural Resources1093
1 March 2017Power generation/transmission/distributionunder an acreOhio Department of Natural Resources7129
29 February 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresOhio Department of Natural Resources3508

Every fire recorded in Ashland County

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 551 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 551 specimens collected within 10 miles of City Hall and Opera House between 1896 and 1975: 516 Animalia, 30 Plantae, 5 Fungi. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A C ALLEN, A.E. Daugherty, Auten, 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
A photograph of the species Agastache scrophulariifolia, not of this specimenAgastache scrophulariifolia (Willd.) Kuntze1896not recordedLakeville
A photograph of the species Coreopsis tripteris, not of this specimenCoreopsis tripteris L.1896Wilkinson, E.Lakeville
A photograph of the species Decodon verticillatus, not of this specimenDecodon verticillatus (L.) Elliott1896Wilkinson, E.Lakeville
A photograph of the species Polygonum coccineum, not of this specimenPolygonum coccineum f. terrestre (Willd.) Stanford1896Wilkinson, E.Lakeville
A photograph of the species Pontederia cordata, not of this specimenPontederia cordata L.1896Wilkinson, E.Lakeville
A photograph of the species Danthonia spicata, not of this specimenDanthonia spicata (L.) Roem. & Schult.1897Collector(s): Edwin Lincoln MoseleyVermilion Township
A photograph of the species Agnetina flavescens, not of this specimenAgnetina flavescens (Walsh, 1862)1899R. C. OsburnLoudonville
Neoperla mainensis Banks, 19481899not recordedLoudonville
A photograph of the species Perlinella ephyre, not of this specimenPerlinella ephyre (Newman, 1839)1899R.C. Osburn
Equisetum × ferrissii Clute1908Hopkins, L.S.Lakeville
A photograph of the species Calopogon tuberosus, not of this specimenCalopogon tuberosus var. tuberosus1909Hopkins, L.S.Round Lake
A photograph of the species Carex comosa, not of this specimenCarex comosa Boott1911Hopkins, L.S.Round Lake

All 551 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this property

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of City Hall and Opera House: 1 past producer, 1 producer. 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Washed Sand & Gravel Operation PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Youngs S & G PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Ashland County

Storms near this property

36 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Loudonville, the town this property stands in, in 36 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 18 thunderstorm wind, 12 hail, 4 flash flood, 1 lightning. 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
August 1998Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$75,000Severe thunderstorm winds downed trees, destroyed one garage and blew the roof off a barn. Another barn was blown down, killing some of the livestock inside. Crops were damaged.
June 2011HailLoudonville$50,000A supercell thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail. Numerous vehicles and homes sustained damage as a result of the large hail.
April 2000LightningLoudonville$50,000Lightning struck a public school knocking out all of the transformers in the building.
June 2010HailLoudonville$35,000Golf ball sized hail was reported in the Loudonville area. A few vehicles were damaged by the hail.
May 2021FloodLoudonville$15,000Moderate rainfall fell over the Mohican Valley on Sunday May 9th. Rainfall amounts between 2 to 3 inches was reported between 6 am and 6 pm. The Black Fork reported flooding from well upstream in Richland County and again down in Loudonville where it meets the Mohican River. The Black Fork USGS gage at Loudonville exceeded flood stage on Sunday afternoon and reached moderate flood stage on the morning of the 10th, cresting at 11.3 feet. Flood waters inundated recreational campgrounds and liveries along the river. Due to the early season timing, there was limited population along the river, however damage was reported to numerous campers and some permanent structures.
September 2010Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$15,000Thunderstorms produced a downburst which downed several large trees.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$10,000Thunderstorm winds downed six trees.
June 2000Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$10,000Thunderstorm downburst winds estimated at 65 to 75 mph knocked down around two dozen trees in Mohican State Park. A distinct damage path approximately one quarter mile in length and 50 to 100 feet wide was observed. Most of the downed trees were 12 to 18 inches in diameter and were snapped near the ground.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$5,000Numerous trees were reported down.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$5,000Trees and some power lines were downed, possibly by downburst winds.
June 1998Flash FloodLoudonville$5,000Heavy thunderstorm rains caused flooding of some basements.
May 2014Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$4,000Thunderstorm winds downed a few large tree limbs.
May 1996Flash FloodLoudonville$4,000no account filed
May 2006Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$3,000Two trees were reported down in Mohican State Park.
November 2003Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$3,000Thunderstorm winds downed a few large tree limbs.
March 2011HailLoudonville$2,000Quarter sized hail was reported with this thunderstorm.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$2,000Thunderstorm winds downed a few large tree limbs.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$2,000A few large limbs were reported down.
April 2003HailLoudonville$2,000Penny size hail was observed.
July 1995Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$2,000Trees were downed.
April 2023Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$1,200Utility pole snapped at 327 West Main Street in Loudonville.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$1,000Four trees reported down in the Loudonville area.
March 2011HailLoudonville$1,000Pea sized hail was reported with this thunderstorm.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindLoudonville$1,000Thunderstorm winds downed a few large tree limbs.
May 2025HailLoudonville-Hail up to penny-size about one-mile northwest of Loudonville.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindLoudonville-Extensive tree damage in Loudonville. This included a 70-foot tall, three-foot diameter tree being downed.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindLoudonville-Tree fell and brought down power lines and poles in Loudonville.
September 2020Thunderstorm WindLoudonville-Multiple trees uprooted or snapped about five miles SW of Loudonville. Time estimated via radar.
May 2014HailLoudonville-Quarter sized hail was reported.
July 2012HailLoudonville-Penny sized hail was observed.
May 2006HailLoudonville-Nickel size hail was observed.
April 2004HailLoudonville-Penny size hail was observed.
June 2000HailLoudonville-Hail the size of quarters fell at Mohican State Park just outside of Loudonville.
June 2000Flash FloodLoudonville-Thunderstorms dumped two to three inches of rain on southern Ashland County in about an hour. The Mohican River went out its banks just west of Loudonville in Mohican State Park. A campground in the park had to be partially evacuated.
May 1998Flash FloodLoudonville-Heavy thunderstorm rain caused flooding of several roads. The flood water reached a depth of three feet on one county road.
June 1998HailLoudonville-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Ashland County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

From the nomination file

4,667 words on record

When 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 quoted below word for word, 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.

Statement of significance

City Hall and Opera House Primary location of additional data: Period of Significance Cultural Affiliation Applicable National Register Criteria for National Register listing.) Counry and State 8. Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) Property is: Ashland County, Ohio Name of repository: (Enter categories from instructions) Previous documentation on file (NPS): N/A significant in our past. B Property is associated with the lives of persons within the past 50 years.

CFR 67) has been requested G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance a significant contribution to the broad patterns of distinguishable entity whose components lack (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one ormore continuation sheets.) Ashland County, Ohio - See continuation sheet (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) 11.

The whole case file for this property - 4,667 words, 41 pages, reproduced complete.

Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 96001618, 41 pages, held by the National Archives in Record Group 79. See the catalogue record.

Listed places nearby

3 within 8 miles

Other 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 PropertyDistance Listed
Black, Philip J., House0.1 miles1980
Bull, T.J. and Sarah, House0.2 miles2007
Garst, John, House6.6 miles1982

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 96001618 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Ashland CountyAll 11 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.