Local events in Berkshire Township, Delaware County
3 events in the next 90 days from 1 public calendar. All local events in Berkshire Township, Delaware County
Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Berkshire Township, Delaware County began
Berkshire was the third township in Delaware County settled by white families, when Colonel Moses Byxbe led a company from Berkshire County, Massachusetts onto land along the Little Walnut in the fall of 1804. Organized as a separate township in 1806 and named for the settlers' Massachusetts home county, Berkshire once stretched over much of the county's east-central townships before repeated subdivisions left it its present bounds. Byxbe's planned settlement at Berkshire Corners never grew into the town he hoped for, its commercial life instead migrating to Sunbury, platted in 1816 on the township's eastern edge, and to Galena, platted the same year where the Big and Little Walnut Creeks meet. Today the township is best known for the villages of Galena and Sunbury and for the Alum Creek and Hoover reservoirs nearby.
Settled 1804, incorporated 1806, by Major Thomas Brown's petition, separating Berkshire from Sharon Township, Franklin County.
Where the name comes from
Named for Berkshire County, Massachusetts, the home of Major Thomas Brown, Colonel Moses Byxbe and other of the community's prominent early settlers, according to the 1908 county history.
Before the town
No source consulted names a Native village, mound or trail within Berkshire Township's own boundaries. The closest the 1880 county history comes is a settler's recollection of 'a trail through the woods' that Berkshire boys followed on horseback, with sacks of corn, to a mill on the Whetstone (Olentangy) River in the settlement's earliest years — described as a path the pioneers themselves used, not identified in the source as a Native trail. Berkshire's land was surveyed as part of the United States Military District and distributed as Revolutionary War bounty-land warrants; Colonel Byxbe acquired his original 8,000 acres this way. That land was opened to settlement by the 1795 Treaty of Greenville, in which the Wyandot, Shawnee, Lenape (Delaware), Miami, Ottawa and other nations ceded most of Ohio to the United States. The county's documented Native villages, trails and burials include sites recorded in neighboring Kingston Township.
Nations recorded here: Wyandot, Shawnee, Lenape (Delaware), Miami, Ottawa.
Timeline
- — The Treaty of Greenville cedes most of what becomes Ohio, including the future Berkshire Township, to the United States.
- — Colonel Moses Byxbe leads a company from Berkshire County, Massachusetts, including surveyor Azariah Root and thirteen-year-old nephew Edwin Potter, first to Worthington in August and then, that November, onto his land on the Little Walnut, founding the Berkshire Corners settlement.
- — A shoemaker named Curtis arrives in January, followed by John Kilbourn, Ralph Slack, Elam Vining Sr., blacksmith James Harper, Adonijah Rice, and two Black women named Sarah Brandy and Polly Noko, among the settlement's earliest recorded residents.
- — Berkshire organizes as a separate township, taking its name from the Massachusetts county its leading settlers had left.
- — Albert Root is born, the first white child in the township.
- — Nathaniel Hall builds the community's first grist mill, on Alum Creek in what is now Berlin Township.
- — Major Thomas Brown erects the township's first brick house, built of brick made near the site; it is still standing in 1908.
- — William Carpenter plats Galena on April 3, at the junction of the Big and Little Walnut Creeks, on a village previously known as Zoar; the same year, November 9, Sunbury is platted on the township's eastern edge.
- — Almon Price incorporates the village of Rome after laying his farm off into lots; with nothing to spur growth, the incorporation is later annulled on petition of the lot holders.
- — Sunbury incorporates as a village within the township.
Stories
Colonel Byxbe's Wagon Train
Moses Byxbe was already a man of wealth in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, a hotel-keeper and store owner who had accumulated a large stock of Revolutionary War soldiers' land warrants. He located 8,000 acres of them in what became Berkshire and Berlin Townships, then organized a small expedition west in June 1804: a four-horse team driven by Orlando Barker, a three-horse team under Witter Stewart, and a single-horse wagon under Solomon Smith, loaded with store goods and household belongings, with Byxbe's own family following in a carriage. Surveyor Azariah Root and Byxbe's thirteen-year-old nephew Edwin Potter came along as well. After an 'adventurous journey' the party reached Worthington in August, close enough to Byxbe's land to serve as a base; he built a two-story frame house there and lived in it three months while he prepared cabins on his own tract, moving his family in for good that November.
Two Black Pioneers Named in the Record
Among the settlers who followed Colonel Byxbe into Berkshire Township in its first year, the 1908 county history names two Black women, Sarah Brandy and Polly Noko, alongside the shoemaker Curtis, surveyor John Kilbourn, and blacksmith James Harper. The source gives no further detail about their lives, work or how they came to the settlement — a gap typical of how nineteenth-century local histories recorded Black residents even when naming them individually. Their presence in the record nonetheless establishes that Berkshire Township's population was not uniformly white from its first winter.
A Town Called Zoar, Twice
Before it was Galena, the village at the junction of the Big and Little Walnut Creeks was known as Zoar, platted by William Carpenter in April 1816 around a log building that served as both school and church. When townspeople sought a post office, they discovered another Zoar already existed in Ohio, so at the suggestion of a resident named Nathan Dustin the village took the name Galena instead. Gilbert Carpenter Sr. had already built a sawmill there in 1809, and Benjamin Carpenter Jr. added a grist mill around 1818; growth was steady rather than rapid, but residents raised $13,000 by subscription, plus three donated acres for a depot, to bring the old Columbus and Mount Vernon Railroad through town.
Berkshire Corners' Lost Ambition
Colonel Byxbe had grand plans for his own settlement at Berkshire Corners, promoting its location and telling prospective settlers it might become the county seat, even possibly a state capital. It never happened. Byxbe himself shifted his energy and his large landholdings toward the town of Delaware instead, and without his continued backing, Berkshire Corners' prospects faded even though it was never formally platted as a village. Major Brown ran a store there until his death in 1816; his successor Flavius Fuller found the business unprofitable and closed it once Sunbury, a few miles east, began to boom as the area's commercial center. A cattle dealer named S. S. Bennett kept some trade alive at the Corners for a time, but the settlement never became more than a crossroads.
Photographs
Photo: Turover, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Andrew Humphreys, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Local history sources: ohiogenealogyexpress.com · archive.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org
Water
Alum Creek Reservoir intake at the Scott plant, Lewis Center Rd at Africa, Orange Township The water here
- Del-co Water Company, Inc.100% of residentsOlentangy River, O'Shaughnessy and Alum Creek reservoirs, plus Knox County wells
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Berkshire Township, Delaware County's boundary: 2 public schools, 1 museum, 1 Toxics Release Inventory facility and 23 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Public schools (2)
-
Berkshire Middle School5 of 5 stars · Galena
- Address
- 2869 S. Three B's & K Road, Galena, OH 43021
- School district
- Olentangy Local School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 867
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 49.09
- Report card, 2025-26
- 5 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 92.2%
- Ohio building IRN
- 010166
- NCES school ID
- 390467605471
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Johnnycake Corners Elementary School4.5 of 5 stars · Galena
- Address
- 6783 Falling Meadows Dr, Galena, OH 43021
- School district
- Olentangy Local School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 657
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 32.85
- Report card, 2025-26
- 4.5 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 93.5%
- Ohio building IRN
- 009075
- NCES school ID
- 390467605381
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: NCES EDGE public school locations 2024-25 and Common Core of Data 2023-24 (type, students, teachers); Ohio School Report Cards 2025-26 (Department of Education and Workforce), matched by name within the district.
Museums, historical societies, gardens and zoos (1)
-
Big Walnut Area Historical SocietyHistorical society · Sunbury
- What it is
- Historical society
- City
- Sunbury
- Coordinates
- 40.26758, -82.85162
Search Wikipedia ↗ IMLS Museum Data Files (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
The museum list is IMLS's 2018 file; a museum may have closed or moved since.
Source: IMLS Museum Data Files, 2018.
Facilities reporting toxic releases (1)
-
Oberfields - Sunbury, Oh Masonry PlantToxics Release Inventory · Sunbury
- Address
- 4174 Kitner Parkway, Sunbury, OH 43074
- County
- Delaware County County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
- EPA program ID
- 4307WBRFLD4174K
- EPA registry ID
- 110071433967
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: EPA Facility Registry Service, Toxics Release Inventory reporters. Reporting a release is required of large users of listed chemicals; it is not by itself a violation.
Spills reported since 2021 (23)
-
Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)2025-12-26 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2025-12-26
- What spilled
- Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)
- Largest amount reported
- 15 gallons
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2512EPA0002055
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2025-12-19 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2025-12-19
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 75 gallons
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2512EPA0002023
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2025-10-28 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2025-10-28
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2510EPA0001762
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Ethanol / E85 / Ethyl / Gasohol (Denatured)2025-07-11 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2025-07-11
- What spilled
- Fuel Ethanol / E85 / Ethyl / Gasohol (Denatured); Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2507EPA0001156
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)2025-05-21 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2025-05-21
- What spilled
- Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)
- Largest amount reported
- 30 gallons
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2505EPA0000816
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2025-05-07 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2025-05-07
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 150 gallons
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2505EPA0000718
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Transmission / Steering Fluid2025-04-26 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2025-04-26
- What spilled
- Transmission / Steering Fluid; Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle
- Largest amount reported
- 5 gallons
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2504EPA0000641
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2024-08-08 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2024-08-08
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 60 gallons
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2408EPA0001373
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Sewage Sludge / Biosolids2024-04-08 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2024-04-08
- What spilled
- Sewage Sludge / Biosolids
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2404EPA0000556
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2024-01-09 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2024-01-09
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 50 gallons
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2401EPA0000042
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Acetone ((Ch3)2Co)2023-12-07 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2023-12-07
- What spilled
- Acetone ((Ch3)2Co)
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2312EPA0002028
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)2023-11-09 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2023-11-09
- What spilled
- Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2311EPA0001911
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road) Reached water2023-05-01 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2023-05-01
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 5 gallons
- Reached a waterway
- 99 - Unnamed
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2305EPA0000703
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc2023-03-20 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2023-03-20
- What spilled
- Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc
- Largest amount reported
- 25 gallons
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2303EPA0000409
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Chemical(S) Unk2022-03-08 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2022-03-08
- What spilled
- Chemical(S) Unk
- Largest amount reported
- 10 gallons
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2203EPA0000293
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2022-01-12 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2022-01-12
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2201EPA0000038
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2021-10-04 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2021-10-04
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 50 gallons
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2110EPA0001570
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Waste Water Reached water2021-10-02 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2021-10-02
- What spilled
- Waste Water
- Reached a waterway
- 99 - Unnamed
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2110EPA0001561
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2021-06-11 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2021-06-11
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 50 gallons
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2106EPA0000843
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Food Grade Product Liquid2026-06-30 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2026-06-30
- What spilled
- Food Grade Product Liquid
- Largest amount reported
- 40 gallons
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2606EPA0001167
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2026-04-11 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2026-04-11
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2604EPA0000616
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2026-03-20 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2026-03-20
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 100 gallons
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2603EPA0000446
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc2026-01-02 · Berkshire Twp
- Reported
- 2026-01-02
- What spilled
- Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc
- Where
- Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2601EPA0000004
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: Ohio EPA emergency response spill reports, 2021 to September 2026, one point per case where Ohio EPA placed it. A report is what the caller or responder recorded; amounts are often blank or estimated.
Its ZIP codes
Each ZIP code that touches Berkshire Township, Delaware County, with the share of its residents who live here and the same headline figures as the ZIP page.
| ZIP | Share | Water | Radon | Home value | Schools | Flood |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43021 Genoa Township and Galena | 18% | Alum Creek Reservoir intake at the Scott plant, Lewis Center Rd at Africa, Orange Township | 6.2 pCi/L average radon | Parcel list only | Olentangy Local · 5 stars overall | 1.6% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43074 Sunbury | 12% | Alum Creek Reservoir intake at the Scott plant, Lewis Center Rd at Africa, Orange Township | 5.3 pCi/L average radon | Parcel list only | Big Walnut Local · 4 stars overall | 2.9% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in Berkshire Township, Delaware County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Money issues on the ballot since 2019: 0 of 2 passed; of those asking for new or higher taxes, 0 of 2.
Ballot issues
| Date | Issue | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-11-05 | Issue: Berkshire Township - Tax Levy - Additional - Parks and Recreation - 0.5 mill / continuing period of time - Commencing 2019 | 514 | 920 | Failed (35.84% for) |
| 2019-11-05 | Issue: Berkshire Township - Bond Issue - Public Park - 1 mill / 20 years - Commencing 2019 | 458 | 965 | Failed (32.19% for) |
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-11-07 | Township Trustee | Paul Disantis 1,744, 61.5%; Austin Slattery 1,092, 38.5% |
| 2023-11-07 | Township Fiscal Officer | Melody L. George 2,474, 100.0% |
| 2021-11-02 | Township Trustee | Stephen Ciacchi 660, 24.11%; Mike Dattilo 822, 30.02%; Rod Myers 705, 25.75%; Austin Slattery 551, 20.12% |
| 2019-11-05 | Township Trustee | Bill Holtry 319, 24.06%; Josh Varble 1,007, 75.94% |
| 2019-11-05 | Township Fiscal Officer | Melody L. George 1,052, 100.0% |
Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.
Auditor of State record
- No fiscal caution, watch or emergency on the Auditor of State's lists.
- Financial Audit, 2022 to 2023, released 2024-10-10
The county
Delaware County: 11 ZIP codes, 26 cities, villages and townships, 214,126 people.
Nearby places
Quick answers
What county is Berkshire Township, Ohio in?
Berkshire Township, Delaware County is a township in Delaware County, Ohio, with 4,404 residents.
When was Berkshire Township, Ohio founded?
Berkshire Township, Delaware County was settled 1804; incorporated 1806. Founders on record: Major Thomas Brown's petition, separating Berkshire from Sharon Township, Franklin County. Source
How did Berkshire Township, Ohio get its name?
Named for Berkshire County, Massachusetts, the home of Major Thomas Brown, Colonel Moses Byxbe and other of the community's prominent early settlers, according to the 1908 county history. Source
What ZIP code is Berkshire Township, Ohio?
Berkshire Township, Delaware County is served by ZIP codes 43021 and 43074; 43021 holds the largest share of its residents.
Where does Berkshire Township, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Berkshire Township, Delaware County (Del-co Water Company, Inc.): Alum Creek Reservoir intake at the Scott plant, Lewis Center Rd at Africa, Orange Township.
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Berkshire Township, Delaware County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/berkshire-township-delaware-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-10-31
