Berlin Township, Delaware County

Township · Delaware County · 7,768 residents

Delaware County

Local events in Berlin Township, Delaware County

13 events in the next 90 days from 1 public calendar. All local events in Berlin Township, Delaware County

  1. GET LOST Saturdays

    9 to 11:30 a.m. · Lost in the Woods at Alum Creek, Galena · From Destination Delaware County Ohio (Visit Delaware Ohio)

  2. Tree & Shrub Pruning Workshop

    Noon to 2 p.m. · Scioto Gardens Nursery, Delaware · From Destination Delaware County Ohio (Visit Delaware Ohio)

Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.

Lakes near Berlin Township, Delaware County

The history under the water: the valley before, the dam, the stories. All Ohio lakes

How Berlin Township, Delaware County began

Berlin Township was carved out of parts of Berkshire, Delaware and Liberty Townships and organized under its present bounds on January 8, 1820, on petition of Asa Scott, who also suggested its name. Settlement began in November 1805, when George Cowgill located a mile north of the Delaware and Sunbury Pike; families from Waterbury, Connecticut and Berkshire County, Massachusetts followed, clearing land along Alum Creek and living for years alongside Native neighbors before the War of 1812 unsettled relations. Cheshire, laid out on a barren clay knoll that pioneer Jesse Hultz nicknamed 'Peth,' became the township's principal settlement and a stop on the Underground Railroad. Today Berlin Township is Delaware County's fastest-growing rural township, reaching into the northwestern edge of the city of Delaware and the Alum Creek Reservoir area.

Settled 1805, incorporated 1820-01-08, by Asa Scott, township treasurer under Berkshire Township, who petitioned the county commissioners and suggested the name.

Where the name comes from

No source consulted explains why the township took the name 'Berlin.' The 1908 county history says only that Asa Scott, the outgoing Berkshire Township treasurer, 'started the petition for the new township and suggested its present name' when the township organized in 1820; it gives no reason for the choice. This is unlike neighboring Berkshire Township, whose name for Berkshire County, Massachusetts is explicitly recorded.

Before the town

The 1880 and 1908 county histories describe Berlin's Native neighbors as recent, not ancient, history. Early settlers found Indians 'as thick as blackbirds,' generally on peaceable terms: they did not dispute the settlers' right to hunt and fish, though they felt entitled to a share of the corn and vegetables grown in the new gardens. In 1809 an Indian who had committed 'some depredation' on George Cowgill's family was seized by the settlers and taken prisoner to Berkshire; his own band visited the next morning with faces painted red for peace, then returned that afternoon painted black for war, telling the settlers, 'Kill him, we nothing say, but no keep him to torture.' The settlers released him on condition he never return, and he was not seen again. Two Indians named Joe and George Bigtree were 'familiarly known in the Berlin settlement' and, during the War of 1812, visited with faces painted red to signal peaceful intent. Jonathan Thompson's Indian neighbors camped near his cabin, shared venison when they killed a deer, and, asked why they did not hunt on Sundays, answered, 'No good Indian hunt Sunday; the Great Spirit see.' No source consulted names the nation any of these individuals belonged to, or identifies a village, mound or trail sited within the township's own boundaries. The 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, and was surveyed and distributed as United States Military District bounty-land. 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

  1. — The Treaty of Greenville cedes most of what becomes Ohio, including the future Berlin Township, to the United States.
  2. — George Cowgill locates about a mile north of the Delaware and Sunbury Pike in November, becoming the township's first permanent settler.
  3. — Joseph Constant Lewis, son of David Lewis Jr., is born on September 29 on the west side of Alum Creek, the first white child born in the township.
  4. — An Indian accused of a 'depredation' on George Cowgill's family is briefly taken prisoner to Berkshire and then released after his band's mixed threats and appeals for mercy; he is not seen in the settlement again.
  5. — Amid War of 1812 fears of British-incited Indian attacks, settlers build a two-story, forty-foot-square hewn-log blockhouse on the west bank of Alum Creek near Cheshire; a night alarm sends families rushing to it after gunfire is heard near Scott's and Aye's cabins, though no attack follows.
  6. — Berlin Township organizes in its present form on January 8, combining the first and fourth sections of Berkshire, the second section of Delaware and the third section of Liberty Township.
  7. — Cheshire receives its first post office on August 10, with storekeeper L. R. Ryant as postmaster.
  8. — The Nettleton Grove Bank Cemetery Association organizes on October 10 and lays out a cemetery south of Cheshire.

Stories

Bear Tracks, Not Indians

During the War of 1812, Berlin Township's settlers lived under constant apprehension that the British would turn the Northwest's Native population against isolated frontier cabins. A party clearing land for a new arrival worked with rifles leaning against nearby trees while David Lewis Sr. stood scout, under an agreed code: if he spotted danger, he was to report 'bears' rather than alarm the group outright. When he returned that afternoon warning of fresh 'bear tracks,' the men understood at once and quietly armed themselves, sending the children home and shepherding nearby families into the newly built blockhouse by nightfall. That night, David Lewis Jr. and Philo Hoadley crept out to scout the crossing near the fort and spotted two figures vaulting a brush fence in a cornfield; Lewis fired, dropped one, and both men sprang for the blockhouse under a burst of return fire, Lewis sprawling over a stump along the way. By morning no bodies or further sign could be found beyond moccasin tracks and blood in the cornfield — leaving the identity and fate of the intruders 'the subject of considerable conjecture' that was never resolved.

A Neighborly Peace

For years before the War of 1812 curdled relations, Berlin's settlers and their Native neighbors shared the same creek bottoms on ordinary, even friendly, terms. Jonathan Thompson's cabin on the Constant tract stood near a camp whose occupants sent him venison when they killed a deer and helped him at odd tasks; when he noticed they never hunted on Sundays, they told him, 'No good Indian hunt Sunday; the Great Spirit see.' Visits to the sugar camps in maple season were a favorite pastime for both sides, and wrestling was the usual entertainment offered a guest — a hold the settlers called 'Indian hug' that old man Lewis, past his prime but still vigorous, once used to throw a young brave who had bantered several other men into refusing the match first. Two men named Joe and George Bigtree were well enough known in the settlement to be named individually in the record, and during the tense years of the War of 1812 they took care to visit with their faces painted red — the recognized sign of peaceful intent.

The Village Called Peth

Cheshire grew up on a barren clay knoll on Samuel Adams's farm, and pioneer Jesse Hultz supplied its unofficial nickname: he called it 'Peth,' explaining that 'what don't run away will starve to death.' L. R. Ryant kept the first store in a room seven feet by nine, later adding a second room to sell ready-made and made-to-order shoes, and became the settlement's first postmaster in 1851. From its earliest years the township held a strong pro-slavery sentiment in the surrounding countryside, which makes the other current running through Cheshire notable: the Underground Railroad passed through the village, and freedom seekers could only be moved under cover of night from Orange Township along Alum Creek to a Quaker settlement, and from there on to Oberlin or another outlet.

Photographs

Berlin Township Hall, 3271 Cheshire Road
Berlin Township Hall, 3271 Cheshire Road (2016)
Photo: Nyttend, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Berlin Township Fire Department, 2708 Lackey Old State Road
Berlin Township Fire Department, 2708 Lackey Old State Road (2016)
Photo: Nyttend, public domain · 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.80% of residentsOlentangy River, O'Shaughnessy and Alum Creek reservoirs, plus Knox County wells
  • Delaware City14% of residentsOlentangy River (blended with deep wells)
  • Columbus Public Water System6% of residentsScioto River (Griggs & O'Shaughnessy), Hoover Reservoir on Big Walnut Ck, plus wells
  • Marysville City0% of residentsMill Creek via Marysville Reservoir (Raymond Rd) + wells

Hospitals, fire stations and more

Inside Berlin Township, Delaware County's boundary: 1 fire or EMS station, 6 public schools, 2 public charging sites, 1 Superfund site and 14 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.

Fire and EMS stations (1)

  1. Berlin Township Fire Department Station 390Delaware
    Address
    2708 Lackey Old State Road, Delaware, OH 43015
    Coordinates
    40.24013, -82.98783

Source: USGS National Map structures (most Ohio records last updated 2019 to 2022), checked against the Columbus and Cleveland station lists. The department that answers a call is set by jurisdiction and mutual aid, not by distance.

Public schools (6)

  1. Arrowhead Elementary School4 of 5 stars · Lewis Center
    Address
    2385 Hollenback Rd, Lewis Center, OH 43035
    School district
    Olentangy Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    756
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    33.63
    Report card, 2025-26
    4 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    88.5%
    Ohio building IRN
    132233
    NCES school ID
    390467601421
  2. Cheshire Elementary4 of 5 stars · Delaware
    Address
    2681 Gregory Rd, Delaware, OH 43015
    School district
    Olentangy Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    833
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    38.73
    Report card, 2025-26
    4 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    93.1%
    Ohio building IRN
    010163
    NCES school ID
    390467605485
  3. Olentangy Berlin High School4.5 of 5 stars · Delaware
    Address
    3140 Berlin Station Rd, Delaware, OH 43015
    School district
    Olentangy Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    1,740
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    73.84
    Report card, 2025-26
    4.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    93%
    Four-year graduation rate
    97.6%
    Ohio building IRN
    016941
    NCES school ID
    390467605968
  4. Olentangy Berlin Middle School5 of 5 stars · Delaware
    Address
    2500 Piatt Rd, Delaware, OH 43015
    School district
    Olentangy Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    807
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    41.26
    Report card, 2025-26
    5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    93.2%
    Ohio building IRN
    020064
    NCES school ID
    390467610863
  5. Peachblow Crossing Elementary4.5 of 5 stars · Lewis Center
    Address
    4222 Piatt Rd, Lewis Center, OH 43035
    School district
    Olentangy Local School District
    Report card, 2025-26
    4.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    94.7%
    Ohio building IRN
    021201
    NCES school ID
    390467610892
  6. Shale Meadows Elementary School5 of 5 stars · Lewis Center
    Address
    4458 North Road, Lewis Center, OH 43035
    School district
    Olentangy Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    714
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    30.26
    Report card, 2025-26
    5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    94.5%
    Ohio building IRN
    019480
    NCES school ID
    390467606113

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.

Public EV charging (2)

  1. COUGHLIN KIA DC FAST 2 DC fast2 DC fast · Lewis Center
    Address
    5342 Columbus Pike, Lewis Center, OH 43035
    Ports
    2 DC fast
    Plugs
    CCS, CHAdeMO
    Network
    ChargePoint Network
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Phone
    888-758-4389
  2. Ravines at Meadow Ridge6 Level 2 · Sunbury
    Address
    166 Caldy Knoll Dr, Sunbury, OH 43074
    Ports
    6 Level 2
    Plugs
    J1772
    Network
    LOOP
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Price
    $1 activation fee; $0.35 per kWh
    Phone
    888-385-6671

Source: NREL Alternative Fuels Data Center station list (May 2026), public and open stations, the posts at one address counted as one site.

Superfund sites (1)

  1. Delaware Mercury SpillSuperfund program · Lewis Center
    Address
    435 Dogwood Terrace, Lewis Center, OH 43035
    County
    Delaware County
    Status
    Superfund program site, not on the National Priorities List
    EPA program ID
    OHN000508747
    EPA registry ID
    110014404545

Source: EPA Facility Registry Service, Superfund (SEMS) and National Priorities List sites. Many program sites were assessed and needed no cleanup.

Spills reported since 2021 (14)

  1. Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle2025-09-17 · Berlin Twp
    Reported
    2025-09-17
    What spilled
    Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle
    Largest amount reported
    2 gallons
    Where
    Berlin Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2509EPA0001562
  2. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2024-12-21 · Berlin Twp
    Reported
    2024-12-21
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Where
    Berlin Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2412EPA0002057
  3. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2024-12-03 · Berlin Twp
    Reported
    2024-12-03
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Where
    Berlin Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2412EPA0001964
  4. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2024-07-26 · Berlin Twp
    Reported
    2024-07-26
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Largest amount reported
    10 gallons
    Where
    Berlin Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2407EPA0001282
  5. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2024-07-02 · Berlin Twp
    Reported
    2024-07-02
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Largest amount reported
    40 gallons
    Where
    Berlin Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2407EPA0001112
  6. Material Unknown2023-11-20 · Berlin Twp
    Reported
    2023-11-20
    What spilled
    Material Unknown; Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Largest amount reported
    35 gallons
    Where
    Berlin Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2311EPA0001959
  7. Oil Transformer Non Pcb2023-10-23 · Berlin Twp
    Reported
    2023-10-23
    What spilled
    Oil Transformer Non Pcb
    Where
    Berlin Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2310EPA0001812
  8. Oil Petroleum Not Otherwise Specified (Nos)2023-03-13 · Delaware Twp
    Reported
    2023-03-13
    What spilled
    Oil Petroleum Not Otherwise Specified (Nos)
    Where
    Delaware Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2303EPA0000379
  9. Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)2022-08-12 · Berlin Twp
    Reported
    2022-08-12
    What spilled
    Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)
    Largest amount reported
    20 gallons
    Where
    Berlin Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2208EPA0001227
  10. Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)2022-06-01 · Berlin Twp
    Reported
    2022-06-01
    What spilled
    Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)
    Where
    Berlin Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2206EPA0000808
  11. Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)2022-04-01 · Berlin Twp
    Reported
    2022-04-01
    What spilled
    Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)
    Where
    Berlin Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2204EPA0000455
  12. Oil Transformer Non Pcb2021-03-25 · Berlin Twp
    Reported
    2021-03-25
    What spilled
    Oil Transformer Non Pcb
    Largest amount reported
    44 gallons
    Where
    Berlin Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2103EPA0000397
  13. Sewage Human Reached water2021-03-03 · Berlin Twp
    Reported
    2021-03-03
    What spilled
    Sewage Human
    Largest amount reported
    400,000 gallons
    Reached a waterway
    21 - Alum Creek
    Where
    Berlin Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2103EPA0000277
  14. Sewage Sludge / Biosolids2026-06-17 · Brown Twp
    Reported
    2026-06-17
    What spilled
    Sewage Sludge / Biosolids
    Where
    Brown Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2606EPA0001083

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 Berlin Township, Delaware County, with the share of its residents who live here and the same headline figures as the ZIP page.

Local government

Who holds office in Berlin Township, Delaware County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.

Money issues on the ballot since 2019: 3 of 3 passed.

Ballot issues

DateIssueForAgainstResult
2024-11-05 Issue: Berlin Township - Proposed Tax Levy - Renewal - Fire - 2.98mills/5yrs - Comm 2025 3,5972,697Passed (57.15% for)
2021-11-02 Issue: Tax Levy - Renewal - Fire - Berlin Township - 2.95 mills/5 yrs - Comm 2022 1,361527Passed (72.09% for)
2019-11-05 Issue: Berlin Township - Tax Levy - Renewal - Fire - 2.98 mills / 5 years, Commencing 2020 685198Passed (77.58% for)

Elections for office

DateOfficeCandidates and votes
2023-11-07 Township Trustee Ronald Bullard 3,293, 100.0%
2023-11-07 Township Fiscal Officer Jeffrey H. Jordan (WI) 66, 22.45%; Unqualified Write-Ins (WI) 228, 77.55%
2021-11-02 Township Trustee Ken O'Brien 1,194, 52.41%; Meghan Raehll 1,084, 47.59%
2019-11-05 Township Trustee Ronald Bullard 695, 100.0%
2019-11-05 Township Fiscal Officer Claudia E. Smith 697, 100.0%

Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.

Auditor of State record

Quick answers

What county is Berlin Township, Ohio in?

Berlin Township, Delaware County is a township in Delaware County, Ohio, with 7,768 residents.

When was Berlin Township, Ohio founded?

Berlin Township, Delaware County was settled 1805; incorporated 1820-01-08. Founders on record: Asa Scott, township treasurer under Berkshire Township, who petitioned the county commissioners and suggested the name. Source

What ZIP code is Berlin Township, Ohio?

Berlin Township, Delaware County is served by ZIP codes 43021, 43035 and 43015; 43021 holds the largest share of its residents.

Where does Berlin Township, Ohio get its water?

The main water source for Berlin 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, "Berlin Township, Delaware County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/berlin-township-delaware-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].

How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-10-31