Local events in Buchtel
Nothing is posted for Buchtel itself yet; here is what is on within 20 miles. All local events in Buchtel
Know a calendar we should watch? Send the link
Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Buchtel began
Buchtel was founded in 1876 as a coal-company town along Snow Fork, a tributary of Monday Creek, on land held by the Akron Iron Company, and was named for John R. Buchtel, a representative of that company; it was first called Bessemer. A post office opened in 1879. The village is part of the Hocking Valley's Little Cities of Black Diamonds coal-mining district, and it saw a violent 1884 strike in which the company brought in Pinkerton guards to protect strikebreakers. Population peaked at 1,180 in 1910 and was 518 in the 2020 census.
Platted 1876, by Akron Iron Company (named for its representative John R. Buchtel).
Where the name comes from
Buchtel was laid out in 1876 and named for John R. Buchtel, whom Wikipedia calls a representative of the Akron Iron Company and the Clio marker entry says led it; Wikipedia says, with a citation needed, that a former name for the village is Bessemer.
Before the town
No Native village, mound or trail specific to the Buchtel village site is recorded.
Nations recorded here: Shawnee.
Timeline
- — Buchtel was founded as a coal-company town on Akron Iron Company land along Snow Fork, and named for company representative John R. Buchtel; it was first known as Bessemer.
- — A post office opened at Buchtel.
- — Buchtel has 417 residents; John R. Buchtel has given land for a cemetery and a church and $3,000 for a public school.
- — During the Hocking Valley coal strike (1884-85) Buchtel gives $10 to aid the striking miners and lets unions organize in the town, while the company hires Pinkerton guards to protect replacement workers; trust broke down and violence followed.
- — Buchtel's population peaked at 1,180 during the coal-mining era.
- — Population is 1,178, down slightly from the 1910 peak of 1,180.
- — Population has fallen to 799.
- — Population is 775 (799 in 1930), falling to 569 in 1950 and 499 in 1960.
- — Population recovers to 592 (585 in 1980; 640 in 1990).
- — A historical marker honoring John Richards Buchtel, founder of Buchtel College (now the University of Akron), is dedicated.
- — The census counts 518 residents.
Stories
A company's town, and a company's fight
Buchtel was not a village that grew and then attracted industry; the Akron Iron Company laid it out in 1876 on its Hocking Valley coal land, and the man who led the company, John R. Buchtel, gave it his name. He gave land for a cemetery and a church and $3,000 for the public school, and by 1880 more than 400 people lived there. In the Hocking Valley coal strike of 1884-85 he gave $10 to the striking miners and let unions organize, yet the company hired Pinkerton guards to protect the replacement workers, which brought distrust and violence. The population kept climbing to 1,180 in 1910 and then fell as the coal ran out, to 518 by 2020.
Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · theclio.com
Water
Mostly private wells The water here
- Nelsonville99% of residentsGroundwater wells (3 wells)
- Carbon Hill Water Association1% of residentsHocking River Buried Valley Aquifer (wells)
Its ZIP codes
Each ZIP code that touches Buchtel, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45716 Buchtel | 96% | Mostly private wells | Too few radon tests | Median year built 1956 | Nelsonville-York City · 3 stars overall | 64% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 45764 Nelsonville | 1% | Groundwater wells (3 wells) | 1.1 pCi/L average radon | Median year built 1920 | Nelsonville-York City · 3 stars overall | 24% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in Buchtel, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Money issues on the ballot since 2018: 4 of 5 passed.
Ballot issues
| Date | Issue | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-05 | 5: #5 Buchtel Village Tax Levy Current Expenses | 30 | 37 | Failed (44.78% for), unofficial |
| 2020-03-17 | 3: #3 Buchtel Village Tax Levy Cur Exp (levy type not on the results report) | 64 | 21 | Passed (75.29% for) |
| 2020-03-17 | Issue: V-Buchtel Tax Levy | 5 | 0 | Passed (100.0% for) |
| 2019-11-05 | Issue: Village of Buchtel Tax Levy - Renewal | 1 | 0 | Passed (100.0% for) |
| 2018-11-06 | Issue: Buchtel Village 5 mill Renewal (5.0 mills, renewal) | 12 | 2 | Passed (85.71% for) |
| 2018-05-24 | Issue: Buchtel Village Police Protection | 0 | 0 | Failed |
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-11-02 | Member of Council (unofficial count) | Jerry Jay Kline 85, 53.46%; Ed Matheny 74, 46.54% |
| 2021-11-02 | Member of Council (unofficial count) | Jerry Jay Kline 2, 66.67%; Ed Matheny 1, 33.33% |
| 2019-11-05 | Member of Council | George Addis 1, 50.0%; Thomas M. Bradley 1, 50.0% |
| 2019-11-05 | Mayor | Tom Taggart 1, 100.0% |
| 2017-11-07 | Council | Ed Matheny 0 |
| 2015-11-03 | Mayor | John L. Sullivan 2, 100.0% |
| 2015-11-03 | Council | George R. Addis 2, 66.67%; Tom Bradley 1, 33.33% |
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.
- Basic Audit, 2023 to 2024, released 2025-07-01
The county
Athens County: 16 ZIP codes, 29 cities, villages and townships, 67,237 people.
Nearby places
Rain and snow
How much has actually fallen on Buchtel, day by day, from 1893 to now. Daily totals, not averages.
- rain, last 30 days
- 1.30 in
- 2026-09-30 to 2026-10-29
- rain so far in 2026
- 48.8 in
- 12.5 in above normal for the date
- snow so far in 2026
- 18.3 in
- a normal year brings 15.0 in
- a normal year
- 42.6 in
- average of 30 years, 1991-2020
| Month | Rain (in) | Snow (in) | Days counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 1.30 | — | 29 |
| September 2026 | 7.83 | — | 30 |
| August 2026 | 9.78 | — | 31 |
| July 2026 | 6.18 | — | 31 |
| June 2026 | 5.18 | — | 30 |
| May 2026 | 5.44 | — | 31 |
| April 2026 | 3.65 | — | 30 |
| March 2026 | 6.16 | 2.7 | 31 |
| February 2026 | 0.98 | 4.0 | 28 |
| January 2026 | 2.29 | 11.5 | 31 |
| December 2025 | 2.30 | 7.9 | 31 |
| November 2025 | 2.82 | 0.7 | 30 |
| Wettest year | 2018 — 65.6 in |
|---|---|
| Driest year | 1930 — 23.7 in |
| Snowiest year | 1910 — 50.8 in |
| Wettest day on record | 13 October 1893 — 4.47 in |
| Heaviest snowfall in a day | 23 January 1966 — 12.44 in |
| Deepest snow on the ground | 15 January 1968 — 20.74 in |
Estimated, not measured. No rain gauge has ever stood inside Buchtel, so every figure here is worked out from the gauges around it - the nearest ones weighted most. Treat them as close estimates rather than readings.
48,440 days of records, 1893-05-01 to 2026-10-29. Source: NOAA NCEI GHCN-Daily, 3,240 gauges in and around Ohio. A day is "gauged" when a gauge standing inside the boundary reported it, and the value is the mean of those gauges. Otherwise it is interpolated by inverse distance from every gauge reporting within 50 miles. Nothing is carried forward, back-filled or smoothed. Against NOAA nClimDiv county monthly precipitation over 136,848 complete county-months (checked 2026-10-31): correlation 0.9515, median absolute difference 0.217 in a month. Built 2026-10-31 from the Cracked Buckeye precipitation archive. Snow is the softer number — snowfall is measured by hand with a ruler, no agency publishes a gridded county snowfall series, and blowing snow defeats every observer.
Quick answers
What county is Buchtel, Ohio in?
Buchtel is a village in Athens County, Ohio, with 514 residents.
When was Buchtel, Ohio founded?
Buchtel was laid out 1876. Founders on record: Akron Iron Company (named for its representative John R. Buchtel). Source
How did Buchtel, Ohio get its name?
Buchtel was laid out in 1876 and named for John R. Source
What ZIP code is Buchtel, Ohio?
Most of Buchtel is in ZIP code 45716.
Where does Buchtel, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Buchtel (Nelsonville): Mostly private wells.
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Buchtel, Athens County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/buchtel/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-10-31
