Local events in Coldwater
6 events in the next 90 days from 1 public calendar. All local events in Coldwater
Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
Lakes near Coldwater
The history under the water: the valley before, the dam, the stories. All Ohio lakes
How Coldwater began
Coldwater is in the center of Butler Township in western Mercer County. It began about 1838 as Buzzard's Glory, a name Wikipedia ties to the storekeeper David Buzzard; William A. O. Munsell laid it out in the plat recorded August 18, 1859, under the name of nearby Coldwater Creek, and it was incorporated in 1883. German Catholics filled the district, and Holy Trinity was one of the largest churches in the county in 1907. The village grew from 237 people in 1880 and 627 in 1900 to 4,774 in 2020.
Settled 1838, platted August 18, 1859 (plat recorded), incorporated 1883, by William A. O. Munsell (1859 plat); David Buzzard kept the early store.
Where the name comes from
Originally called Buzzard's Glory, according to Wikipedia, after David Buzzard, who kept a general store; renamed Coldwater, for nearby Coldwater Creek, when formally platted in 1859.
Before the town
No Native village, trail or treaty site specific to Coldwater was found. The village sits within Butler Township, part of the upper Wabash drainage country that Miami and Shawnee people traveled and hunted through the 1700s and that was ceded by the Treaty of Greenville (1795), whose boundary line runs a few miles south of the village.
Nations recorded here: Miami, Shawnee.
Timeline
- — Settlement founded, originally called Buzzard's Glory after David Buzzard, who operated a general store, according to Wikipedia; we found no other source for it.
- — A post office opens in the community, according to Wikipedia.
- — The village is formally platted and takes the Coldwater name, from nearby Coldwater Creek.
- — William A. O. Munsell lays out the village; the plat is recorded on August 18.
- — The village population is 237 according to the 1907 county history (Wikipedia's table gives 1,001).
- — Coldwater is incorporated as a village.
- — The population is 490.
- — The population is 627; a bank, a newspaper (the Chronicle), a brickyard, broom, butter-tub, excelsior and cigar factories, a grist mill and three general stores serve the district by 1907.
- — The People's Bank of Coldwater moves into its new bank building in December.
- — The census counts 1,516 people.
- — The census counts 3,702 people.
- — Village population reaches 4,151, more than four times its 1880 level, after strong growth in the 1930s-1950s.
- — The census counts 4,151 people.
- — The census counts 4,411 people.
- — The census counts 4,774 people.
Stories
From Buzzard's Glory to Coldwater
The settlement that became Coldwater spent its first two decades under a name nobody would choose on purpose: Buzzard's Glory, after David Buzzard, the storekeeper whose shop was the place's main landmark in 1838, according to Wikipedia; we found no other source for the name or the date. Wikipedia also says a post office arrived in 1847 under the same name, giving the young community a formal mailing address even as it stayed a scattering of farms and a store. Only in 1859, when the village was finally surveyed and platted in earnest, did residents settle on Coldwater, borrowed from the creek running past town -- a plainer, more respectable name for a place that by then was ready to grow into the German Catholic farming village, anchored by Holy Trinity Church, that it remains today.
A town of brooms, bricks and cigars
The 1907 county history calls Coldwater one of the most active business towns in Mercer County, where only 237 people lived in 1880. William A. O. Munsell's plat of August 1859 sat at the center of Butler Township, and the arrival of two railroads, the Cincinnati Northern and the Lake Erie & Western, fed the growth. By 1907 the village had 627 people and a surprising list of factories for its size: Andrew X. Walter's large brickyard, Anthony Rathweg's broom factory, Joseph Weamer's butter-tub factory, Henry H. Lampe's excelsior factory, and cigar factories run by Henry Fuerst and J. F. Schults. Fox & Hess ran a grist mill and bought grain, with a branch at St. Henry. Holy Trinity Catholic Church was one of the largest buildings in the county, and the People's Bank moved into a new building in December 1906. A newspaper, the Coldwater Chronicle, had begun a few years before.
Photographs
Photo: Nheyob, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org · archive.org
Water
Groundwater wells (8 wells) The water here
- Coldwater Village100% of residentsGroundwater wells (8 wells)
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Coldwater's boundary: 1 hospital, 1 fire or EMS station, 3 public schools, 1 library, 1 police station, 3 public charging sites, 4 Toxics Release Inventory facilities and 1 spill case. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Hospitals (1)
-
Mercer Co. Joint Twnshp Comm HospGeneral hospital · Coldwater
- What it is
- General hospital
- Address
- 800 West Main Street, Coldwater, OH 45828
- County
- Mercer County
- Beds
- 88
- Helipad
- Yes
- Ownership
- Government - district/authority
- Medicare overall rating
- 3 of 5 stars
- Emergency department (Medicare)
- No
- Medicare reports it as
- Mercer County Joint Township Community Hospital
- Phone
- (419) 678-2341
- Medicare ID
- 360058
Medicare Care Compare ↗ Where HIFLD got this record ↗ HIFLD hospitals (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: HIFLD hospitals inventory via FEMA (closed hospitals it still lists left out, hospitals opened since added), with Medicare Care Compare ratings matched by name and address.
Fire and EMS stations (1)
-
Coldwater Fire DepartmentColdwater
- Address
- 1020 North Second Street, Coldwater, OH 45828
- Coordinates
- 40.49383, -84.62942
USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
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 (3)
-
Coldwater Elementary School5 of 5 stars · Coldwater
- Address
- 310 N 2nd St, Coldwater, OH 45828
- School district
- Coldwater Ex Vill School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 630
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 34
- Report card, 2025-26
- 5 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 90.3%
- Ohio building IRN
- 111054
- NCES school ID
- 390453104398
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Coldwater High School4 of 5 stars · Coldwater
- Address
- 310 N 2nd St, Coldwater, OH 45828
- School district
- Coldwater Ex Vill School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 384
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 23
- Report card, 2025-26
- 4 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 89.1%
- Four-year graduation rate
- 100%
- Ohio building IRN
- 006858
- NCES school ID
- 390453102171
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Coldwater Middle School4.5 of 5 stars · Coldwater
- Address
- 310 N 2nd St, Coldwater, OH 45828
- School district
- Coldwater Ex Vill School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 430
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 26.87
- Report card, 2025-26
- 4.5 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 90.3%
- Ohio building IRN
- 125187
- NCES school ID
- 390453101377
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.
Public libraries (1)
-
Coldwater Public LibraryCentral library · Coldwater
- Address
- 305 W. Main St., Coldwater, OH 45828
- What it is
- Central library
- Library system
- Coldwater Public Library
- Open
- 2,678 hours a year, 52 weeks
- Building
- 15,515 sq ft
- System's visits, FY2024
- 35,620
- System's loans, FY2024
- 94,667
- People the system serves
- 6,927
- Phone
- (419) 678-2431
IMLS Public Libraries Survey (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: IMLS Public Libraries Survey FY2024 (outlets and their systems). Any Ohio resident can get a free card at any Ohio public library.
Police stations (1)
-
Coldwater Police DepartmentColdwater
- Address
- 303 West Main Street, Coldwater, OH 45828
- Coordinates
- 40.47942, -84.63133
USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: USGS National Map structures, police stations, corrected and completed by hand (September 2026). The department that answers a call is set by jurisdiction, not by distance.
Public EV charging (3)
-
Coldwater Memorial Park8 Level 2 · Coldwater
- Address
- 706 N Elm St, Coldwater, OH 45828
- Ports
- 8 Level 2
- Plugs
- J1772
- Network
- SWTCH
- Hours
- 24 hours daily
- Phone
- 844-798-2438
Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
SWTCH Energy2 Level 2 · Coldwater
- Address
- 707 Butler St, Coldwater, OH 45828
- Ports
- 2 Level 2
- Plugs
- J1772
- Network
- SWTCH
- Hours
- 24 hours daily
- Price
- $2 per hour
Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Village of Coldwater8 Level 2 · Coldwater
- Address
- 610 W Sycamore St, Coldwater, OH 45828
- Ports
- 8 Level 2
- Plugs
- J1772
- Network
- SWTCH
- Hours
- 24 hours daily
- Phone
- 844-798-2438
Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: NREL Alternative Fuels Data Center station list (May 2026), public and open stations, the posts at one address counted as one site.
Facilities reporting toxic releases (4)
-
Agco Manufacturing GroupToxics Release Inventory · Coldwater
- Address
- 123 W. Sycamore St., Coldwater, OH 45828
- County
- Mercer County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (closed)
- EPA program ID
- 45828WHTNW123WE
- EPA registry ID
- 110000395581
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Deruijter International Usa Inc - Dri RubberToxics Release Inventory · Coldwater
- Address
- 120 Harvest Dr, Coldwater, OH 45828
- County
- Mercer County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory
- EPA program ID
- TRI_OFFSITE_589
- EPA registry ID
- 110070690494
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Pet IncToxics Release Inventory · Coldwater
- Address
- 300 East Vine Street, Coldwater, OH 45828
- County
- Mercer County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
- EPA program ID
- 45828PTNCX300EA
- EPA registry ID
- 110009490452
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Premier Rubber ReprocessingToxics Release Inventory · Coldwater
- Address
- 110 Pearl St, Coldwater, OH 45828
- County
- Mercer County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory
- EPA program ID
- TRI_OFFSITE_1607
- EPA registry ID
- 110070690211
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 (1)
-
Oil Vegetable / Bio Reached water2024-01-25 · Coldwater
- Reported
- 2024-01-25
- What spilled
- Oil Vegetable / Bio
- Largest amount reported
- 220 gallons
- Reached a waterway
- 99 - Unnamed
- Where
- Coldwater, Mercer County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2401EPA0000125
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 Coldwater, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45828 Coldwater | 74% | Groundwater wells (8 wells) | 6.6 pCi/L average radon | Median year built 1969 | Coldwater Exempted Village · 4.5 stars overall | 0.4% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in Coldwater, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Money issues on the ballot since 2024: 1 of 1 passed.
Ballot issues
| Date | Issue | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11-05 | Issue: Proposed Income Tax Village of Coldwater | 1,402 | 1,204 | Passed (53.8% for) |
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-04 | Member of Council, West Ward | Brad Niekamp 142, 100.0% |
| 2025-11-04 | Member of Council, Southeast Ward | Mark Davis 87, 100.0% |
| 2025-11-04 | Member of Council, Northeast Ward | Write-In: Dale Rutschilling 4, 66.67%; Not Assigned 2, 33.33% |
| 2025-11-04 | Member of Council, Central Ward | Michael D. Seitz 125, 100.0% |
| 2023-11-07 | Member of Council at Large | Tim L. Buschur 1,335, 50.04%; Charmaine Bettinger 1,333, 49.96% |
| 2023-11-07 | Mayor | Doug Bertke 1,670, 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, 2023 to 2024, released 2026-01-22
The county
Mercer County: 10 ZIP codes, 23 cities, villages and townships, 42,566 people.
Nearby places
Rain and snow
How much has actually fallen on Coldwater, day by day, from 1893 to now. Daily totals, not averages.
- rain, last 30 days
- 0.81 in
- 2026-09-30 to 2026-10-29
- rain so far in 2026
- 41.7 in
- 7.2 in above normal for the date
- snow so far in 2026
- 16.9 in
- a normal year brings 24.3 in
- a normal year
- 40.3 in
- average of 30 years, 1991-2020
| Month | Rain (in) | Snow (in) | Days counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 0.81 | — | 29 |
| September 2026 | 7.16 | — | 30 |
| August 2026 | 9.88 | — | 31 |
| July 2026 | 2.94 | — | 31 |
| June 2026 | 4.33 | — | 30 |
| May 2026 | 4.69 | — | 31 |
| April 2026 | 5.00 | — | 30 |
| March 2026 | 4.92 | 0.9 | 31 |
| February 2026 | 0.87 | 5.1 | 28 |
| January 2026 | 1.05 | 10.8 | 31 |
| December 2025 | 1.73 | 8.2 | 31 |
| November 2025 | 1.49 | 4.2 | 30 |
| Wettest year | 2011 — 56.5 in |
|---|---|
| Driest year | 1963 — 23.6 in |
| Snowiest year | 1982 — 53.0 in |
| Wettest day on record | 13 July 1992 — 4.56 in |
| Heaviest snowfall in a day | 19 March 1896 — 10.98 in |
| Deepest snow on the ground | 6 February 1978 — 24.58 in |
Estimated, not measured. No rain gauge has ever stood inside Coldwater, 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.
47,892 days of records, 1893-01-01 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.
Environmental permits and filings
What Ohio EPA has on file for Coldwater: permits, inspections, violations, cleanups and the state loans behind sewer and water work. Every line links to the agency's own document.
- facilities and sites on file
- 26
- those placed on the map inside Coldwater
| Program | Facilities and sites |
|---|---|
| Hazardous waste | 9 |
| Voluntary cleanup | 9 |
| Cessation Of Regulated Operations | 2 |
| Contaminated-site cleanup | 2 |
| Public drinking water | 2 |
| Sewer and water-line construction | 1 |
| State sewer loans | 1 |
| Date | Facility or site | What |
|---|---|---|
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water notice of violation | |
| BAYVIEW WATER ASSOCIATION PWS | Public drinking water inspection | |
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water compliance letter | |
| TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS INC | Cessation Of Regulated Operations notice of violation | |
| TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS INC | Hazardous waste inspection | |
| BAYVIEW WATER ASSOCIATION PWS | Public drinking water notice of violation | |
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water notice of violation | |
| WHITE NEW IDEA FARM EQUIPMENT CO, COLDWATER | Voluntary cleanup inspection | |
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water report | |
| WHITE NEW IDEA FARM EQUIPMENT CO, COLDWATER | Voluntary cleanup inspection | |
| TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS INC | Cessation Of Regulated Operations compliance letter | |
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water notice of violation | |
| TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS INC | Hazardous waste compliance letter | |
| TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS INC | Cessation Of Regulated Operations compliance letter | |
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water notice of violation | |
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water notice of violation | |
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water notice of violation | |
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water inspection | |
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water notice of violation | |
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water compliance letter | |
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water report | |
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water notice of violation | |
| COLDWATER VILLAGE PWS | Public drinking water notice of violation | |
| BAYVIEW WATER ASSOCIATION PWS | Public drinking water violation resolved | |
| BAYVIEW WATER ASSOCIATION PWS | Public drinking water notice of violation |
Source: Ohio EPA eDocument portal (edocpub.epa.ohio.gov), indexed 2026-10-14. Facilities are placed on the map from Ohio EPA's own map layers, EPA's Facility Registry, coordinates written in the filings, or a geocoded street address. A permit filed under a private person's name (most are household septic systems) is counted but never named, placed or linked; licenses for individual workers and open-burning notices are left out entirely.
Quick answers
What county is Coldwater, Ohio in?
Coldwater is a village in Mercer County, Ohio, with 4,774 residents.
When was Coldwater, Ohio founded?
Coldwater was settled 1838; laid out August 18, 1859 (plat recorded); incorporated 1883. Founders on record: William A. O. Munsell (1859 plat); David Buzzard kept the early store. Source
How did Coldwater, Ohio get its name?
Originally called Buzzard's Glory, according to Wikipedia, after David Buzzard, who kept a general store; renamed Coldwater, for nearby Coldwater Creek, when formally platted in 1859. Source
What ZIP code is Coldwater, Ohio?
Most of Coldwater is in ZIP code 45828.
Where does Coldwater, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Coldwater (Coldwater Village): Groundwater wells (8 wells).
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Coldwater, Mercer County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/coldwater/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-10-31
