Local events in Congress Township, Wayne County
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Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Congress Township, Wayne County began
Congress Township, in the northwest corner of Wayne County, was formed by the county commissioners on October 5, 1818 from original township 21 of range 14; its name refers to the Congress of the United States. Michael and Henry Totten cut a trail from Wooster in February 1815 and built the first cabin, the Poe and Warner families followed that spring, and the first schoolhouse went up in 1819. Congress (first Waynesburg) was laid out in 1827 and West Salem in 1834; the township had 2,581 residents in 1870 and 4,439 in 2020, and Deerlick Farm east of West Salem is on the National Register.
Settled 1815 (Michael and Henry Totten, George and Isaac Poe), incorporated 1818-10-05 (township formed), by Michael and Henry Totten; George and Isaac Poe.
Where the name comes from
Named for the United States Congress; one of only two Congress Townships in Ohio, the other in Morrow County.
Before the town
No Native village, trail or mound specific to Congress Township is recorded. Michael Totten recalled that on a winter chase after wolves in the early years he followed their tracks to the Harrisville Swamp in Medina County, 'near this swamp were encamped about 30 or 40 Indians'. Wayne County as a whole has a recorded Delaware (Lenape), Wyandot and Shawnee history.
Timeline
- — In the first week of February Michael and Henry Totten and George and Isaac Poe cut a trail from Wooster to the site of Congress village and build a cabin on section 27; the Tottens bring their mother and sister, the first two white women in the township, on a sled; the Poes and Peter Warner's family arrive in April.
- — Matthew Brewer and James Carlin move their families to farms in the township, followed by George Aukerman and John Nead.
- — The first schoolhouse is built on the southwest quarter of section 37; the first school had been taught by John Totten in the first cabin, and George Poe was the first justice.
- — Henry Totten, David Garver and Andrew Moore are the earliest trustees on the township's record.
- — Congress, originally called Waynesburg, is laid out on March 6 by Philip Gates and David Newcomer (surveyed by Peter Emery); Michael Funk and Elmer Yocum build its first house, and Jacob Hare is first postmaster.
- — West Salem is laid out June 14 by Peter and John Rickel (surveyed by George Emery); Joseph Harbaugh builds its first house.
- — Congress Township's population is 2,581.
- — Deerlick Farm on Britton Road, east of West Salem in Congress Township, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 20.
Stories
Eleven sheep and a wolf pack
The Tottens and the Poes reached the site of Congress village in February 1815 by cutting their own trail from Wooster. Michael and Henry Totten built a cabin and then fetched their mother and sister by sled. That first year they cleared five acres, planted corn and put it in wheat the next fall, the first of either grown in the township. Hogs and sheep could not be kept because of the wolves. One winter twelve sheep were penned in the dooryard, with the dogs on guard, and a pack of wolves killed eleven; the twelfth ran into the house and woke the family. Next day, with snow on the ground, Totten followed the pack tracks as far as the Harrisville Swamp in Medina County and saw 30 or 40 Indians camped near it, but never got a shot.
The first wedding and the sword-girt preacher
James Carlin recalled that the first couple married in Congress Township were Jesse Matteson and Eleanor Carlin, married by Judge James Robison of Chester Township. The first sermon was preached by a Presbyterian minister named Matthews, who spoke with a sword girded to his body. The first grist-mill was built by Naftzger, and a man named Buchanan was killed while waiting there for his grist. George Howey was the first blacksmith, Michael Funk the first merchant, Mr. Mills the first physician and Jacob Matthews the first carpenter.
Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org
Water
Mostly private wells The water here
- Rural Lorain Co. Water A58% of residentsMostly Lake Erie (bought from Avon Lake); some New London Reservoir and Ashland wells
- West Salem Village42% of residentsGroundwater wells (4 wells)
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Congress Township, Wayne County's boundary: 1 poor-rated bridge, 1 station or terminal and 13 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Bridges rated poor (1)
-
SR 604 over Br of Muddy ForkPoor · built 1955
- Condition
- Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
- What it is
- Bridge
- Built
- 1955
- Length
- 10 ft
- Owner
- State
- Vehicles a day
- 807
- Coordinates
- 40.91549, -82.11570
National Bridge Inventory (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory 2025. "Poor" means one major part rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale; it calls for repair, not closing, unless the state posts or closes the bridge.
Stations and terminals (1)
-
W Salem Industrial ServicesIntercity bus stop · Greyhound Lines
- What it is
- Intercity bus stop
- Operator
- Greyhound Lines
- City
- West Salem
- Coordinates
- 40.95061, -82.08357
BTS Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: BTS Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database and National Transit Map (2025). Bus stops are counted on the card and drawn on the full map.
Spills reported since 2021 (13)
-
Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)2025-06-11 · Congress Twp
- Reported
- 2025-06-11
- What spilled
- Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S); Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85); Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle
- Largest amount reported
- 20 gallons
- Where
- Congress Twp, Wayne County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2506EPA0000956
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2025-02-04 · Congress Twp
- Reported
- 2025-02-04
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 50 gallons
- Where
- Congress Twp, Wayne County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2502EPA0000146
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Sodium Chloride (Nacl) / Road Salt / Halite2025-01-27 · Congress Twp
- Reported
- 2025-01-27
- What spilled
- Sodium Chloride (Nacl) / Road Salt / Halite; Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 100 gallons
- Where
- Congress Twp, Wayne County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2501EPA0000103
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)2023-05-05 · Congress Twp
- Reported
- 2023-05-05
- What spilled
- Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)
- Where
- Congress Twp, Wayne County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2305EPA0000731
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2022-10-04 · Congress Twp
- Reported
- 2022-10-04
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Where
- Congress Twp, Wayne County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2210EPA0001506
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Sodium Hydroxide (Naoh) / Caustic Soda / Lye2022-05-29 · Congress Twp
- Reported
- 2022-05-29
- What spilled
- Sodium Hydroxide (Naoh) / Caustic Soda / Lye
- Where
- Congress Twp, Wayne County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2205EPA0000786
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Material Unknown2022-04-28 · Congress Twp
- Reported
- 2022-04-28
- What spilled
- Material Unknown
- Largest amount reported
- 3 gallons
- Where
- Congress Twp, Wayne County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2204EPA0000608
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2022-04-12 · Congress Twp
- Reported
- 2022-04-12
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 80 gallons
- Where
- Congress Twp, Wayne County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2204EPA0000494
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2021-02-18 · Congress Twp
- Reported
- 2021-02-18
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 75 gallons
- Where
- Congress Twp, Wayne County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2102EPA0000216
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle2026-06-18 · Homer Twp
- Reported
- 2026-06-18
- What spilled
- Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle; Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 10 gallons
- Where
- Homer Twp, Medina County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2606EPA0001095
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Natural Gas2026-06-12 · Congress Twp
- Reported
- 2026-06-12
- What spilled
- Natural Gas
- Where
- Congress Twp, Wayne County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2606EPA0001050
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2026-06-01 · Congress Twp
- Reported
- 2026-06-01
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road); Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle
- Where
- Congress Twp, Wayne County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2606EPA0000957
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2026-04-07 · Congress Twp
- Reported
- 2026-04-07
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 50 gallons
- Where
- Congress Twp, Wayne County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2604EPA0000584
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 Congress Township, Wayne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44214 Canaan Township and Burbank | 31% | Mostly private wells | 5.1 pCi/L average radon | Median year built 1978 | North Central Local · 4 stars overall | 7.6% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 44287 Jackson Township and West Salem | 29% | Mostly private wells | 4.1 pCi/L average radon | Median year built 1986 | Northwestern Local · 4 stars overall | 1.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in Congress Township, Wayne County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Auditor of State record
- No fiscal caution, watch or emergency on the Auditor of State's lists.
- Financial Audit, 2024 to 2025, released 2026-07-28
The county
Wayne County: 15 ZIP codes, 33 cities, villages and townships, 124,210 people.
Nearby places
Quick answers
What county is Congress Township, Ohio in?
Congress Township, Wayne County is a township in Wayne County, Ohio, with 2,860 residents.
When was Congress Township, Ohio founded?
Congress Township, Wayne County was settled 1815 (Michael and Henry Totten, George and Isaac Poe); incorporated 1818-10-05 (township formed). Founders on record: Michael and Henry Totten; George and Isaac Poe. Source
How did Congress Township, Ohio get its name?
Named for the United States Congress; one of only two Congress Townships in Ohio, the other in Morrow County. Source
What ZIP code is Congress Township, Ohio?
Congress Township, Wayne County is served by ZIP codes 44214 and 44287; 44214 holds the largest share of its residents.
Where does Congress Township, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Congress Township, Wayne County (Rural Lorain Co. Water A): Mostly private wells.
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Congress Township, Wayne County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/congress-township-wayne-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
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