Local events in Etna Township, Licking County
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Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Etna Township, Licking County began
Etna Township, lying entirely within Licking County's Refugee Lands, was among the last parts of the county settled, its first cabin going up only in 1815, and it was the last township organized in the county, in 1833. Growth came with the National Road: the town of Carthage, platted along the road's surveyed line in 1832, had been renamed Etna by the time the road reached it in 1833-34, and the smaller town of Wagram (first called Cumberland) rose nearby at almost the same time. Both towns briefly boomed on road traffic and both were stopped cold when the railroad bypassed them, leaving Etna a village of a few hundred people for the rest of the 19th century. Two Woodland-period Native American mounds near the township's northeastern edge, one destroyed by later development and the other placed under permanent protection in 2022, are the clearest surviving trace of a much older presence on this land; today Etna is an unincorporated census-designated place inside a township increasingly reshaped by Columbus-area growth along the State Route 161 corridor.
Settled 1815 (John Williams, first settler, on the later Matthews farm), platted 1832 (the town of Carthage, laid out by Lyman Terrell along the surveyed line of the National Road), incorporated 1833 (township organized June 22; the town of Etna itself has never incorporated and remains a census-designated place), by Lyman Terrell (town plat); the township's own settlers, via county organization, in 1833.
Where the name comes from
The town Lyman Terrell platted in 1832 along the National Road was first called Carthage; by the time the road reached it in 1833-34 it was known as Etna, and the township organized that same year took the same name. Neither the 1881 county history nor Wikipedia's article on the community explains why 'Carthage' gave way to 'Etna.' Other, non-primary web sources attribute it to the Sicilian volcano Mount Etna, said to have been chosen because the site was the highest ground between Jacksontown and Columbus, but we could not confirm the claim, made on Etna Township's own website, so it is not asserted here as fact.
Before the town
Etna Township's own chapter in the 1881 county history is silent on Mound Builder works and on Native villages, trails, or camps within the township -- an absence the book itself acknowledges is typical of townships away from the county's major river valleys. The township's clearest link to a much older presence lies at its northeastern edge, near the Harrison Township line and Reynoldsburg: the Etna Township Mounds, a pair of Woodland-period earthen mounds built largely of sand and covering 22.7 acres, whose siting -- neither on a hilltop nor along a stream, as is typical of Adena mounds -- has puzzled investigators since at least the 1920s. The whole township lies within what settlers called the 'Refugee Lands,' a tract Congress set aside in 1798 for Canadians and Nova Scotians who had aided the American cause in the Revolution, land that had been ceded by the Wyandot, Shawnee, Lenape (Delaware), Miami, Ottawa and other nations at the 1795 Treaty of Greenville.
Nations recorded here: Wyandot, Shawnee, Lenape (Delaware), Miami, Ottawa.
- Etna Township Mounds (mound) — northeastern Etna Township, near the Harrison Township line and east of Reynoldsburg, close to Interstate 70, Woodland period (specific culture not identified in sources consulted) (en.wikipedia.org)
Timeline
- — The Treaty of Greenville cedes most of what becomes Ohio, including the future Etna Township, to the United States.
- — John Williams becomes the township's first settler, clearing land on what is later known as the Matthews farm; several more families, including the Nelsons, John Crouch, and the Houser brothers, follow within the year.
- — The town of Carthage, soon renamed Etna, is laid out by Lyman Terrell along the surveyed line of the National Road; Wagram, first called Cumberland, is laid out by Jerry Armstrong at about the same time.
- — The National Road reaches Etna and Etna Township is organized on June 22, the last township organized in Licking County; the first election is held at John Henthorn's house.
- — A cholera epidemic strikes the young town of Etna, killing merchants Daniel Warner and Oliver K. Baldwin within twelve hours of each other, along with Dr. Buell and others, and nearly depopulating the place.
- — A smallpox outbreak strikes Etna village, causing much suffering and several deaths.
- — Etna's Methodist congregation, organized in a settler's cabin around 1819-1820, builds a brick church costing about $7,500, replacing the frame church that had stood since about 1835.
- — The Etna Township Mounds are listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 5.
- — The surviving Etna Township Mound (Mound I) is donated to the Archaeological Conservancy for permanent protection; its companion, Mound II, had already been destroyed for housing development.
Stories
A Village Built on Great Expectations
When the National Road was surveyed through the southwestern corner of Licking County around 1832, Lyman Terrell platted a town on its line and called it Carthage. Like nearly every other town strung along that road, it had, in the words of the county's own historian, 'great expectations' -- so much so that in Etna, as the town was soon renamed, 'nearly every other house was designed for a tavern,' built on the assumption that traffic would only grow. It did not last. Cholera swept through in 1834, killing several of the town's leading merchants within hours of each other, and smallpox returned in 1845. Then the railroad arrived elsewhere in the county, and, as the 1881 history puts it flatly, 'the coming of the railroad stopped the growth of Etna and all other towns along the National road.' By 1881 the town counted fewer than three hundred people, a fraction of what its builders had once imagined.
The Last Township Organized
Etna Township sat entirely within the Refugee Lands, a tract set aside for veterans of the Revolution who had come from Canada to fight for American independence, but its own settlement lagged well behind its neighbors'. No one built a cabin there until 1815, when John Williams arrived, and even then settlers trickled in slowly for nearly two decades. Only in 1833, after the National Road's construction had finally brought people and money into the area, did Etna become a township in its own right -- the last one organized anywhere in Licking County. Its first trustees, elected that June at John Henthorn's house, divided the new township into school and road districts the following spring, just as federal road crews were still grading the National Road through its center.
Two Mounds, One Saved
Long before Lyman Terrell platted his roadside town, people of the Woodland period built a pair of earthen mounds in what is now the northeastern corner of Etna Township, near the line with Harrison Township and Reynoldsburg. Built largely of sand rather than the soil typical of most Ohio mounds, and set on level ground rather than a hilltop or streambank as Adena mounds usually are, the two mounds puzzled the archaeologists who first investigated them in the 1920s. One of the pair, Mound II, was eventually destroyed to make way for housing. Mound I survived, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and in 2022 was donated outright to the Archaeological Conservancy -- giving at least one piece of the township's oldest history a permanent home nearly two centuries after Etna's first log cabin went up nearby.
Photographs
Photo: Columbus Metropolitan Library, via DPLA/Ohio Digital Network, no known copyright restrictions · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Cerebellum, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Local history sources: archive.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org
Water
Six wells in the wellfield adjacent to the plant at 8675 York Road draw groundwater from a buried-valley sand-and-gravel aquifer in the South Fork Licking River basin (ODNR registration 01808). The utility states it serves Etna Township, Harrison Township, and portions of the City of Pataskala. The water here
- Licking Regional Water District62% of residentsRaccoon Creek Valley aquifer (local wells)
- Pataskala City18% of residentsSouth Fork Licking River Buried Valley Aquifer
- Reynoldsburg City14% of residentsScioto River (Griggs & O'Shaughnessy), Hoover Reservoir on Big Walnut Ck, plus wells
- Columbus Public Water System6% of residentsScioto River (Griggs & O'Shaughnessy), Hoover Reservoir on Big Walnut Ck, plus wells
- Millersport Village0% of residentsGroundwater wells (4 wells)
- Buckeye Lake, Village Of0% of residentsGroundwater wells (4 wells)
- Fairfield County Utilities0% of residentsLocal groundwater wells (central Ohio, aquifer undocumented)
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Etna Township, Licking County's boundary: 1 fire or EMS station, 6 public schools, 1 private school, 1 museum and 16 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Fire and EMS stations (1)
-
West Licking Joint Fire District Station 2Etna
- Address
- 7072 National Road, Etna, OH 43062
- Coordinates
- 39.95947, -82.62625
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 (6)
-
Etna Elementary4.5 of 5 stars · Etna
- Address
- 8500 Columbia Rd SW, Etna, OH 43062
- School district
- Southwest Licking Local School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 508
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 30
- Report card, 2025-26
- 4.5 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 89.2%
- Ohio building IRN
- 019459
- NCES school ID
- 390480406137
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Southwest Licking Early Learning CenterEtna
- Address
- 927 South St Unit B, Etna, OH 43062
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 150
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 7
- NCES school ID
- 390480405895
-
SWL Digital Academy1.5 of 5 stars · Pataskala
- Address
- 10653 Hazelton Etna Rd NW, Pataskala, OH 43062
- School district
- Southwest Licking Local School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 72
- Report card, 2025-26
- 1.5 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 48.1%
- Four-year graduation rate
- 88.9%
- Ohio building IRN
- 020112
- NCES school ID
- 390480410823
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Watkins Intermediate School4.5 of 5 stars · Pataskala
- Address
- 2020 Warrior Way, Pataskala, OH 43062
- School district
- Southwest Licking Local School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 769
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 34
- Report card, 2025-26
- 4.5 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 86.5%
- Ohio building IRN
- 010777
- NCES school ID
- 390480403094
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Watkins Memorial High School4.5 of 5 stars · Pataskala
- Address
- 1954 Warrior Way, Pataskala, OH 43062
- School district
- Southwest Licking Local School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 1,423
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 62.06
- Report card, 2025-26
- 4.5 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 86.3%
- Four-year graduation rate
- 97.8%
- Ohio building IRN
- 039842
- NCES school ID
- 390480403097
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Watkins Middle School3 of 5 stars · Etna
- Address
- 8868 Watkins Rd SW, Etna, OH 43062
- School district
- Southwest Licking Local School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 1,069
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 54.02
- Report card, 2025-26
- 3 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 80.1%
- Ohio building IRN
- 067876
- NCES school ID
- 390480403098
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.
Private schools (1)
-
Liberty Christian AcademyPrivate, conservative Christian · Etna
- Address
- 10447 Refugee Rd Sw, Etna, OH 43062
- Kind
- conservative Christian
- Students, 2023-24
- 585
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 31.9
- Students per teacher
- 18.3386
- Phone
- (740) 964-2211
- NCES private school ID
- A0302479
Source: NCES Private School Survey 2023-24.
Museums, historical societies, gardens and zoos (1)
-
West Licking Historical Publication CommitteeHistorical society · Pataskala
- What it is
- Historical society
- City
- Pataskala
- Coordinates
- 39.96430, -82.68222
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.
Spills reported since 2021 (16)
-
Bentonite / Drilling Mud2025-12-16 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2025-12-16
- What spilled
- Bentonite / Drilling Mud
- Largest amount reported
- 25 gallons
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2512EPA0002008
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Bentonite / Drilling Mud2025-11-12 · Null
- Reported
- 2025-11-12
- What spilled
- Bentonite / Drilling Mud
- Largest amount reported
- 60 gallons
- Where
- Null, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2511EPA0001846
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2025-07-11 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2025-07-11
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 50 gallons
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2507EPA0001152
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Herbicide(S) Nos (Not Specified)2024-09-04 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2024-09-04
- What spilled
- Herbicide(S) Nos (Not Specified)
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2409EPA0001517
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Sewage Human2024-08-30 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2024-08-30
- What spilled
- Sewage Human
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2408EPA0001496
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Material Undetermined / Other2023-11-14 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2023-11-14
- What spilled
- Material Undetermined / Other
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2311EPA0001934
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road) Reached water2023-05-31 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2023-05-31
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Reached a waterway
- 45 - Sycamore Creek
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2305EPA0000891
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Asbestos2023-05-30 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2023-05-30
- What spilled
- Asbestos
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2305EPA0000885
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Sheen Rainbow / Hydrocarbon Reached water2023-05-04 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2023-05-04
- What spilled
- Sheen Rainbow / Hydrocarbon
- Reached a waterway
- 99 - Unnamed
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2305EPA0000723
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle2023-02-08 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2023-02-08
- What spilled
- Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle; Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 50 gallons
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2302EPA0000189
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2022-07-28 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2022-07-28
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 100 gallons
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2207EPA0001147
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2022-04-05 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2022-04-05
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 100 gallons
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2204EPA0000470
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2022-03-25 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2022-03-25
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 80 gallons
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2203EPA0000415
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Sewage Human Reached water2021-08-04 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2021-08-04
- What spilled
- Sewage Human
- Reached a waterway
- 99 - Unnamed
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2108EPA0001190
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2021-04-06 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2021-04-06
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2104EPA0000459
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2026-04-20 · Etna Twp
- Reported
- 2026-04-20
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 30 gallons
- Where
- Etna Twp, Licking County
- Ohio EPA district office
- CDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2604EPA0000661
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 Etna Township, Licking 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 Etna Township, Licking County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Ballot issues
| Date | Issue | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-11-02 | Issue: Township of Etna - Zoning Amendment Referendum | 477 | 1,765 | Failed (21.28% for), unofficial |
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-11-02 | Township Trustee (unofficial count) | John J. Carlisle 1,171, 17.37%; Teneah Chambers 1,037, 15.39%; Mark Evans 1,904, 28.25%; Randy Foor 1,007, 14.94%; Rozland McKee 1,621, 24.05% |
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 2026-02-12
The county
Licking County: 17 ZIP codes, 38 cities, villages and townships, 160,939 people.
Nearby places
Quick answers
What county is Etna Township, Ohio in?
Etna Township, Licking County is a township in Licking County, Ohio, with 9,804 residents.
When was Etna Township, Ohio founded?
Etna Township, Licking County was settled 1815 (John Williams, first settler, on the later Matthews farm); laid out 1832 (the town of Carthage, laid out by Lyman Terrell along the surveyed line of the National Road); incorporated 1833 (township organized June 22; the town of Etna itself has never incorporated and remains a census-designated place). Founders on record: Lyman Terrell (town plat); the township's own settlers, via county organization, in 1833. Source
How did Etna Township, Ohio get its name?
The town Lyman Terrell platted in 1832 along the National Road was first called Carthage; by the time the road reached it in 1833-34 it was known as Etna, and the township organized that same year took the same name. Source
What ZIP code is Etna Township, Ohio?
Etna Township, Licking County is served by ZIP codes 43018, 43062, 43046 and 43068; 43018 holds the largest share of its residents.
Where does Etna Township, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Etna Township, Licking County (Licking Regional Water District): Six wells in the wellfield adjacent to the plant at 8675 York Road draw groundwater from a buried-valley sand-and-gravel aquifer in the South Fork Licking River basin (ODNR registration 01808). The utility states it serves Etna Township, Harrison Township, and portions of the City of Pataskala.
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Etna Township, Licking County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/etna-township-licking-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
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