Harrison Township, Paulding County

Township · Paulding County · 697 residents

Paulding County

Local events in Harrison Township, Paulding County

Nothing is posted for Harrison Township itself yet; here is what is on within 20 miles. All local events in Harrison Township, Paulding County

  1. Patchwork Quilting

    All day · Sherwood Branch Library · Sherwood · 15 mi · From Defiance Public Library

  2. Middle School Musical

    7 to 9 p.m. · Huber Opera House & Civic Center, 157 E High St, Hicksville, OH 43526, USA · Hicksville · 12 mi · From Hicksville Exempted Village School District

  3. Middle School Musical

    7 to 9 p.m. · Huber Opera House & Civic Center, 157 E High St, Hicksville, OH 43526, USA · Hicksville · 12 mi · From Hicksville Exempted Village School District

Know a calendar we should watch? Send the link

Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.

How Harrison Township, Paulding County began

Harrison Township sits in the southwest of Paulding County along the Indiana border and holds the southern part of the village of Payne, which straddles its boundary with Benton Township. As late as 1837 the area had no settler families at all, and it was not an organized township as of 1842. Payne, first laid out as Flatrock City in 1872 and renamed for Senator Henry B. Payne, was the township's center: it had a post office from 1858, reached 1,336 residents in 1900, burned in a July 4, 1898 fire and a school fire in 1902, and in 1920 saw the Harrison Township Centralized School open.

Where the name comes from

Not documented in the sources checked.

Before the town

No Native American village, mound, or treaty site specific to Harrison Township is documented in the sources checked; the township lies in the Great Black Swamp and in the Fort Meigs (1817) cession. Henry Howe's 1888 county chapter records that Crooked Creek, a main stream of the south side of the county, was called Flat Rock by the Indians because its bed is flat limestone for nearly a mile near its mouth; Payne's first name, Flatrock City, echoes that creek name, though no source consulted says the village was named for it.

  • Flat Rock (Crooked Creek) (other) — stream through the south side of Paulding County; Howe says the Indians called Crooked Creek 'Flat Rock', recorded 1888 (archive.org)

Timeline

  1. — Per Judge A. S. Latta's account to Henry Howe, the area later forming Harrison Township has no settler families at all -- unlike neighboring Jackson (three families) or the Emerald-Paulding-Blue Creek territory (two families).
  2. — Only four Paulding County townships are yet organized -- Auglaize, Brown, Crane, and Carryall -- and Harrison Township is not among them.
  3. — A post office named Payne opens in the area of the later village of Payne, and has operated since.
  4. — Flatrock City, later renamed Payne, is laid out; its southern half sits in Harrison Township.
  5. — Payne, which straddles Harrison and Benton townships, counts 1,146 residents.
  6. — A fire in Payne destroys two blocks of buildings on both sides of Main Street from Merrin to Bailey, about 25 businesses, at a loss of nearly $100,000.
  7. — Payne counts 1,336 residents, the second-largest village in Paulding County after the county seat.
  8. — Electricity becomes available in Payne.
  9. — The Payne school is destroyed by fire.
  10. — Payne gets its first brick-paved street.
  11. — The Harrison Township Centralized School opens.
  12. — Payne counts 1,614 residents, its peak in the census table.
  13. — Payne counts 1,192 residents.

Stories

The Fourth of July Fire at Payne, 1898

On July 4, 1898, Payne burned. The fire destroyed two blocks of buildings on both sides of Main Street, from Merrin Street to Bailey Street, about 25 businesses and a loss the Paulding County Progress's Visions timeline puts at nearly $100,000. Payne was then the second-largest village in the county, with 1,146 people in 1890 and 1,336 by 1900, and had been platted only 26 years earlier as Flatrock City. The village rebuilt in brick. Electricity arrived about 1901, the school burned in 1902, and about 1905 the first brick street was laid. In 1920 the Harrison Township Centralized School opened, and Payne's census count of 1,614 in 1930 was its highest.

Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · postalhistory.com · archive.org · west2k.com

Water

Mostly private wells The water here

Hospitals, fire stations and more

Inside Harrison Township, Paulding County's boundary: 3 power plants, 1 poor-rated bridge and 2 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.

Power plants (3)

  1. Paulding Wind Farm III 100 MW or moreWind · 101 MW
    Capacity
    101 MW
    Main source
    Wind
    Technology
    Onshore Wind Turbine
    Operator
    Paulding Wind Farm III LLC
    Sector
    IPP Non-CHP
    Where
    Payne, Paulding County
    Generating units
    1
    Built
    2016
    EIA plant code
    60470
  2. Timber Road IV 100 MW or moreWind · 125 MW
    Capacity
    125 MW
    Main source
    Wind
    Technology
    Onshore Wind Turbine
    Operator
    Paulding Wind Farm IV LLC
    Sector
    IPP Non-CHP
    Where
    Payne, Paulding County
    Generating units
    1
    Built
    2020
    EIA plant code
    62944
  3. Timber Road Solar ParkSolar · 50 MW
    Capacity
    50 MW
    Main source
    Solar
    Technology
    Solar Photovoltaic
    Operator
    Timber Road Solar Park
    Sector
    IPP Non-CHP
    Where
    Payne, Paulding County
    Generating units
    1
    Built
    2023
    EIA plant code
    66250

Source: EIA-860 power plant inventory via HIFLD (February 2025), with plant codes, units and years from EIA-860 2025.

Bridges rated poor (1)

  1. Township Road 21 over South CreekPoor · built 1940
    Condition
    Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
    What it is
    Bridge
    Built
    1940
    Length
    7 ft
    Owner
    County
    Vehicles a day
    659
    Coordinates
    41.14000, -84.76500

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.

Spills reported since 2021 (2)

  1. Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)2024-06-29 · Harrison Twp
    Reported
    2024-06-29
    What spilled
    Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)
    Where
    Harrison Twp, Paulding County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2406EPA0001091
  2. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2026-01-29 · Harrison Twp
    Reported
    2026-01-29
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Largest amount reported
    50 gallons
    Where
    Harrison Twp, Paulding County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2601EPA0000105

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 Harrison Township, Paulding 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 Harrison Township, Paulding County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.

Who holds office

OfficeNamePartyTerm endsContact
TrusteeRobert Young 419-572-1392
TrusteeKerry Hook 419-910-0059
TrusteeChad Benschneider 419-769-4708
Fiscal OfficerKathy Feasby

Roster as of 2026-09-18: county board of elections.

Money issues on the ballot since 2018: 2 of 2 passed.

Ballot issues

DateIssueForAgainstResult
2020-11-03 13: 13 Proposed Tax Levy (Renewal, 1 mill, 5 yrs, 2021-2025, Current Expenses) Harrison Township (1.0 mills, renewal) 267119Passed (69.17% for)
2018-11-06 Issue: 14 Harrison Twp, fire, renewal, 1 mill, 5 yrs, 19-23 Total (1.0 mills, renewal) 23572Passed (76.55% for)

Elections for office

DateOfficeCandidates and votes
2023-11-07 Township Trustee Kerry Hook 381, 100.0%
2023-11-07 Township Fiscal Officer Kathy Feasby 387, 100.0%
2021-11-02 Township Trustee Chad Benschneider 224, 51.38%; Bob Young 212, 48.62%
2019-11-05 Township Trustee Kerry Hook 307, 100.0%
2019-11-05 Township Fiscal Officer Kathy Feasby 306, 100.0%
2015-11-03 Township Trustee Edward Lanny Stabler 200, 37.11%; Bradley S. Wobler 165, 30.61%; Bob Young 174, 32.28%
2015-11-03 Township Fiscal Officer Kathy Feasby 484, 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 Harrison Township, Ohio in?

Harrison Township, Paulding County is a township in Paulding County, Ohio, with 697 residents.

How did Harrison Township, Ohio get its name?

Not documented in the sources checked. Source

What ZIP code is Harrison Township, Ohio?

Harrison Township, Paulding County is served by ZIP codes 45880 and 45813; 45880 holds the largest share of its residents.

Where does Harrison Township, Ohio get its water?

The main water source for Harrison Township, Paulding County (Payne Village): Mostly private wells.

Cite this page

Cite this page as:

Cracked Buckeye, "Harrison Township, Paulding County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/harrison-township-paulding-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].

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