Jefferson

Village · Ashtabula County · 3,226 residents · 1.5% municipal income tax

Ashtabula County

Local events in Jefferson

51 events in the next 90 days from 4 public calendars. All local events in Jefferson

  1. Covered Bridge Scenic Flight

    9 a.m. to 11 p.m. · NorthEast Ohio Regional Airport · From Visit Ashtabula County

  2. Haunted Places in America

    1 to 2 p.m. · Meeting Room · From Henderson Memorial Public Library

  3. Manna Food Drive

    Nov 1 to Dec 31 · Manna Project · From Jefferson Area Chamber of Commerce

Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.

Notable people from Jefferson

Ohioans tied to this place, each with a sourced profile. All notable Ohioans

How Jefferson began

Jefferson was laid out in 1803 by Gideon Granger, U.S. Postmaster General under President Thomas Jefferson, who envisioned a grand "Philadelphia of the West" street plan for a town that, when the Samuel Wilson family arrived as its first permanent residents in 1805, was still unbroken wilderness. It became Ashtabula County's seat in 1811 and grew into one of the Western Reserve's centers of antislavery politics: Joshua Reed Giddings and Benjamin Wade practiced law together here from 1831, both going on to become nationally prominent abolitionist officeholders, and John Brown's eldest son John Brown Jr. lived in the village while helping plan his father's 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. Several Jefferson houses served the Underground Railroad, and the village fairgrounds later trained Union recruits at Civil War-era Fort Giddings.

Settled 1805 (Samuel Wilson family, first permanent residents), platted 1803, by Gideon Granger, U.S. Postmaster General under Thomas Jefferson.

Where the name comes from

Jefferson was named for President Thomas Jefferson by its founder, Gideon Granger, who served as Jefferson's Postmaster General.

Before the town

No Native American village, trail, or site specific to Jefferson is documented in the sources consulted.

Timeline

  1. — Gideon Granger, U.S. Postmaster General, lays out Jefferson with a grand street plan modeled on Philadelphia.
  2. — The Samuel Wilson family arrives as the settlement's first permanent residents, finding only wilderness where a thriving town had been promised; Wilson dies after two weeks of labor preparing for winter, but his family stays.
  3. — Jefferson becomes the seat of Ashtabula County.
  4. — Joshua Reed Giddings and Benjamin Wade form a law partnership in Jefferson, working together until Giddings's 1838 election to Congress; both go on to become leading antislavery officeholders and founders of the Republican Party.
  5. — Congressman Joshua Giddings, of Jefferson, introduces resolutions on the Creole case arguing enslaved people had the right to reclaim their liberty; the House censures him for violating the gag rule and bars him from speaking in his own defense. He resigns and is reelected in a special election by 7,469 votes to 383, the widest margin in House history to that point.
  6. — Several Jefferson houses serve as Underground Railroad stations, and John Brown speaks in the village.
  7. — John Brown Jr., living in Jefferson and serving as his father's intelligence agent and liaison for the planned raid on Harpers Ferry, travels to Conneaut to retrieve secretly shipped weapons and moves them to a farm in Cherry Valley Township; after the raid, his brother Owen takes refuge with him in Jefferson.
  8. — Joshua Reed Giddings dies on May 27 in Montreal and is buried at Oakdale Cemetery in Jefferson.
  9. — The Benjamin F. Wade House at 22 Jefferson Street is designated a National Historic Landmark.
  10. — The Benjamin F. Wade House is demolished in the summer, and its owner converts the lot to a parking area; its National Historic Landmark status is formally withdrawn shortly after.

Stories

The censure that backfired

On March 21, 1842, Congressman Joshua Reed Giddings of Jefferson rose in the House of Representatives to introduce resolutions on the Creole affair, in which enslaved people being shipped along the American coast had seized the vessel and sailed it to freedom in the Bahamas. Giddings argued that people enslaved on a ship in international waters had every right to claim their own liberty -- a position that ran directly against the House's gag rule forbidding debate on slavery. The House voted to censure him and refused to let him speak in his own defense. Giddings did not wait to be driven out: he resigned his seat immediately and went home to Ashtabula County to ask his constituents directly whether they backed him. They answered overwhelmingly -- 7,469 votes to 383, the widest margin in any congressional election up to that time -- and sent him back to Washington within weeks, his authority strengthened rather than broken by the attempt to silence him. Giddings and his former law partner in Jefferson, Benjamin Wade, went on to become two of the most consequential antislavery politicians in the years before the Civil War, and both are counted among the founders of the Republican Party.

Photographs

Postcard view of the Ashtabula County Courthouse, Jefferson, first built in 1811
Postcard view of the Ashtabula County Courthouse, Jefferson, first built in 1811 (early 1900s)
Photo: Columbus Metropolitan Library, via Digital Public Library of America, No known copyright restrictions · Wikimedia Commons
The Ashtabula County Courthouse Group in Jefferson; modern photograph
The Ashtabula County Courthouse Group in Jefferson; modern photograph (2007)
Photo: OZinOH, via Wikimedia Commons/Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org

Historic places

4 places in Jefferson on the National Register of Historic Places, 1 of them National Historic Landmark. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.

  1. Giddings, Joshua Reed, Law Office LandmarkBuilding · Jefferson · listed 1974
    Address
    112 N. Chestnut St.
    Where
    Jefferson, Ashtabula County · ZIP 44047
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1974
    National Historic Landmark
    Yes
    NRIS reference number
    74001396
    Coordinates
    41.74060, -80.76897
  2. Ashtabula County Courthouse GroupHistoric district · Jefferson · listed 1975
    Address
    NW corner of Jefferson and Chestnut Sts.
    Where
    Jefferson, Ashtabula County · ZIP 44047
    What it is
    Historic district
    Listed on the National Register
    1975
    NRIS reference number
    75001316
    Coordinates
    41.73860, -80.76976
  3. Jefferson Town HallBuilding · Jefferson · listed 1981
    Address
    27 E. Jefferson St.
    Where
    Jefferson, Ashtabula County · ZIP 44047
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1981
    NRIS reference number
    81000428
    Coordinates
    41.73868, -80.76796
  4. Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad StationBuilding · Jefferson · listed 1982
    Address
    147 E. Jefferson St.
    Where
    Jefferson, Ashtabula County · ZIP 44047
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1982
    NRIS reference number
    82001357
    Coordinates
    41.73930, -80.76182

Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places point file. The listing year is shown where NPS's certification date agrees with the listing's reference number. Listing recognizes significance; it does not restrict a private owner.

Every historic place in Ashtabula County on the full map

Water

Mostly private wells The water here

Hospitals, fire stations and more

Inside Jefferson's boundary: 1 dialysis center, 1 nursing home, 1 fire or EMS station, 4 public schools, 1 library, 2 museums, 2 police stations, 4 Toxics Release Inventory facilities and 3 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.

Dialysis centers (1)

  1. Center For Dialysis Care, JeffersonDialysis · Jefferson
    Address
    222 East Beech Street, Jefferson, OH 44047
    Dialysis stations
    10
    Medicare star rating
    2 of 5 stars
    Services
    in-center hemodialysis
    Ownership
    nonprofit
    Chain
    Centers for Dialysis Care
    Medicare certified since
    1996-09-23
    Phone
    (800) 352-3647
    Medicare ID
    362564

Source: CMS dialysis facility list, September 2026, geocoded with the Census Bureau batch geocoder (an address it could not place sits at its ZIP center).

Nursing homes (1)

  1. Jefferson Healthcare Center4 of 5 stars · Jefferson
    Address
    222 E Beech St, Jefferson, OH 44047
    Certified beds
    90
    Residents on an average day
    83
    Medicare overall rating
    4 of 5 stars
    Health inspections
    5 of 5 stars
    Staffing
    1 of 5 stars
    Quality measures
    3 of 5 stars
    Penalties since 2023
    none
    Ownership
    For profit - Corporation
    Chain
    FOUNDATIONS HEALTH SOLUTIONS
    Takes
    Medicare and Medicaid
    Phone
    (440) 576-0060
    Medicare ID
    365638

Source: CMS Care Compare nursing home provider and penalties files; Medicare star ratings run 1 to 5.

Fire and EMS stations (1)

  1. Jefferson Fire DepartmentJefferson
    Address
    96 East Jefferson Street, Jefferson, OH 44047
    Coordinates
    41.73805, -80.76479

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 (4)

  1. Jefferson Area Junior High School3.5 of 5 stars · Jefferson
    Address
    207 W Mulberry St, Jefferson, OH 44047
    School district
    Jefferson Area Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    308
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    10.93
    Report card, 2025-26
    3.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    74.7%
    Ohio building IRN
    061929
    NCES school ID
    390458705392
  2. Jefferson Area Local Schools OnlineJefferson
    Address
    121 S Poplar St, Jefferson, OH 44047
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    6
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    6
    NCES school ID
    390458706103
  3. Jefferson Area Sr High School4.5 of 5 stars · Jefferson
    Address
    207 W Mulberry St, Jefferson, OH 44047
    School district
    Jefferson Area Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    427
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    18.07
    Report card, 2025-26
    4.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    83%
    Four-year graduation rate
    97.9%
    Ohio building IRN
    017905
    NCES school ID
    390458702372
  4. Jefferson Elementary3.5 of 5 stars · Jefferson
    Address
    204 W Mulberry St, Jefferson, OH 44047
    School district
    Jefferson Area Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    640
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    33.5
    Report card, 2025-26
    3.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    79.3%
    Ohio building IRN
    017947
    NCES school ID
    390458702371

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)

  1. Henderson Memorial Public Library AssociationCentral library · Jefferson
    Address
    54 E. Jefferson St., Jefferson, OH 44047
    What it is
    Central library
    Library system
    Henderson Memorial Public Library Association
    Open
    2,912 hours a year, 52 weeks
    Building
    8,307 sq ft
    System's visits, FY2024
    53,820
    System's loans, FY2024
    131,748
    People the system serves
    5,317
    Phone
    (440) 576-3761

Source: IMLS Public Libraries Survey FY2024 (outlets and their systems). Any Ohio resident can get a free card at any Ohio public library.

Museums, historical societies, gardens and zoos (2)

  1. Jefferson Historical SocietyHistorical society · Jefferson
    What it is
    Historical society
    City
    Jefferson
    Coordinates
    41.73823, -80.76772

    The museum list is IMLS's 2018 file; a museum may have closed or moved since.

  2. Victorian PerambulatorMuseum · Jefferson
    What it is
    Museum
    City
    Jefferson
    Coordinates
    41.73228, -80.76847

    The museum list is IMLS's 2018 file; a museum may have closed or moved since.

Source: IMLS Museum Data Files, 2018.

Police stations (2)

  1. Ashtabula County Sheriff's OfficeJefferson
    Address
    25 West Jefferson Street, Jefferson, OH 44047
    Coordinates
    41.73930, -80.77034
  2. Jefferson Police DepartmentJefferson
    Address
    104 East Jefferson Street, Jefferson, OH 44047
    Coordinates
    41.73807, -80.76312

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.

Facilities reporting toxic releases (4)

  1. Glastic CorpToxics Release Inventory · Jefferson
    Address
    400 E. Erie St., Jefferson, OH 44047
    County
    Ashtabula County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    44047GLSTC400EA
    EPA registry ID
    110000385609
  2. Lake City Plating LlcToxics Release Inventory · Jefferson
    Address
    108 S Sycamore St, Jefferson, OH 44047
    County
    Ashtabula County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (***unchanged***)
    EPA program ID
    4404WLKCTY18SSY
    EPA registry ID
    110004603983
  3. Presrite Corp Jefferson DivToxics Release Inventory · Jefferson
    Address
    322 S. Cucumber St., Jefferson, OH 44047
    County
    Ashtabula County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    44047PRSRT322SC
    EPA registry ID
    110000385618
  4. Sigma Ohio Industries Plant 3Toxics Release Inventory · Jefferson
    Address
    149 South Cucumber Street, Jefferson, OH 44047
    County
    Ashtabula County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    44047PCKNS149SC
    EPA registry ID
    110002110251

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 (3)

  1. Cyanide (Cn)2025-03-28 · Jefferson
    Reported
    2025-03-28
    What spilled
    Cyanide (Cn)
    Where
    Jefferson, Ashtabula County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2503EPA0000452
  2. Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)2024-04-10 · Jefferson
    Reported
    2024-04-10
    What spilled
    Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)
    Where
    Jefferson, Ashtabula County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2404EPA0000582
  3. Oil Transformer Non Pcb2026-03-14 · Jefferson Twp
    Reported
    2026-03-14
    What spilled
    Oil Transformer Non Pcb
    Largest amount reported
    50 gallons
    Where
    Jefferson Twp, Ashtabula County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NEDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2603EPA0000386

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 Jefferson, with the share of its residents who live here and the same headline figures as the ZIP page.

Local government

Who holds office in Jefferson, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.

Money issues on the ballot since 2020: 3 of 3 passed.

Ballot issues

DateIssueForAgainstResult
2023-11-07 40: 40 Jefferson Village 2M Roads (2.0 mills) 796335Passed (70.38% for)
2020-11-03 3: 3 Jefferson Village 1M Fire (1.0 mills) 1,113350Passed (76.08% for)
2020-11-03 4: 4 Jefferson Village 1.55M Current Expenses (1.55 mills) 1,002458Passed (68.63% for)
2019-11-05 43: 43 Jeff Vill Rds 534174Passed (75.42% for)

Elections for office

DateOfficeCandidates and votes
2023-11-07 Member of Council Lon Damon 303, 16.89%; Steven D. Febel 554, 30.88%; Pasquale Martuccio 489, 27.26%; Jennifer Skinner 448, 24.97%
2023-11-07 Mayor Jim Chiacchiero 656, 59.47%; John Szewczyk 266, 24.12%; Hendrik Wolfert 181, 16.41%
2023-11-07 Clerk-Treasurer Patricia A. Fisher 873, 100.0%
2019-11-05 Member of Council April Mariotti 462, 52.5%; Lon Damon 418, 47.5%
2019-11-05 Mayor Judy Maloney 577, 100.0%
2019-11-05 Clerk-Treasurer Patricia A. Fisher 558, 100.0%

Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.

Auditor of State record

Rain and snow

How much has actually fallen on Jefferson, day by day, from 1893 to now. Daily totals, not averages.

rain, last 30 days
0.85 in
2026-09-29 to 2026-10-28
rain so far in 2026
27.4 in
7.4 in below normal for the date
snow so far in 2026
61.5 in
a normal year brings 86.8 in
a normal year
41.5 in
average of 30 years, 1991-2020
The last twelve months
MonthRain (in)Snow (in)Days counted
October 2026 0.85 — 28
September 2026 2.48 — 30
August 2026 5.39 — 31
July 2026 2.16 — 31
June 2026 3.03 — 30
May 2026 3.09 0.0 31
April 2026 3.85 0.0 30
March 2026 4.13 5.3 31
February 2026 0.59 11.6 28
January 2026 1.83 44.6 31
December 2025 2.80 26.1 31
November 2025 1.53 11.6 30
On the record, 1893–2026
Wettest year2011 — 63.5 in
Driest year1963 — 26.4 in
Snowiest year2005 — 137.2 in
Wettest day on record7 June 1947 — 7.15 in
Heaviest snowfall in a day17 January 2022 — 14.04 in
Deepest snow on the ground7 February 1977 — 25.97 in

Mostly estimated. Only 12% of these days come from a gauge standing inside Jefferson - the rest are worked out from the nearest gauges around it, so read them as close estimates rather than readings.

48,272 days of records, 1893-01-01 to 2026-10-28. 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 Jefferson: 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
47
those placed on the map inside Jefferson
What kind of permits
ProgramFacilities and sites
Wastewater and stormwater discharge14
Sewer and water-line construction11
Voluntary cleanup7
Air pollution6
Hazardous waste4
Wetland and stream fill2
Contaminated-site cleanup1
Scrap tires1
Underground injection wells1
The latest filings
DateFacility or siteWhat
ROCK CREEK WWTP Wastewater and stormwater discharge report
GE JEFFERSON WELDS PLANT Underground injection wells monitoring results
GE JEFFERSON WELDS PLANT Underground injection wells inspection
GE JEFFERSON WELDS PLANT Underground injection wells monitoring results
JEFFERSON WWTP Wastewater and stormwater discharge violation resolved
GE JEFFERSON WELDS PLANT Underground injection wells monitoring results
GE JEFFERSON WELDS PLANT Hazardous waste cleanup response
EUCLID REFINISHING CO Wastewater and stormwater discharge notice of violation
PIERPONT TOWNSHIP HALL Wastewater and stormwater discharge inspection
JEFFERSON WWTP Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
NEXT DIMENSION COMPONENTS, INC. Wastewater and stormwater discharge notice of violation
EUCLID REFINISHING COMPANY Wastewater and stormwater discharge notice of violation
MEADOWOOD ALLOTMENT WWTP Wastewater and stormwater discharge report
ZEHRCO GIANCOLA COMPOSITES INC. PLANT 4 Air pollution compliance letter
GE JEFFERSON WELDS PLANT Underground injection wells monitoring results
BUZZARD TIRE SITE Scrap tires cleanup response
PIERPONT TOWNSHIP HALL Wastewater and stormwater discharge inspection
JEFFERSON WWTP Wastewater and stormwater discharge inspection
GE JEFFERSON WELDS PLANT Hazardous waste cleanup response
GE JEFFERSON WELDS PLANT Underground injection wells monitoring results
JEFFERSON WWTP Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
COFFEE CRK WWTP Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
GLASTIC CORP JEFFERSON FAC Voluntary cleanup inspection
GE JEFFERSON WELDS PLANT Underground injection wells monitoring results
CAMPGROUND Wastewater and stormwater discharge inspection

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 Jefferson, Ohio in?

Jefferson is a village in Ashtabula County, Ohio, with 3,226 residents.

When was Jefferson, Ohio founded?

Jefferson was settled 1805 (Samuel Wilson family, first permanent residents); laid out 1803. Founders on record: Gideon Granger, U.S. Postmaster General under Thomas Jefferson. Source

How did Jefferson, Ohio get its name?

Jefferson was named for President Thomas Jefferson by its founder, Gideon Granger, who served as Jefferson's Postmaster General. Source

What ZIP code is Jefferson, Ohio?

Most of Jefferson is in ZIP code 44047.

Where does Jefferson, Ohio get its water?

The main water source for Jefferson (Aqua Ohio - Village of Jefferson): Mostly private wells.

Cite this page

Cite this page as:

Cracked Buckeye, "Jefferson, Ashtabula County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/jefferson/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].

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