Jerusalem

How Jerusalem began

Jerusalem is a village of 121 people (2020) on State Route 145 in Monroe County, in the hills west of the Ohio River. The first house went up in 1825, but as late as 1847 only three residences stood where it grew; the village is thought to have taken its name from a Quaker church called Jerusalem, and a Quaker cemetery survives. Methodists met in Jacob Lawrence's house from 1852, the Quakers left and their church became a hotel about 1860, and by 1892 the village had a Methodist and a Presbyterian church. The village's only school was built in 1884; its high school closed in 1929. Jerusalem's population rose from 91 in 1870 to 245 in 1900 and peaked at 317 in 1960.

Settled 1825 (first house built).

Where the name comes from

The village is thought to be named for a Quaker church built there and named Jerusalem, though no source consulted confirms this with certainty.

Before the town

No source read names a Native village, camp, mound or trail at Jerusalem. The village lies in Monroe County's hill country between the Ohio River and the Little Muskingum, in land within the Treaty of Greenville cession of 1795; the Native names and incidents recorded for the river valley (Sunfish Creek, 'Buckchitawa,' and an ambush of 1788 near its mouth) are none of them tied to Jerusalem.

Timeline

1. 1825 — The first house in what becomes Jerusalem is built.
2. 1847 — Only three residences stand in the area that is to become Jerusalem.
3. 1852 — Methodist services begin in the private home of Jacob Lawrence.
4. about 1860 — The Quaker church called Jerusalem, whose name the village is thought to have taken, is remodeled and used as a hotel after the Quakers leave.
5. 1870 — The census counts 91 residents, the first count for the village; it has 135 in 1880 and 112 in 1890.
6. 1884 — The first and only school in the village is built, a two-story frame building at the west end of Church Street.
7. February 1892 — Rev. Haverfield holds revival meetings at the Methodist Episcopal church, Rev. Lyonberger of Pittsburgh preaches at the Presbyterian church, and Wm. Tipton takes a job as telegraph operator at Herlan's on the B.Z. & C. line (Monroe County Gazette, February 11).
8. March 1894 — Methodist meetings continue with two new members added, Rev. W. H. Reed of Batesville assisting (Monroe County Gazette, March 8).
9. November 1899 — The primary department of Jerusalem School has 36 pupils (J. B. Shouse, teacher) and the principal room 29 (F. B. Milhoan, teacher), according to The Spirit of Democracy of November 16.
10. 1900 — The census counts 245 residents, up from 112 in 1890.
11. about 1907 — The earliest records of the Church of Christ date from this time, when it met in homes and then a school room; in 1912 it buys a lot for $150.
12. 1920 — The 1884 school is replaced by a three-room building.
13. 1929 — The Jerusalem high school closes.
14. May 30, 1931 — The Ohio River & Western narrow-gauge line makes its last run, from Woodsfield to Bellaire.
15. 1958 — In the fall elementary students are transferred to Beallsville Elementary School; the old school becomes a Community and Recreation Center.
16. 1960 — The village reaches its census peak of 317; the Methodists buy a building.
17. 2020 — The census counts 121 residents, down 24.8 percent from 161 in 2010.

Stories

A church that became a hotel

Jerusalem began as little more than a handful of houses. The first house went up in 1825, and as late as 1847 there were only three residences in the area. The Quakers built a church there and named it Jerusalem, and the village is thought to have taken its name from the church; a Quaker Cemetery and a Jerusalem Cemetery are still listed for the village. The Quakers did not stay. By about 1860 they had gone, and their church building was remodeled and used as a hotel. Methodists, who had begun meeting in Jacob Lawrence's home in 1852, and Presbyterians took their place as the village's congregations; by 1892 both had churches.

A school on Church Street

Jerusalem's first and only school was built in 1884, a two-story frame building at the west end of Church Street. In November 1899 its primary room held 36 pupils under J. B. Shouse and its principal room 29 under F. B. Milhoan, with attendance running about 89 and 93 percent. The building was replaced in 1920 by a three-room one, the high school closed in 1929, and in the fall of 1958 the elementary students were sent to Beallsville. The old school now serves as a community and recreation center. By then the village's population, 317 in 1960, was already shrinking toward the 121 of 2020.

Local history sources: jerusalem-usa.blogspot.com · en.wikipedia.org · monroe.ohgenweb.org · monroe.ohgenweb.org · en.wikipedia.org · ldsgenealogy.com

Mostly private wells The water here

• Switzerland of Ohio Water100% of residentsBarnesville Reservoirs #1, #2 & Slope Creek Reservoir

Elections for office

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.
• Basic Audit, 2023 to 2024, released 2025-07-08

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.

Cite this page