Local events in Lawrence Township, Lawrence County
Nothing is posted for Lawrence Township itself yet; here is what is on within 20 miles. All local events in Lawrence Township, Lawrence County
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Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Lawrence Township, Lawrence County began
Lawrence Township sits at the geographic center of Lawrence County and is unusual for having no border with any other county, being entirely surrounded by seven of the county's other townships. It shares its name with the county, which was named for Captain James Lawrence of the War of 1812 navy. A farm and hill township, it held about 425 people in 1840, 1,958 in 1900, and 2,355 in 2020; its post office was Rock Camp, and Andis and Kitts Hill are its unincorporated communities. The Waterloo coal seam underlies its northern part.
Incorporated by 1840 (first appears in the county's 1840 census; organization date not found).
Where the name comes from
Named, like the county itself, for Captain James Lawrence of the US Navy, whose dying order "Don't give up the ship" during the War of 1812 made him a naval hero; no source found gives a separate, distinct naming account for the township as opposed to the county.
Before the town
No source found records a Native village, mound, trail, or treaty event specific to Lawrence Township. The township lies within the Ohio River lands ceded at the 1795 Treaty of Greenville; the county's broader Native history -- Shawnee and Mingo presence in the lower Ohio Valley, and the absence of a documented named village or mound inside the county -- is covered at the county level.
Nations recorded here: Shawnee.
Timeline
- — The legislature creates Lawrence County by an act of December 20, 1816, naming it for Captain James Lawrence; Lawrence Township is later laid out at its center.
- — The census counts 425 people in Lawrence Township, the smallest of the county's townships that year.
- — The township has 534 people; its post office, Rock Camp, is among those the county had by 1850.
- — The assessor rates Lawrence's 21,130 acres at $57,236, the lowest land value of any Lawrence County township that year.
- — The census count is 851; J. L. Barber took the census of Lawrence, Fayette, Mason, Perry, Rome and Union townships together (8,608 people).
- — The census count is 1,957; it is 1,958 in 1900 and falls to 1,669 in 1910.
- — The assessor values Lawrence Township at $435,293 and the Rock Camp school district at a further $26,920; Rock Camp is one of the county's six high-school districts outside Ironton.
- — A state report counts orchards in Lawrence Township among 156 across eight Lawrence County townships (with Union, Windsor, Rome, Fayette, Elizabeth, Mason, and Symmes townships), totaling 212,916 apple trees, including the locally originated Rome Beauty and Jonathan varieties.
- — Willard's county history names the Waterloo coal seam, about five feet thick, as the most valuable deposit in the county and places it in Symmes Creek valley under Aid, Lawrence, Decatur and Symmes townships, about eight miles north of Ironton.
- — An Ironton centennial history names Kitts Hill, in this township, among a handful of outlying sub-communities of 'Greater Ironton' that had kept a distinct identity.
- — The township's population is recorded at 2,355 across 33.4 square miles in the decennial census.
Stories
Coal under the hills of Symmes Creek
Willard's 1916 history describes seven distinct coal veins in Lawrence County and singles out the seventh, the Waterloo seam, lying about eight miles north of Ironton in the valley of Symmes Creek and running under Aid, Lawrence, Decatur and Symmes townships. It averaged about five feet in thickness and he judged it the most valuable deposit in the county. Coals Nos. 6 and 7 were rated the best coking coals of the Hanging Rock region, and Pittsburgh coal and coke from the district were shipped past Ironton into the Mississippi Valley and as far as Mexico. A post office called Waterloo stood in Symmes Township by 1850. Lawrence Township itself, with Rock Camp as its post office and no river frontage, was assessed at the lowest land value of any county township in 1856 and stayed a township of farms and small communities.
Photographs
Photo: dok1 (Don O'Brien), CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · archive.org
Water
Ohio River surface water, treated at the Ironton Water Treatment Plant (built 1993, approved capacity 4 million gallons per day, about 1.3 MGD produced). The foot-of-Vernon-Street siting describes the original 1872 waterworks, not the current intake location. The water here
- Hecla Water Association100% of residentsOhio River
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Lawrence Township, Lawrence County's boundary: 2 fire and EMS stations and 1 poor-rated bridge. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Fire and EMS stations (2)
-
Lawrence Township Fire Department Station 2Kitts Hill
- Address
- 5216 County Road 6, Kitts Hill, OH 45645
- Coordinates
- 38.54773, -82.52382
USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Lawrence Township Volunteer Fire DepartmentKitts Hill
- Address
- State Highway 141, Kitts Hill, OH 45645
- Coordinates
- 38.56125, -82.57719
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.
Bridges rated poor (1)
-
Sharps Creek Road over Little Storms CreekPoor · built 1989
- Condition
- Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
- What it is
- Bridge
- Built
- 1989
- Length
- 11 ft
- Owner
- County
- Vehicles a day
- 80
- Coordinates
- 38.57624, -82.57583
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.
Its ZIP codes
Each ZIP code that touches Lawrence Township, Lawrence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45645 Lawrence Township and Kitts Hill | 80% | Ohio River surface water, treated at the Ironton Water Treatment Plant (built 1993, approved capacity 4 million gallons per day, about 1.3 MGD produced). The foot-of-Vernon-Street siting describes the original 1872 waterworks, not the current intake location. | Too few radon tests | Median year built 1980 | Rock Hill Local · 3 stars overall | 4.2% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 45696 Mason Township and Willow Wood | 7% | Mostly private wells | Too few radon tests | Median year built 1984 | Symmes Valley Local · 3.5 stars overall | 4.8% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in Lawrence Township, Lawrence County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Money issues on the ballot since 2019: 1 of 1 passed.
Ballot issues
| Date | Issue | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-11-05 | Issue: Lawrence Township Tax Levy Fire | 551 | 207 | Passed (72.69% for) |
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-11-02 | Township Trustee | Brent Dickess 380, 36.22%; Mark Harper 282, 26.88%; Larry Pernestti 387, 36.89% |
| 2019-11-05 | Township Trustee | Adam Gilmore 520, 68.42%; Scott Gore 240, 31.58% |
| 2019-11-05 | Township Fiscal Officer | Lori A. Morris 643, 100.0% |
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 2025-06-10
The county
Lawrence County: 9 ZIP codes, 20 cities, villages and townships, 58,180 people.
Nearby places
Quick answers
What county is Lawrence Township, Ohio in?
Lawrence Township, Lawrence County is a township in Lawrence County, Ohio, with 2,355 residents.
When was Lawrence Township, Ohio founded?
Lawrence Township, Lawrence County was incorporated by 1840 (first appears in the county's 1840 census; organization date not found). Source
How did Lawrence Township, Ohio get its name?
Named, like the county itself, for Captain James Lawrence of the US Navy, whose dying order "Don't give up the ship" during the War of 1812 made him a naval hero; no source found gives a separate, distinct naming account for the township as opposed to the county. Source
What ZIP code is Lawrence Township, Ohio?
Lawrence Township, Lawrence County is served by ZIP codes 45645 and 45696; 45645 holds the largest share of its residents.
Where does Lawrence Township, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Lawrence Township, Lawrence County (Hecla Water Association): Ohio River surface water, treated at the Ironton Water Treatment Plant (built 1993, approved capacity 4 million gallons per day, about 1.3 MGD produced). The foot-of-Vernon-Street siting describes the original 1872 waterworks, not the current intake location.
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Lawrence Township, Lawrence County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/lawrence-township-lawrence-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
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