Liberty Township, Adams County

How Liberty Township, Adams County began

Liberty Township, in central Adams County, was the home of Thomas Kirker, an Irish immigrant who became the second Governor of Ohio and, per local tradition, the township's first permanent settler in 1793 or 1794. His farmhouse, the Gov. Thomas Kirker Homestead, and the nearby Kirker Covered Bridge, an 1860s-1890s Kingpost span across East Fork Eagle Creek that was named for him, are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Settled 1793 or 1794 (Thomas Kirker, per tradition; sources disagree on the exact year), by Thomas Kirker.

Where the name comes from

No source consulted documented the specific origin of the township's name.

Before the town

No native-specific sites or events tied to Liberty Township specifically were found in the sources consulted.

Timeline

1. 1793 or 1794 — Thomas Kirker, who had emigrated from Ireland in 1779 and married Sarah Smith in 1790, moved to what became Liberty Township and is traditionally credited as its first permanent settler.
2. 1807 — Thomas Kirker became the second Governor of Ohio, serving until December 1808, after Edward Tiffin resigned to enter the U.S. Senate.
3. 1837 — Kirker died on his Liberty Township farm on February 19 and was buried in a family plot there.
4. 1860s-1890s — The Kirker Covered Bridge was built over East Fork Eagle Creek and named for Thomas Kirker; sources disagree on the exact decade of construction.
5. 1975 — Both the Kirker Covered Bridge and the Gov. Thomas Kirker Homestead were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
6. 1974 — The Kirker Covered Bridge was bypassed by a new road, at which point it was the second-to-last bridge of its type still on the Ohio state highway system.
7. 2024 — The Kirker Covered Bridge was heavily damaged by a tornado on April 2.

Stories

From Ireland to the Ohio governorship

Thomas Kirker left Ireland in 1779 and, after marrying Sarah Smith in 1790 and a brief stay in Kentucky, settled in what became Liberty Township around 1793 or 1794, local tradition holding him to be its first permanent settler. He built a career in territorial and early state politics that carried him, in 1807, to the governorship of Ohio itself, stepping in after Edward Tiffin resigned to take a U.S. Senate seat and serving until December 1808 when a residency dispute delayed his elected successor. Kirker returned to his Liberty Township farm afterward, living out his life there until his death in February 1837, and was buried on the property in a family burial ground. The 1860s-era covered bridge that still carries his name across East Fork Eagle Creek, though built decades after his death, stands within a few miles of the homestead where an Ohio governor spent most of his adult life farming.

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

Every historic place in Adams County on the full map

Mostly private wells The water here

• West Union Public Water System77% of residentsOhio River Valley Aquifer (wells near Manchester)
• Adams County Regional Wd20% of residentsOhio River Valley Aquifer (wells near Manchester)
• Winchester Public Water System2% of residentsOhio River Valley Aquifer (wells near Manchester)

Public schools (3)

Spills reported since 2021 (1)

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, 2022 to 2023, released 2024-09-10

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