Local events in New Paris
3 events in the next 90 days from 1 public calendar. All local events in New Paris
Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How New Paris began
New Paris was platted in 1808 by James Fleming and Andrew Ireland, two Jefferson Township settlers who had both come from the vicinity of Paris, Kentucky and named their new village accordingly; a post office has operated there since 1820. The village is best known as the home, in 1864, of minister and singing-school teacher Benjamin Hanby, who, lacking money to buy his students sheet music that Christmas, wrote his own songs, including 'Up on the Housetop' -- the second-oldest secular American Christmas song after 'Jingle Bells' and the first to center on Santa Claus. New Paris also produced Grayson L. Kirk, briefly its high school principal before he went on to lead Columbia University and help found the United Nations. The village had 1,494 residents at the 2020 census.
Platted 1808, by James Fleming and Andrew Ireland.
Where the name comes from
Founders James Fleming and Andrew Ireland, both originally from the area around Paris, Kentucky, named their new Jefferson Township village New Paris after their former home.
Before the town
No mound, village, trail or treaty site specific to New Paris was found in the sources checked.
Nations recorded here: Miami, Shawnee.
Timeline
- — James Fleming and Andrew Ireland platted New Paris on their adjoining land in Jefferson Township.
- — A post office called New Paris began operating in the village.
- — New Paris's population was recorded at 154.
- — Minister and singing-school teacher Benjamin Hanby, unable to afford sheet music for his New Paris students that Christmas, wrote his own songs, including 'Up on the Housetop' (originally titled 'Santa Claus').
- — Chicago publisher George Frederick Root published 'Up on the Housetop' and brought Hanby to Chicago to pursue other work.
- — New Paris's population had grown to 835.
- — New Paris saw its largest decade of population growth, reaching 1,679 residents by 1960, a 60.5 percent increase.
Stories
A Christmas carol written for want of sheet music
By the winter of 1864, Benjamin Hanby had already spent time as a minister in New Paris and was running a singing school there, teaching local children to read and perform music. As Christmas approached that year, he found he had no money to buy his students printed sheet music, so he sat down and wrote his own songs instead, words and melody both. One of them he called 'Santa Claus'; it would later be published as 'Up on the Housetop,' and by most accounts it is the second-oldest secular Christmas song in the American songbook, behind only 'Jingle Bells' from 1857, and the first to put Santa Claus himself at the center of a carol. In 1865 the Chicago publisher George Frederick Root printed the song and brought Hanby to Chicago to continue his musical career, ending his time in the small Preble County village where, out of necessity rather than ambition, he had written it.
Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · genealogytrails.com · wdtn.com · hmdb.org · en.wikipedia.org
Water
Mostly private wells The water here
- New Paris Village100% of residentsGroundwater wells (3 wells)
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside New Paris's boundary: 1 fire or EMS station, 1 poor-rated bridge, 1 library and 1 spill case. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Fire and EMS stations (1)
-
Northwest Fire Department and Ambulance DistrictNew Paris
- Address
- 135 North Washington Street, New Paris, OH 45347
- Coordinates
- 39.85914, -84.79244
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)
-
Wesler Rd over Whitewater CreekPoor · built 1964
- Condition
- Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
- What it is
- Bridge
- Built
- 1964
- Length
- 29 ft
- Owner
- County
- Vehicles a day
- 351
- Coordinates
- 39.86043, -84.79783
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.
Public libraries (1)
-
New Paris Branch LibraryBranch · New Paris
- Address
- 115 N. Washington St., New Paris, OH 45347
- What it is
- Branch
- Library system
- Preble County District Library
- Open
- 1,456 hours a year, 52 weeks
- Building
- 1,620 sq ft
- System's visits, FY2024
- 198,224
- System's loans, FY2024
- 222,960
- People the system serves
- 38,015
- Phone
- (937) 437-7242
IMLS Public Libraries Survey (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: IMLS Public Libraries Survey FY2024 (outlets and their systems). Any Ohio resident can get a free card at any Ohio public library.
Spills reported since 2021 (1)
-
Paint Nos / Lacquer (Not Specified)2024-10-03 · New Paris
- Reported
- 2024-10-03
- What spilled
- Paint Nos / Lacquer (Not Specified)
- Where
- New Paris, Preble County
- Ohio EPA district office
- SWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2410EPA0001695
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
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 New Paris, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45347 Jefferson Township and New Paris | 35% | Mostly private wells | 2.8 pCi/L average radon | Parcel list only | National Trail Local · 3.5 stars overall | 14% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in New Paris, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Money issues on the ballot since 2021: 1 of 1 passed.
Ballot issues
| Date | Issue | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-11-02 | Issue 5: New Paris Current Operating 2 mills Ren (2.0 mills, renewal) | 130 | 77 | Passed (62.8% for), unofficial |
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-11-02 | Member of Council (unofficial count) | John C. Arthur 114, 17.09%; Peggy Bishop 76, 11.39%; Jean Brower 115, 17.24%; Luther L. Conway 105, 15.74%; Morton Maish 101, 15.14%; Norman Smith 82, 12.29%; Jessica Updegraff 74, 11.09% |
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.
- Agreed Upon Procedures, 2024 to 2025, released 2026-07-23
- Agreed Upon Procedures, 2022 to 2023, released 2024-11-07
The county
Preble County: 12 ZIP codes, 23 cities, villages and townships, 43,242 people.
Nearby places
Rain and snow
How much has actually fallen on New Paris, day by day, from 1893 to now. Daily totals, not averages.
- rain, last 30 days
- 1.21 in
- 2026-09-30 to 2026-10-29
- rain so far in 2026
- 51.7 in
- 15.0 in above normal for the date
- snow so far in 2026
- 15.2 in
- a normal year brings 19.5 in
- a normal year
- 43.4 in
- average of 30 years, 1991-2020
| Month | Rain (in) | Snow (in) | Days counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 1.21 | — | 29 |
| September 2026 | 6.48 | — | 30 |
| August 2026 | 14.13 | — | 31 |
| July 2026 | 3.87 | — | 31 |
| June 2026 | 4.49 | — | 30 |
| May 2026 | 7.76 | — | 31 |
| April 2026 | 3.60 | — | 30 |
| March 2026 | 6.86 | 1.1 | 31 |
| February 2026 | 1.40 | 2.4 | 28 |
| January 2026 | 1.90 | 11.8 | 31 |
| December 2025 | 2.12 | 8.9 | 31 |
| November 2025 | 2.26 | 2.3 | 30 |
| Wettest year | 2011 — 58.4 in |
|---|---|
| Driest year | 1934 — 24.1 in |
| Snowiest year | 1951 — 48.1 in |
| Wettest day on record | 24 March 1913 — 4.99 in |
| Heaviest snowfall in a day | 16 February 1910 — 12.19 in |
| Deepest snow on the ground | 8 January 1996 — 19.10 in |
Estimated, not measured. No rain gauge has ever stood inside New Paris, so every figure here is worked out from the gauges around it - the nearest ones weighted most. Treat them as close estimates rather than readings.
48,777 days of records, 1893-01-01 to 2026-10-29. 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.
Quick answers
What county is New Paris, Ohio in?
New Paris is a village in Preble County, Ohio, with 1,494 residents.
When was New Paris, Ohio founded?
New Paris was laid out 1808. Founders on record: James Fleming and Andrew Ireland. Source
How did New Paris, Ohio get its name?
Founders James Fleming and Andrew Ireland, both originally from the area around Paris, Kentucky, named their new Jefferson Township village New Paris after their former home. Source
What ZIP code is New Paris, Ohio?
Most of New Paris is in ZIP code 45347.
Where does New Paris, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for New Paris (New Paris Village): Mostly private wells.
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "New Paris, Preble County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/new-paris/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-10-31
