Local events in Portage Township, Wood County
Nothing is posted for Portage Township itself yet; here is what is on within 10 miles. All local events in Portage Township, Wood County
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Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Portage Township, Wood County began
Portage Township was established in 1832, ground once so isolated that Collister Haskins was, by the county's own account, the only settler between Findlay and the Maumee settlement before 1828. It now holds the northwestern part of the village of Portage and the southern part of Jerry City, and its southeast corner holds the Wood County Home and Infirmary, whose original 19th-century building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Settled before 1828 (Collister Haskins, the township's first documented settler), incorporated township established December 3, 1832 (initially embracing what became Liberty, Henry, Portage, Bloom, Montgomery and Perry townships); Portage itself was not organized until July 20, 1833, after the original act had to be reconsidered, by Wood County commissioners.
Where the name comes from
Portage Township takes its name from the Portage River, itself named -- per the county's own history -- for the portages, or carrying-places, Native travelers used along it; the river's name in French-derived usage, portage or portazh, describes a place where a canoe and its cargo must be carried overland around an obstruction. Ohio has other Portage Townships in Hancock and Ottawa counties.
Before the town
The Portage River, which gives this township its name, was itself named for a Native travel practice: canoeing parties, including Ottawa bands living near the Maumee, carried their canoes and cargo overland around obstructions in the river, a use the county's own 1897 history explains directly. No mound, earthwork or named Native village specific to Portage Township was found in any source consulted; the same history states that no such evidence exists anywhere in Wood County. A Beaver Creek-to-Portage travel trail is recorded near this area.
Nations recorded here: Ottawa.
Timeline
- — Collister Haskins is the only documented settler between Findlay and the Maumee settlement, living within what becomes Portage Township.
- — Portage Township is established by the Wood County commissioners as part of a much larger territory also covering Liberty, Henry, Bloom, Montgomery and Perry; Perry is detached the following March.
- — Seventeen voters in the original township all vote for John E. Hunt for state senator.
- — The township is reorganized from part of Middleton: all of T. 5 N., R. 11 and the part of T. 5, R. 10 south of a line between the second and third tiers of sections.
- — Portage Township holds its first election, John Sargent, Benjamin Cox and Thomas Slight serving as judges; Joseph Cox, Jacob Eberly and John Sargent are elected the first trustees, and Collister Haskins the first treasurer.
- — John B. McKnight, elected justice of the peace, dies in 1837 and is buried in the Sargent cemetery west of Portage village, the first adult burial in the township.
- — Hiram Davis surveys Woodbury on the line between Ranges 10 and 11 for John Thompson, Henry B. Gibson and Jabez B. Larwill; a post office there predates the survey.
- — The assessor finds 37 adult males in the township.
- — The census counts 199 residents; 403 in 1850; 833 in 1860; 1,069 in 1870; 1,434 in 1880; 2,328 in 1890.
- — The school board meets at the Johnson school house and authorizes a $250 building for District No. 5; in July Collister Haskins deeds the lot for the District No. 1 house and his school tax is cancelled in recognition.
- — The United Brethren raise a church at Mt. Zion near Six Points; German Baptists build another just across the township line.
- — The Wood County Home and Infirmary, southeast of Bowling Green in this township, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- — Mungen is surveyed by W. H. Wood for Philander McCrory; its post office had been established twenty years earlier at the old Mungen in Liberty Township.
- — A fire that starts on the edge of Mungen burns a strip nearly a mile wide and two miles long, destroying oil derricks and tanks; the Toledo Commercial estimates the loss at $150,000.
- — The William Graham House, southwest of Wayne in this township, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- — The census finds 1,558 people in the township.
Stories
The Mungen fire of October 27, 1895
In the summer and fall of 1895 the oil field was extending toward Mungen and Six Points, and the villagers and farmers profited. Then, on October 27, a fire that started on the edge of Mungen swept a strip nearly a mile wide and two miles long to the northeast. The reporter for the Toledo Commercial put the loss at $150,000. The Sun Oil Company lost nine derricks, four tanks and a boiler-house; the Palmer Oil Company twelve derricks and several tanks; the Ohio Oil Company four derricks; and Ralf Brothers several derricks and buildings, with smaller operators losing in proportion. Mungen itself was young: it had been surveyed only in May 1888 for Philander McCrory, whose store, built as a station and store, was the first business in the place. The county history, published two years later, records the fire as one of the township's great calamities.
Local history sources: archive.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org
Historic places
1 place in Portage Township, Wood County on the National Register of Historic Places. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.
-
Graham, William, HouseBuilding · Wayne · listed 1984
- Address
- 7056 Jerry City Rd.
- Where
- Wayne, Wood County · ZIP 43466
- What it is
- Building
- Listed on the National Register
- 1984
- NRIS reference number
- 84003812
- Coordinates
- 41.25483, -83.53817
National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map
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.
Water
Mostly private wells The water here
- Wayne Village55% of residentsGroundwater wells (4 wells)
- Northwestern W and SD - Portage45% of residentsMaumee River (via Bowling Green Reservoir)
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Portage Township, Wood County's boundary: 3 public schools, 1 poor-rated bridge, 1 museum, 1 shale or injection well and 6 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Public schools (3)
-
Elmwood Elementary School3 of 5 stars · Bloomdale
- Address
- 7650 Jerry City Rd, Bloomdale, OH 44817
- School district
- Elmwood Local School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 484
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 28.13
- Report card, 2025-26
- 3 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 80.9%
- Ohio building IRN
- 000345
- NCES school ID
- 390506805304
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Elmwood High School3 of 5 stars · Bloomdale
- Address
- 7650 Jerry City Rd, Bloomdale, OH 44817
- School district
- Elmwood Local School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 321
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 23.77
- Report card, 2025-26
- 3 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 75.1%
- Four-year graduation rate
- 96.7%
- Ohio building IRN
- 010439
- NCES school ID
- 390506804027
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Elmwood Middle School2.5 of 5 stars · Bloomdale
- Address
- 7650 Jerry City Rd, Bloomdale, OH 44817
- School district
- Elmwood Local School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 354
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 22.36
- Report card, 2025-26
- 2.5 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 71.5%
- Ohio building IRN
- 007963
- NCES school ID
- 390506804026
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
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.
Bridges rated poor (1)
-
Huffman Road over Bull Creek Huffman RdPoor · built 1937
- Condition
- Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
- What it is
- Bridge
- Built
- 1937
- Length
- 17 ft
- Owner
- County
- Vehicles a day
- 952
- Coordinates
- 41.29779, -83.59254
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.
Museums, historical societies, gardens and zoos (1)
-
Mobile Military MuseumMuseum · Portage
- What it is
- Museum
- City
- Portage
- Coordinates
- 41.32513, -83.62193
Search Wikipedia ↗ IMLS Museum Data Files (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
The museum list is IMLS's 2018 file; a museum may have closed or moved since.
Source: IMLS Museum Data Files, 2018.
Shale and injection wells (1)
-
Dove (Swiw # 4) Well 6 InjectionInjection well (Class II)
- What it is
- Injection well (Class II)
- Operator
- Buckeye C-6 Energy, Llc
- County
- Wood County
- API well number
- 34173205780000
- Coordinates
- 41.30007, -83.63602
ODNR oil and gas wells (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: ODNR Division of Oil and Gas Resources well inventory (September 2026): drilled Utica, Marcellus and horizontal wells and Class II injection wells not plugged. Older vertical wells are on the full map.
Spills reported since 2021 (6)
-
Oil Crude2025-05-20 · Portage Twp
- Reported
- 2025-05-20
- What spilled
- Oil Crude
- Largest amount reported
- 110 gallons
- Where
- Portage Twp, Wood County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2505EPA0000808
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Milk2025-02-13 · Portage Twp
- Reported
- 2025-02-13
- What spilled
- Milk; Manure Nos (Not Specified)
- Where
- Portage Twp, Wood County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2502EPA0000189
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2025-02-06 · Portage Twp
- Reported
- 2025-02-06
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 40 gallons
- Where
- Portage Twp, Wood County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2502EPA0000155
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Crude2023-07-05 · Null
- Reported
- 2023-07-05
- What spilled
- Oil Crude
- Largest amount reported
- 42,000 gallons
- Where
- Null, Wood County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2307EPA0001104
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Petroleum Not Otherwise Specified (Nos)2022-08-12 · Liberty Twp
- Reported
- 2022-08-12
- What spilled
- Oil Petroleum Not Otherwise Specified (Nos)
- Where
- Liberty Twp, Wood County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2208EPA0001226
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Sheen Rainbow / Hydrocarbon Reached water2022-08-09 · Liberty Twp
- Reported
- 2022-08-09
- What spilled
- Sheen Rainbow / Hydrocarbon
- Reached a waterway
- 99 - Unnamed
- Where
- Liberty Twp, Wood County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2208EPA0001202
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 Portage Township, Wood 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43451 Portage Township and Portage | 41% | Mostly private wells | 3.6 pCi/L average radon | Appraisal records without year built | Bowling Green City · 4.5 stars overall | 12% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43466 Montgomery Township and Wayne | 16% | Mostly private wells | 7.1 pCi/L average radon | Appraisal records without year built | Elmwood Local · 3 stars overall | 2.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43413 Cygnet | 9% | Mostly private wells | 5.1 pCi/L average radon | Appraisal records without year built | Elmwood Local · 3 stars overall | 5.5% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43462 Liberty Township and Rudolph | 2% | Mostly private wells | 5.3 pCi/L average radon | Appraisal records without year built | Bowling Green City · 4.5 stars overall | 10% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in Portage Township, Wood County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Money issues on the ballot since 2021: 2 of 2 passed.
Ballot issues
| Date | Issue | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-04 | Issue: Portage Township Renewal 1 mill Roads & Bridges (1.0 mills, renewal) | 185 | 73 | Passed (71.71% for) |
| 2023-11-07 | Issue: Portage Township - Roads | 281 | 153 | Passed (64.75% for) |
| 2021-11-02 | Issue: Portage Township Renewal 1 Mill (1.0 mills, renewal) | 184 | 83 | Passed (68.91% for) |
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-04 | Trustee | Rodney J. Rhoden 190, 47.74%; Donald L. Zeigler 208, 52.26% |
| 2023-11-07 | Trustee | Edwin M. Foos 454, 100.0% |
| 2023-11-07 | Fiscal Officer | Brian M. King 439, 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.
- Agreed Upon Procedures, 2023 to 2024, released 2025-09-04
The county
Wood County: 28 ZIP codes, 42 cities, villages and townships, 132,052 people.
Nearby places
Quick answers
What county is Portage Township, Ohio in?
Portage Township, Wood County is a township in Wood County, Ohio, with 1,060 residents.
When was Portage Township, Ohio founded?
Portage Township, Wood County was settled before 1828 (Collister Haskins, the township's first documented settler); incorporated township established December 3, 1832 (initially embracing what became Liberty, Henry, Portage, Bloom, Montgomery and Perry townships); Portage itself was not organized until July 20, 1833, after the original act had to be reconsidered. Founders on record: Wood County commissioners. Source
How did Portage Township, Ohio get its name?
Portage Township takes its name from the Portage River, itself named -- per the county's own history -- for the portages, or carrying-places, Native travelers used along it; the river's name in French-derived usage, portage or portazh, describes a place where a canoe and its cargo must be carried overland around an obstruction. Source
What ZIP code is Portage Township, Ohio?
Portage Township, Wood County is served by ZIP codes 43451, 43466, 43413 and 43462; 43451 holds the largest share of its residents.
Where does Portage Township, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Portage Township, Wood County (Wayne Village): Mostly private wells.
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Cracked Buckeye, "Portage Township, Wood County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/portage-township-wood-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
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