Local events in Ravenna Township, Portage County
Ravenna Township itself has 2 events posted in the next 90 days; the others here are within 10 miles. All local events in Ravenna Township, Portage County
Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Ravenna Township, Portage County began
Ravenna Township, surveyed as Town 3, Range 8 of the Connecticut Western Reserve and covering about 20 square miles, was settled in June 1799 when Benjamin Tappan Jr., son of the principal proprietor, built the township's first cabin in its southeast corner, two years before the city of Ravenna itself was platted at its center in 1808. Alexander McWhorter's 1802 grist-mill on Breakneck Creek and Conrad Boosinger's tannery were the township's first industries; the first school opened in 1803, taught by Tappan's sister-in-law Sarah Wright. Within the township's western section, along what is now Ohio State Route 59, the unincorporated crossroads of Black Horse grew up around the 19th-century Blackhorse Tavern. In the early 1900s Cleveland businessman Dan R. Hanna developed the Cottage Hill estate on the Ravenna-Charlestown line, later acquired by Congressman Chester Bolton before the U.S. Government took it for the Ravenna Arsenal. The city of Ravenna, which the township surrounds, was carved out to become an independent municipality in 1993. It is the only Ravenna Township in Ohio; sharing ZIP 44266 with the city, the township has 9,058 residents (2020).
Settled June 1799 (Benjamin Tappan Jr., first cabin), platted 1808 (city of Ravenna platted within the township by Benjamin Tappan), incorporated Township organized from Town 3, Range 8 of the Western Reserve; became legally independent of the city of Ravenna in 1993, by Benjamin Tappan Jr. (agent for his father, principal proprietor).
Where the name comes from
The township takes its name from the city of Ravenna, which it surrounds and which became the Portage County seat in 1808; it is the only township named Ravenna anywhere in Ohio.
Before the town
No Native American village, camp or mound site specific to Ravenna Township outside the city of Ravenna is documented in the sources consulted. Elsewhere in Portage County, the Native record includes the Whittlesey culture, the area's treaties, and named village and camp locations.
Timeline
- — Benjamin Tappan Jr., agent for his father the principal proprietor, builds the township's first cabin of unhewn logs in the southeast part of the township; he later serves in the Second Ohio Legislature and as a U.S. Senator (1835-1845).
- — Benjamin Bigsby's family, who came with Tappan to help clear his land, loses a son of about 12 or 14 to a rattlesnake bite, the township's first recorded death.
- — Alexander McWhorter settles on the west side of Breakneck Creek and, the following year, erects the township's first grist-mill, a major convenience for settlers who had previously traveled long distances to get grain ground.
- — Conrad Boosinger settles about a mile and a half southeast of the future Ravenna Center and, being a tanner by trade, builds the township's first tannery; his son John later becomes Brimfield Township's first settler in 1816.
- — The township's first school opens in a log house near Tappan's settlement, taught by his sister-in-law Sarah Wright for the children of the Boosinger, Ward and Eaton families.
- — Benjamin Tappan lays off a 192-lot village plat at the township center, chosen as Portage County's seat of justice the same year.
- — The Blackhorse Tavern operates along what is now State Route 59 in the township's western section, giving its name to the unincorporated community of Black Horse.
- — Cleveland businessman Dan R. Hanna, son of U.S. Senator Marcus A. Hanna, develops the Cottage Hill estate spanning several hundred acres of eastern Ravenna and western Charlestown townships, spending over $100,000 on Portage County roads and fairs before leaving in 1915; the estate is later owned by John Pew, then Congressman Chester Bolton, before the U.S. Government acquires it for the Ravenna Arsenal.
- — The Horace Y. Beebe House, in the township northwest of the city, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, June 16 (#83002022); it is later destroyed in 2020.
- — The John F. Byers House, south of Ravenna on S. Prospect St., and Cottage Hill Farm, east of Ravenna, are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Byers House in 2008, Cottage Hill Farm in 1993).
- — The city of Ravenna becomes legally independent of the surrounding township, despite remaining geographically encircled by it.
Stories
Black Horse: a tavern's name outlives the tavern
Long before automobiles, the crossroads community in the western part of Ravenna Township took its identity from a single building: the Blackhorse Tavern, a 19th-century stopping place where travelers moving through the Connecticut Western Reserve could rest, water their horses, and get a meal before continuing on. The tavern itself is long gone, but the name held on as a place-name for the unincorporated settlement that grew up around the crossroads, now along Ohio State Route 59 — a small reminder of how much of rural Ohio's map was drawn first by the needs of overland travel rather than by rail lines or highways that came later.
Cottage Hill: a showplace, then an arsenal
Around 1900, Dan R. Hanna, a Cleveland businessman and son of U.S. Senator Marcus A. Hanna, chose several hundred acres straddling the Ravenna-Charlestown township line for a country estate, partly because the land had once belonged to his uncle, Daniel P. Rhodes. Hanna made Cottage Hill into a genuine showplace, keeping fine saddle horses for his sons Mark, Carl and Dan and driving high black coaches drawn by four spirited horses along the county's roads. He did not confine his money to his own property: he helped found the Portage Improvement Association, paid half the cost of a new road connecting Ravenna city to his estate (still called Hanna Road), and by his own account spent more than $100,000 over fifteen years on county roads, fairs, and other public purposes, including personally underwriting a struggling county fair with a bond sale. When Hanna departed in 1915, the estate passed to John Pew, then in 1927 to Congressman Chester Bolton, father of a later member of Congress — and from Bolton's ownership the land passed a final time, not to another private owner, but to the U.S. Government, which folded Cottage Hill into the land it was assembling for the Ravenna Arsenal ahead of the Second World War. The house that had once hosted Cleveland's elite ended up, a generation later, inside a munitions reservation, and Cottage Hill Farm's surviving buildings are today listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photographs
Photo: Nyttend, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Nyttend, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Nyttend, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · archive.org
Historic places
2 places in Ravenna Township, Portage County on the National Register of Historic Places. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.
-
Beebe, Horace Y., HouseBuilding · Ravenna · listed 1983
- Address
- 6538 Cleveland Rd.
- Where
- Ravenna, Portage County · ZIP 44266
- What it is
- Building
- Listed on the National Register
- 1983
- NRIS reference number
- 83002022
- Coordinates
- 41.16872, -81.25522
National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map
-
Crystal Lake Stock FarmBuilding · Ravena · listed 1986
- Address
- 4655 Hayes Rd.
- Where
- Ravena, Portage County · ZIP 44266
- What it is
- Building
- Listed on the National Register
- 1986
- NRIS reference number
- 86000698
- Coordinates
- 41.13743, -81.22621
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
Lake Hodgson, a reservoir on the Congress Lake Outlet/Breakneck Creek watershed, with intake at the city's plant at 5383 Lakewood Rd (built 1984, replacing the older Crystal Lake plant) The water here
- Ravenna City93% of residentsLake Hodgson
- Maple Del Manor Llc3% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
- Birchwood Manor Mhc New3% of residentsGroundwater wells (1 wells)
- Ranch Club Estates Water Association1% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
- Orchard Estates I Mhc, Llc0% of residentsBuried valley/sandstone aquifer wells (12 county wells)
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Ravenna Township, Portage County's boundary: 1 health center, 1 fire or EMS station, 2 museums, 1 Toxics Release Inventory facility and 11 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Community health centers (1)
-
Children's Advantage - AxessPointe - New MilfordHealth center · Ravenna
- Run by
- a federally qualified health center
- Setting
- Clinic
- City
- Ravenna
- Coordinates
- 41.15263, -81.22417
Find a Health Center (HRSA) ↗ HRSA data (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: HRSA health center service delivery sites, active, September 2026 (school-based sites left out). Health centers see patients whether or not they have insurance, with fees on a sliding scale.
Fire and EMS stations (1)
-
Ravenna Township Fire DepartmentRavenna
- Address
- 6115 South Spring Street, Ravenna, OH 44266
- Coordinates
- 41.15719, -81.27142
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.
Museums, historical societies, gardens and zoos (2)
-
Portage County Historical SocietyHistorical society · Ravenna
- What it is
- Historical society
- City
- Ravenna
- Coordinates
- 41.16883, -81.24352
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.
-
Portage Lakes Historical SocietyHistorical society · Ravenna
- What it is
- Historical society
- City
- Ravenna
- Coordinates
- 41.16883, -81.24352
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.
Facilities reporting toxic releases (1)
-
Allen Aircraft Products IncToxics Release Inventory · Ravenna
- Address
- 4879 Newton Falls Rd., Ravenna, OH 44266
- County
- Portage County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
- EPA program ID
- 44266LLNRC4879N
- EPA registry ID
- 110000814584
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: EPA Facility Registry Service, Toxics Release Inventory reporters. Reporting a release is required of large users of listed chemicals; it is not by itself a violation.
Spills reported since 2021 (11)
-
Oil Transformer Non Pcb2024-09-27 · Ravenna Twp
- Reported
- 2024-09-27
- What spilled
- Oil Transformer Non Pcb
- Largest amount reported
- 15 gallons
- Where
- Ravenna Twp, Portage County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2409EPA0001662
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Sewage Human2023-05-08 · Ravenna Twp
- Reported
- 2023-05-08
- What spilled
- Sewage Human
- Where
- Ravenna Twp, Portage County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2305EPA0000739
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)2023-03-10 · Ravenna Twp
- Reported
- 2023-03-10
- What spilled
- Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)
- Largest amount reported
- 100 gallons
- Where
- Ravenna Twp, Portage County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2303EPA0000371
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Oil/ Home Heating / Heating Oil Reached water2022-09-18 · Ravenna Twp
- Reported
- 2022-09-18
- What spilled
- Fuel Oil/ Home Heating / Heating Oil
- Largest amount reported
- 275 gallons
- Reached a waterway
- 99 - Unnamed
- Where
- Ravenna Twp, Portage County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2209EPA0001423
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Transformer Non Pcb2022-08-21 · Ravenna Twp
- Reported
- 2022-08-21
- What spilled
- Oil Transformer Non Pcb
- Largest amount reported
- 10 gallons
- Where
- Ravenna Twp, Portage County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2208EPA0001281
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Petroleum Not Otherwise Specified (Nos)2022-07-25 · Ravenna Twp
- Reported
- 2022-07-25
- What spilled
- Oil Petroleum Not Otherwise Specified (Nos)
- Where
- Ravenna Twp, Portage County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2207EPA0001126
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Wet Gas / Natural Gas Liquid(S) Reached water2022-03-05 · Ravenna Twp
- Reported
- 2022-03-05
- What spilled
- Wet Gas / Natural Gas Liquid(S)
- Reached a waterway
- 99 - Unnamed
- Where
- Ravenna Twp, Portage County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2203EPA0000271
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Manure Nos (Not Specified)2021-08-17 · Ravenna Twp
- Reported
- 2021-08-17
- What spilled
- Manure Nos (Not Specified)
- Where
- Ravenna Twp, Portage County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2108EPA0001275
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Transformer Non Pcb2021-05-26 · Ravenna Twp
- Reported
- 2021-05-26
- What spilled
- Oil Transformer Non Pcb
- Largest amount reported
- 8 gallons
- Where
- Ravenna Twp, Portage County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2105EPA0000739
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Oil/ Home Heating / Heating Oil2026-02-28 · Ravenna Twp
- Reported
- 2026-02-28
- What spilled
- Fuel Oil/ Home Heating / Heating Oil
- Where
- Ravenna Twp, Portage County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2602EPA0000265
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2026-01-20 · Ravenna Twp
- Reported
- 2026-01-20
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 10 gallons
- Where
- Ravenna Twp, Portage County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2601EPA0000075
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 Ravenna Township, Portage 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44266 Ravenna | 28% | Lake Hodgson, a reservoir on the Congress Lake Outlet/Breakneck Creek watershed, with intake at the city's plant at 5383 Lakewood Rd (built 1984, replacing the older Crystal Lake plant) | 3.6 pCi/L average radon | Parcel list only | Ravenna City · 2.5 stars overall | 4.2% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in Ravenna Township, Portage County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Auditor of State record
- No fiscal caution, watch or emergency on the Auditor of State's lists.
- Agreed Upon Procedures, 2022 to 2023, released 2024-10-22
The county
Portage County: 15 ZIP codes, 29 cities, villages and townships, 169,745 people.
Nearby places
Quick answers
What county is Ravenna Township, Ohio in?
Ravenna Township, Portage County is a township in Portage County, Ohio, with 9,058 residents.
When was Ravenna Township, Ohio founded?
Ravenna Township, Portage County was settled June 1799 (Benjamin Tappan Jr., first cabin); laid out 1808 (city of Ravenna platted within the township by Benjamin Tappan); incorporated Township organized from Town 3, Range 8 of the Western Reserve; became legally independent of the city of Ravenna in 1993. Founders on record: Benjamin Tappan Jr. (agent for his father, principal proprietor). Source
How did Ravenna Township, Ohio get its name?
The township takes its name from the city of Ravenna, which it surrounds and which became the Portage County seat in 1808; it is the only township named Ravenna anywhere in Ohio. Source
What ZIP code is Ravenna Township, Ohio?
Most of Ravenna Township, Portage County is in ZIP code 44266.
Where does Ravenna Township, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Ravenna Township, Portage County (Ravenna City): Lake Hodgson, a reservoir on the Congress Lake Outlet/Breakneck Creek watershed, with intake at the city's plant at 5383 Lakewood Rd (built 1984, replacing the older Crystal Lake plant).
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Ravenna Township, Portage County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/ravenna-township-portage-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
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