Local events in Riley Township, Putnam County
Nothing is posted for Riley Township itself yet; here is what is on within 20 miles. All local events in Riley Township, Putnam County
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Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Riley Township, Putnam County began
Riley Township, in the southeastern corner of Putnam County, was first settled by Thomas Gray in 1832 and organized in 1834, named for Riley Creek. Yankee pioneers settled it first, but from 1833 a Swiss-German Mennonite migration reshaped the township into one of its most prosperous, with a hewed-log church by 1840. It holds the village of Pandora in its center and the Bridenbaugh District No. 3 Schoolhouse, a one-room school on the National Register of Historic Places, at the junction of Roads 6 and M-6 north of the village.
Settled 1832, incorporated 1834 (organized), by Thomas Gray, first settler.
Where the name comes from
Named after Riley Creek, which flows through the township.
Before the town
No Native American site or village specific to Riley Township was located in the sources checked.
Timeline
- — Thomas Gray becomes the township's first settler.
- — John Sigafoose, Adam Stout, Moses Rice, Bildad Hubbard and B. F. Dunning arrive; the same year the Swiss-German Mennonite migration to the township begins with Daniel Nicewander and Dorse Amstutz.
- — Riley Township organizes, taking its name from Riley Creek; a large number of Yankee families arrive the same year, along with Mennonite settlers Christian Suter, Christian Basinger and Christian Bucher, who lived to be one hundred years and seven months old.
- — John Stout lays out the town of Columbia, the future Pandora, on December 1, after building one of the county's first grist-mills on Riley Creek the previous year.
- — The township's Mennonite settlers, who had held services in members' homes, build a substantial hewed-log church, with Christian Steiner as first pastor.
- — The Bridenbaugh District No. 3 Schoolhouse is built at Roads 6 and M-6, north of Pandora.
- — The Bridenbaugh District No. 3 Schoolhouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Stories
Yankees First, Then a Mennonite Settlement
Riley Township's first settlers, arriving from 1832, were what the county's 1915 historian called Yankees -- sturdy pioneers from the eastern states, led by Thomas Gray, who came in 1832, and joined over the next two years by dozens of families including John Sigafoose, Adam Stout, Moses Rice and Bildad Hubbard. But before the township was even a year old, a second and very different migration began: Swiss-German Mennonites, starting with Daniel Nicewander and Dorse Amstutz in 1833, who by the following year had brought in Christian Suter, Christian Basinger and Christian Bucher, the last of whom lived to be a hundred years and seven months old before his death in 1879. The Mennonite settlement grew steadily, and from the start its members made provision for religious life, holding services in one another's homes until 1840, when they raised a substantial hewed-log church with Christian Steiner as its first pastor. Their descendants and the German settlement they founded became, in the historian's words, one of the most prosperous sections of the county -- the foundation of the overall-manufacturing town, Pandora, that grew up at the site of John Stout's 1837 plat.
Photographs
Photo: Nyttend, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org
Historic places
1 place in Riley Township, Putnam County on the National Register of Historic Places. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.
-
Bridenbaugh District No. 3 SchoolhouseBuilding · Pandora · listed 2005
- Address
- Jct. of Cty Rd. 6 and Twonship Rd M6
- Where
- Pandora, Putnam County · ZIP 45877
- What it is
- Building
- Listed on the National Register
- 2005
- NRIS reference number
- 05000343
- Coordinates
- 40.97503, -83.97682
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
Groundwater wells (2 wells) The water here
- Pandora Village91% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
- Bluffton Village6% of residentsBlanchard River (via intake reservoir)
- Columbus Grove Village3% of residentsGroundwater wells (3 wells)
- Green Meadow MHP-hancock Co0% of residentsGroundwater wells (1 wells)
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Riley Township, Putnam County's boundary: 2 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Spills reported since 2021 (2)
-
Transmission / Steering Fluid2023-10-25 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2023-10-25
- What spilled
- Transmission / Steering Fluid
- Where
- Riley Twp, Putnam County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2310EPA0001830
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Anhydrous Ammonia (Nh3)2021-01-06 · Riley Twp
- Reported
- 2021-01-06
- What spilled
- Anhydrous Ammonia (Nh3)
- Where
- Riley Twp, NULL County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2206EPA0000845
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 Riley Township, Putnam 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45877 Pandora | 41% | Groundwater wells (2 wells) | 5.2 pCi/L average radon | Median year built 1955 | Pandora-Gilboa Local · 3.5 stars overall | 12% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 45868 Union Township and Mount Cory | 1% | Mostly private wells | 3.5 pCi/L average radon | Parcel list only | Cory-Rawson Local · 3 stars overall | 2.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 45830 Columbus Grove | 1% | Mostly private wells | 4.3 pCi/L average radon | Median year built 1957 | Columbus Grove Local · 4.5 stars overall | 5.7% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 45817 Bluffton | 1% | Blanchard River (via intake reservoir) | 4.6 pCi/L average radon | Appraisal records without year built | Bluffton Exempted Village · 4.5 stars overall | 3.4% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in Riley Township, Putnam County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Money issues on the ballot since 2022: 2 of 2 passed; of those asking for new or higher taxes, 1 of 1.
Ballot issues
| Date | Issue | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-11-07 | Issue: Proposed Tax Levy (Renewal) - Riley Twp | 584 | 263 | Passed (68.95% for) |
| 2022-11-08 | Issue: Riley Township | 408 | 93 | Passed (81.44% for) |
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-11-07 | Township Trustee | Greg Amstutz 526, 65.34%; Daniel H. Karhoff 279, 34.66% |
| 2021-11-02 | Township Trustee | Daniel Karhoff 132, 24.31%; Mark A. Kinsinger 162, 29.83%; Scott Meyer 152, 27.99%; William Schroeder 97, 17.86% |
| 2019-11-05 | Township Trustee (unofficial count) | Greg M. Amstutz 458, 100.0% |
| 2019-11-05 | Township Fiscal Officer (unofficial count) | Marcia L. Schutz 436, 100.0% |
| 2017-11-07 | Township Trustee (unofficial count) | Mark A. Kinsinger 490, 52.92%; William J. Schroeder 436, 47.08% |
| 2015-11-03 | Township Trustee (unofficial count) | Greg Amstutz 482, 58.5%; Jason Lee Kinsinger 342, 41.5% |
Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.
The county
Putnam County: 13 ZIP codes, 31 cities, villages and townships, 35,849 people.
Nearby places
Quick answers
What county is Riley Township, Ohio in?
Riley Township, Putnam County is a township in Putnam County, Ohio, with 1,038 residents.
When was Riley Township, Ohio founded?
Riley Township, Putnam County was settled 1832; incorporated 1834 (organized). Founders on record: Thomas Gray, first settler. Source
How did Riley Township, Ohio get its name?
Named after Riley Creek, which flows through the township. Source
What ZIP code is Riley Township, Ohio?
Most of Riley Township, Putnam County is in ZIP code 45877.
Where does Riley Township, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Riley Township, Putnam County (Pandora Village): Groundwater wells (2 wells).
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Riley Township, Putnam County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/riley-township-putnam-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
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