Local events in Russell Township, Geauga County
3 events in the next 90 days from 1 public calendar. All local events in Russell Township, Geauga County
Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Russell Township, Geauga County began
Russell Township takes its name from Gideon Russell, who settled his family on what is now Chillicothe Road in 1818; neighbors initially called the area 'the West Woods' before residents formally organized and named the township Russell in April 1827, electing Russell himself as one of its first three trustees. The unincorporated village of Novelty, named for its post office, grew up within the township. In the twentieth century Russell became home to the headquarters of ASM International (the American Society for Metals) and its landmark geodesic dome, and the 2020 census counted 5,404 residents.
Settled 1817 or 1818 (the 1879 county history dates William Russell to 1817; Wikipedia dates Gideon Russell and family to 1818, on present Chillicothe Road) -- sources disagree on the settling Russell's first name, incorporated April 1827 (township formally organized and named), by Gideon Russell and family, first settlers; John Lowry, Clark Robinson, and Gideon Russell elected the first township trustees in April 1827.
Where the name comes from
The township is named for its first settling family. The 1879 county history says it took its name 'against the wishes of the people' from the first family who settled in it, the Russells, whom it identifies as Ebenezer Russell and his children, with William Russell taking up 225 acres in 1818; Wikipedia says Gideon Russell and his family settled on Chillicothe Road in 1818 and that Gideon was one of the first three trustees elected in April 1827. Before organization neighbors called the area 'the West Woods.' The sources disagree on the given name of the settling Russell.
Before the town
No Native American village, trail, or site specific to Russell Township is recorded.
Timeline
- — The Old Chillicothe road, which runs through the center of Russell from Painesville to the old territorial capital, is established, run out by General Edward Paine as principal commissioner (the same history dates it 1801 in the Chester chapter).
- — Townships seven and eight of the ninth range are detached from Burton as Chester; Russell is part of Chester until 1827.
- — William Russell is recorded as Russell Township's first settler in the 1879 county history's settlement list.
- — Gideon Russell and his family settle on what is now Chillicothe Road, in an area neighbors call 'the West Woods.'
- — William Russell takes up 225 acres a mile south of the center on the Chillicothe road, builds a house, and his father Ebenezer and family move in; the Russells, the first known white inhabitants, soon have a trail to the Newbury settlement.
- — Orson Norton, son of Simeon and Sally Norton, is born, said by historian Samuel Robinson to be the first child of white blood born in the township; John C. Bell of Chester, Massachusetts, arrives with a wife and seven children in 1820.
- — The beech forest in the eastern part of the township is a nesting ground of passenger pigeons, millions of them with two or three hundred nests in a single tree; the squabs, too heavy to fly, are sought by sportsmen and gourmands from the surrounding country.
- — In April, residents formally elect John Lowry, Clark Robinson, and Gideon Russell as the township's first trustees and adopt the name Russell; Clark Robinson builds the township's first framed building and opens its first store.
- — By order of the county commissioners township seven is set off from Chester and becomes Russell Township, the latest occupied and last organized township in Geauga County.
- — After the settlement of Chagrin Falls, six lots from the southwest corner of Russell are set off by the legislature to help form Chagrin Falls Township in Cuyahoga County, and about 900 acres of the northeast of Orange are given to Russell in return; Geauga residents, indignant, win repeal of the exchange by refusing the slice of Orange.
- — ASM International (the American Society for Metals) builds its headquarters and a 103-foot, 274-foot-diameter open-air geodesic dome on Kinsman Road, dedicated in September 1959.
- — The ASM Headquarters and Geodesic Dome is listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 22.
- — U.S. Census records 5,404 residents in Russell Township.
Stories
The world's largest open-air geodesic dome, minus Buckminster Fuller
In March 1958, ASM International -- then known as the American Society for Metals -- broke ground on a new headquarters in Russell Township, capped by what would become the world's largest open-air geodesic dome: 103 feet tall, 274 feet across, weighing 80 tons and built from about 65,000 parts including 13 miles of extruded aluminum tubing, resting on five concrete-filled pylons driven as deep as 77 feet underground. R. Buckminster Fuller, who held the geodesic dome patent and had co-founded the design firm Synergetics, Inc., was invited as guest speaker at the spring 1958 groundbreaking dinner in Cleveland -- but by then he had already sold off his interest in Synergetics, and the dome itself was actually designed by Synergetics owner Thomas C. Howard and the project's lead architect, John Terrence Kelly, a native of Elyria, Ohio. According to a 2010 essay by ASM managing director Stan Theobald, Fuller used his dinner speech to deliver 'a marathon, rambling dissertation' arguing that the future's great advances would be invisible. The dome was dedicated in September 1959 and the property was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 22, 2009.
Squabs in the beech woods
As early as 1826 the eastern part of Russell Township, covered with beech forest, was a nesting ground of the passenger pigeon. Millions gathered there, building flimsy nests of a few twigs on the horizontal beech limbs, sometimes two or three hundred on one tree, with one or two young in each. The young birds, the 1879 county history says, grew so fat under the care of their parents that they could not fly before they were overgrown, and even after leaving the nest were found unable to rise from the weight of their crops. Sportsmen and gourmands came from the surrounding country for these squabs. Russell was the last township in the county to be peopled, held back by the high prices the proprietors asked and a poor opinion of its soil and timber, and it was known to Newbury people as 'the West Woods.'
The slice of Orange nobody wanted
In 1840-41, after the village of Chagrin Falls grew up across the Cuyahoga County line, the legislature, with Dr. Vincent of Chagrin Falls representing Cuyahoga and Seabury Ford representing Geauga, set off six lots from the southwest corner of Russell to help form a new Chagrin Falls Township in Cuyahoga County. As compensation about 900 acres from the northeast part of Orange, east of the Chagrin, a broken clayey region, were given to Russell. The act was passed without the knowledge of the people of Geauga, who were already indignant at the dismemberment of their county by the formation of Lake County, and they made a vigorous effort for a repeal at the next session. Failing, they refused to accept the slice of Orange, and the part of the law that gave it was rescinded.
Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · en.wikipedia.org
Historic places
1 place in Russell Township, Geauga County on the National Register of Historic Places. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.
-
Tambling, Lucius T., HouseBuilding · Novelty · listed 1984
- Address
- 14025 Chillicothe Rd.
- Where
- Novelty, Geauga County · ZIP 44072
- What it is
- Building
- Listed on the National Register
- 1984
- NRIS reference number
- 84003695
- Coordinates
- 41.48567, -81.33930
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
- Cleveland Public Water System61% of residentsLake Erie
- Chagrin Falls Village33% of residentsLake Erie
- Paw Paw Lake6% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Russell Township, Geauga County's boundary: 1 fire or EMS station, 1 public school, 1 private school, 2 poor-rated bridges, 1 museum, 1 police station and 13 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Fire and EMS stations (1)
-
Russell Township Fire DepartmentNovelty
- Address
- 14810 Chillicothe Road, Novelty, OH 44072
- Coordinates
- 41.46518, -81.34092
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.
Public schools (1)
-
Westwood Elementary School5 of 5 stars · Novelty
- Address
- 13738 Caves Rd, Novelty, OH 44072
- School district
- West Geauga Local School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 420
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 20.6
- Report card, 2025-26
- 5 of 5 stars
- Ohio building IRN
- 040857
- NCES school ID
- 390472202810
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.
Private schools (1)
-
Laurel School Butler CampusPrivate, nonsectarian · Novelty
- Address
- 7420 Fairmount Rd, Novelty, OH 44072
- Kind
- nonsectarian
- Students, 2023-24
- 87
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 15.9
- Students per teacher
- 5.4717
- Phone
- (216) 455-3056
- NCES private school ID
- A2102986
Source: NCES Private School Survey 2023-24.
Bridges rated poor (2)
-
SR 87 over Silver Crk 0.45 Mi E 306Poor · built 1950
- Condition
- Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
- What it is
- Bridge
- Built
- 1950
- Length
- 32 ft
- Owner
- State
- Vehicles a day
- 7,283
- Coordinates
- 41.46269, -81.33119
National Bridge Inventory (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Westwoods Park Rd over Tributary To Silver CreePoor · built 1999
- Condition
- Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
- What it is
- Bridge
- Built
- 1999
- Length
- 10 ft
- Owner
- Other
- Vehicles a day
- 200
- Coordinates
- 41.45862, -81.30358
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)
-
Historical Society Of Russell TownshipHistorical society · Novelty
- What it is
- Historical society
- City
- Novelty
- Coordinates
- 41.46371, -81.30170
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.
Police stations (1)
-
Russell Police DepartmentNovelty
- Address
- 14820 Chillicothe Road, Novelty, OH 44072
- Coordinates
- 41.46464, -81.34084
USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: USGS National Map structures, police stations, corrected and completed by hand (September 2026). The department that answers a call is set by jurisdiction, not by distance.
Spills reported since 2021 (13)
-
Oil Transformer Non Pcb2025-01-07 · Russell Twp
- Reported
- 2025-01-07
- What spilled
- Oil Transformer Non Pcb
- Where
- Russell Twp, Geauga County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2501EPA0000022
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Oil/ Home Heating / Heating Oil2024-12-16 · Russell Twp
- Reported
- 2024-12-16
- What spilled
- Fuel Oil/ Home Heating / Heating Oil
- Largest amount reported
- 190 gallons
- Where
- Russell Twp, Geauga County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2412EPA0002021
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)2024-09-10 · Russell Twp
- Reported
- 2024-09-10
- What spilled
- Fuel Gasoline ( 25% Ethanol Not E85)
- Largest amount reported
- 9 gallons
- Where
- Russell Twp, Geauga County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2409EPA0001557
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle2024-08-02 · Russell Twp
- Reported
- 2024-08-02
- What spilled
- Oil Motor / Lube Oil / Vehicle
- Where
- Russell Twp, Geauga County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2408EPA0001331
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Transformer Non Pcb2024-03-15 · Russell Twp
- Reported
- 2024-03-15
- What spilled
- Oil Transformer Non Pcb
- Largest amount reported
- 30 gallons
- Where
- Russell Twp, Geauga County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2403EPA0000413
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Material White Reached water2024-03-04 · Russell Twp
- Reported
- 2024-03-04
- What spilled
- Material White
- Reached a waterway
- 28 - Chagrin River
- Where
- Russell Twp, Geauga County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2403EPA0000335
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2024-01-02 · Russell Twp
- Reported
- 2024-01-02
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road); Contaminated Water
- Largest amount reported
- 1 gallons
- Where
- Russell Twp, Geauga County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2401EPA0000003
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2023-08-15 · Russell Twp
- Reported
- 2023-08-15
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 100 gallons
- Where
- Russell Twp, Geauga County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2308EPA0001410
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Herbicide(S) Nos (Not Specified)2022-11-11 · Russell Twp
- Reported
- 2022-11-11
- What spilled
- Herbicide(S) Nos (Not Specified); Material Unknown
- Largest amount reported
- 30 gallons
- Where
- Russell Twp, Geauga County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2211EPA0001689
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Material Blue2022-07-18 · Russell Twp
- Reported
- 2022-07-18
- What spilled
- Material Blue
- Where
- Russell Twp, Geauga County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2207EPA0001088
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Sheen Rainbow / Hydrocarbon Reached water2022-03-23 · Russell Twp
- Reported
- 2022-03-23
- What spilled
- Sheen Rainbow / Hydrocarbon
- Reached a waterway
- 28 - Chagrin River
- Where
- Russell Twp, Geauga County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2203EPA0000398
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Oil/ Home Heating / Heating Oil2021-02-24 · Russell Twp
- Reported
- 2021-02-24
- What spilled
- Fuel Oil/ Home Heating / Heating Oil
- Where
- Russell Twp, Geauga County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2102EPA0000241
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Transformer Non Pcb2026-04-01 · Russell Twp
- Reported
- 2026-04-01
- What spilled
- Oil Transformer Non Pcb
- Largest amount reported
- 20 gallons
- Where
- Russell Twp, Geauga County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2604EPA0000547
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 Russell Township, Geauga 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44072 Russell Township and Novelty | 90% | Mostly private wells | 2.6 pCi/L average radon | Median year built 1968 | West Geauga Local · 5 stars overall | 0.2% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 44022 Chagrin Falls | 8% | The Five Mile Crib, a small structure about 5 miles out in Lake Erie north of Cleveland's Edgewater Park | 2.6 pCi/L average radon | Median year built 1966 | Chagrin Falls Exempted Village · 5 stars overall | 0.8% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in Russell Township, Geauga County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-19 | Member of County Central Committee (DEM primary) | Gayle Martin (DEM) 36, 100.0% |
| 2024-03-19 | Member of County Central Committee (DEM primary) | James Dickinson (DEM) 57, 100.0% |
| 2024-03-19 | Member of County Central Committee (DEM primary) | Matthew F. Carter (DEM) 68, 100.0% |
| 2024-03-19 | Member of County Central Committee (DEM primary) | Rachel Hazelwood (DEM) 29, 50.0%; Jim Mueller (DEM) 29, 50.0% |
| 2024-03-19 | Member of County Central Committee (DEM primary) | Ben Kotowski (DEM) 53, 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.
- Financial Audit, 2024 to 2025, released 2026-06-23
The county
Geauga County: 11 ZIP codes, 20 cities, villages and townships, 89,999 people.
Nearby places
Quick answers
What county is Russell Township, Ohio in?
Russell Township, Geauga County is a township in Geauga County, Ohio, with 5,404 residents.
When was Russell Township, Ohio founded?
Russell Township, Geauga County was settled 1817 or 1818 (the 1879 county history dates William Russell to 1817; Wikipedia dates Gideon Russell and family to 1818, on present Chillicothe Road) -- sources disagree on the settling Russell's first name; incorporated April 1827 (township formally organized and named). Founders on record: Gideon Russell and family, first settlers; John Lowry, Clark Robinson, and Gideon Russell elected the first township trustees in April 1827. Source
How did Russell Township, Ohio get its name?
The township is named for its first settling family. Source
What ZIP code is Russell Township, Ohio?
Russell Township, Geauga County is served by ZIP codes 44072 and 44022; 44072 holds the largest share of its residents.
Where does Russell Township, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Russell Township, Geauga County (Cleveland Public Water System): Mostly private wells.
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Russell Township, Geauga County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/russell-township-geauga-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
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