Local events in Stafford
Nothing is posted for Stafford itself yet; here is what is on within 20 miles. All local events in Stafford
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Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Stafford began
Stafford was laid out around 1834-35 by John Jobes in Franklin Township under the name Bethel (Wikipedia gives John Jones and 1838) and was later renamed Stafford, traditionally credited to William Steel, a Scottish-born abolitionist. Wikipedia says Stafford was known as a 'free black' settlement, that the most frequented Underground Railroad route ran from Marietta through Stafford to Summerfield and on to Ontario, and that Steel is credited with establishing an integrated educational system there. His son, William Gladstone Steel, was born in Stafford in 1854 and became the driving advocate for Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. Stafford's population peaked at 197 in 1860 and was 71 in the 2020 census. David Kirby, an AIDS activist from the village, was the subject of a Life magazine feature in the 1990s.
Platted c. 1834-1835, as Bethel, by John Jobes.
Where the name comes from
The village was platted as Bethel, by John Jobes according to the county history and by John Jones in 1838 according to Wikipedia. William Steel, a Scottish-born abolitionist, is traditionally credited with renaming it Stafford.
Before the town
No source names a Native American village, camp or mound specific to Stafford. The surrounding Franklin Township hill country lay within the broader hunting and travel range of the Wyandot, Shawnee, Lenape (Delaware) and Mingo peoples before the Treaty of Greenville (1795), but no source ties a named site to the village.
Nations recorded here: Wyandot, Shawnee, Lenape (Delaware), Mingo (Seneca-Cayuga).
Timeline
- — Martin and Frederick Crow made the first settlements in Franklin Township on the Clear Fork, about 1805 or 1806.
- — Franklin Township, in which Stafford lies, was organized.
- — A Methodist church organization existed in the township as early as 1829; the Swasey Methodist Episcopal society formed about 1835 and built a frame church in 1855.
- — John Jobes laid out the village under the name Bethel, in the southwest quarter of section 8, Franklin Township; Wikipedia gives John Jones and 1838.
- — William Gladstone Steel, later the champion of Crater Lake National Park, was born in Stafford to Scottish-born abolitionist parents.
- — Stafford's population reached its recorded peak of 197.
- — Stafford's population was reported at 172 (the transcription prints the year as 1889, but the figure matches the 1880 census), with a separate school district of one school and 161 pupils.
- — The school census for Stafford was 103; the town had Christian and Methodist Episcopal churches and lay ten miles southwest of Woodsfield.
- — The census counted 174 residents, the highest since 1860.
- — The census counted 120 residents, up from 113 in 1960.
- — The life and death of Stafford native David Kirby, an AIDS activist, are featured in Life magazine.
- — The census recorded Stafford's population at 71, a 64 percent decline from its 1860 peak.
Stories
From Bethel to Stafford: an abolitionist's village
William Steel, a Scottish-born abolitionist, is traditionally credited with renaming John Jobes's platted village of Bethel as Stafford. Wikipedia says Stafford was known as a 'free black' settlement, home to both African American and white residents, and that the most frequented Underground Railroad route ran from Marietta, Ohio, through Stafford to Summerfield, Ohio, with lines continuing into Ontario, Canada. Steel is credited with establishing an educational system that was integrated. His son, William Gladstone Steel, later became the driving advocate behind the creation of Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.
David Kirby and Life magazine
David Kirby, an AIDS activist from Stafford, was the subject of a feature in Life magazine in the 1990s about his life and death.
Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · monroe.ohgenweb.org · monroecounty.lib.oh.us · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org
Water
No water-system data is linked to Stafford's ZIP codes yet.
Its ZIP codes
Each ZIP code that touches Stafford, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43786 Stafford | 100% | Mostly private wells | Too few radon tests | Median year built 1900 | Switzerland of Ohio Local · 3 stars overall | 0.0% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 43754 Summit Township and Lewisville | 1% | Mostly private wells | Too few radon tests | Median year built 1950 | Switzerland of Ohio Local · 3 stars overall | 2.7% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in Stafford, 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.
- Basic Audit, 2023 to 2024, released 2026-01-13
The county
Monroe County: 10 ZIP codes, 27 cities, villages and townships, 13,100 people.
Nearby places
Rain and snow
How much has actually fallen on Stafford, day by day, from 1889 to now. Daily totals, not averages.
- rain, last 30 days
- 2.74 in
- 2026-09-30 to 2026-10-29
- rain so far in 2026
- 47.4 in
- 7.8 in above normal for the date
- snow so far in 2026
- 19.4 in
- a normal year brings 22.6 in
- a normal year
- 46.6 in
- average of 30 years, 1991-2020
| Month | Rain (in) | Snow (in) | Days counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 2.74 | — | 29 |
| September 2026 | 6.12 | — | 30 |
| August 2026 | 8.68 | — | 31 |
| July 2026 | 5.17 | — | 31 |
| June 2026 | 4.84 | — | 30 |
| May 2026 | 6.69 | — | 31 |
| April 2026 | 3.35 | — | 30 |
| March 2026 | 6.52 | 4.0 | 31 |
| February 2026 | 1.05 | 3.7 | 28 |
| January 2026 | 2.27 | 11.6 | 31 |
| December 2025 | 2.25 | 8.2 | 31 |
| November 2025 | 2.44 | 0.4 | 30 |
| Wettest year | 2018 — 64.3 in |
|---|---|
| Driest year | 1930 — 24.5 in |
| Snowiest year | 1910 — 61.4 in |
| Wettest day on record | 18 September 2004 — 4.31 in |
| Heaviest snowfall in a day | 17 December 1890 — 17.01 in |
| Deepest snow on the ground | 27 November 1950 — 20.16 in |
Estimated, not measured. No rain gauge has ever stood inside Stafford, 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.
49,946 days of records, 1889-09-01 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 Stafford, Ohio in?
Stafford is a village in Monroe County, Ohio, with 71 residents.
When was Stafford, Ohio founded?
Stafford was laid out c. 1834-1835, as Bethel. Founders on record: John Jobes. Source
How did Stafford, Ohio get its name?
The village was platted as Bethel, by John Jobes according to the county history and by John Jones in 1838 according to Wikipedia. Source
What ZIP code is Stafford, Ohio?
Most of Stafford is in ZIP code 43786.
Where does Stafford, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Stafford: Mostly private wells.
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Stafford, Monroe County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/stafford/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-10-31
