Local events in Stryker
74 events in the next 90 days from 1 public calendar. All local events in Stryker
Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Stryker began
Stryker was surveyed on September 19, 1853 by John H. Sargent, Epaphras L. Barber and Jesse McCart alongside the proposed Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad, and platted with 97 lots recorded in Bryan on January 15, 1854. It was named for John Stryker, a Rome, New York lawyer and politician who gave up both trades in 1847 to invest in railroad ventures, following the era's common practice of buying land at ten-mile intervals along a proposed line. The railroad reached the village in 1857 and turned it into a genuine industrial center -- a tannery, sawmill, tile factory, gristmill and eventually the Ferro Corporation -- and it incorporated in 1863. Stryker's Civil War generation produced a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, Private William Knight, for his part in the 1862 Andrews' Raid (the Great Locomotive Chase).
Settled 1853, platted 1854-01-15, incorporated 1863-06-02, by John H. Sargent, Epaphras L. Barber, Jesse McCart (surveyors).
Where the name comes from
Named for John Stryker, a Rome, New York lawyer and politician who left law and politics in 1847 to concentrate on railroad enterprises; railroad developers of the period commonly bought land at ten-mile intervals along a proposed route and named the resulting town for an investor.
Before the town
No Native American village, trail or treaty site specific to Stryker itself is recorded in the sources we checked. The 1817 Treaty of the Maumee Rapids had carried Indian title to this part of northwestern Ohio to the United States more than three decades before the village was surveyed in 1853.
Timeline
- — Stryker is surveyed by John H. Sargent, Epaphras L. Barber and Jesse McCart alongside the proposed Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad.
- — The plat of Stryker, with 97 lots and streets named Defiance, South, Church and Depot, is officially recorded in Bryan.
- — A post office opens at Stryker.
- — Rail service begins on the line from Toledo to Elkhart, Indiana, with 17 stops including Stryker, spurring the village's rapid growth.
- — Stryker native Private William Knight takes part in Andrews' Raid (the Great Locomotive Chase) in Georgia; he is later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
- — Stryker incorporates as a village after a resident petition; the first municipal elections are held August 24, 1863.
- — A series of major fires strikes the village over roughly two decades.
- — The Toledo and Indiana Railway, an electric interurban, serves Stryker from 1901 and extends to Bryan by 1905; a 1905 power plant near the Tiffin River built for the line helps electrify a large part of northwest Ohio.
- — The jet-powered rail car M-497 'Black Beetle' sets an American rail speed record of 183.68 mph on the line between Stryker and Bryan, a record that still stands for U.S. conventional rail.
- — The Stryker Depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Stories
The Ten-Mile Town Whose Namesake Never Lived There
Stryker exists because of a nineteenth-century real-estate habit: railroad promoters buying up land roughly every ten miles along a proposed line, then naming the resulting town for whichever investor's money mattered most. In Stryker's case that was John Stryker, a Rome, New York lawyer and politician who had walked away from both professions in 1847 to chase railroad ventures instead. Surveyors John H. Sargent, Epaphras L. Barber and Jesse McCart laid out the village beside the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad's proposed route in September 1853, and the plat -- 97 lots on streets named Defiance, South, Church and Depot -- was recorded in Bryan the following January. When the railroad itself arrived in 1857, running from Toledo to Elkhart with Stryker as one of seventeen stops, the town's fate as a rail town was sealed, and its municipal government followed within six years.
A Medal of Honor for the Great Locomotive Chase
In April 1862, a group of Union soldiers and civilian volunteers slipped behind Confederate lines in Georgia to steal a locomotive named the General and wreck the rail line supplying Confederate troops in Chattanooga -- the raid later remembered as the Great Locomotive Chase. Stryker native Private William Knight was one of the raiders. The mission itself failed when the stolen train ran out of fuel and the raiders were captured, and several, including the raid's civilian leader James J. Andrews, were executed as spies. Knight survived, and Congress later recognized his part in the raid with the Medal of Honor, among the first ever awarded for the decoration created earlier that same war.
Photographs
Photo: Nyttend, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Local history sources: villageofstryker.com · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org
Historic places
1 place in Stryker on the National Register of Historic Places. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.
-
Stryker DepotBuilding · Stryker · listed 1989
- Address
- N. Depot St.
- Where
- Stryker, Williams County · ZIP 43557
- What it is
- Building
- Listed on the National Register
- 1989
- NRIS reference number
- 89001014
- Coordinates
- 41.50281, -84.41683
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
- Stryker Village68% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
- Brunersburg Wd - Evansport32% of residentsTiffin River (plus Brush Creek), stored in two reservoirs
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Stryker's boundary: 1 fire or EMS station, 1 power plant, 2 public schools, 1 library, 1 police station, 3 Toxics Release Inventory facilities and 1 spill case. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Fire and EMS stations (1)
-
Springfield Township Stryker Fire DepartmentStryker
- Address
- 200 South Depot Street, Stryker, OH 43557
- Coordinates
- 41.50235, -84.41684
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.
Power plants (1)
-
StrykerPetroleum · 17 MW
- Capacity
- 17 MW
- Main source
- Petroleum
- Technology
- Petroleum Liquids
- Operator
- Richland-Stryker Generation LLC
- Sector
- IPP Non-CHP
- Where
- Stryker, Williams County
- Generating units
- 1
- Built
- 1968
- EIA plant code
- 2881
EIA plant page ↗ EIA-860 (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: EIA-860 power plant inventory via HIFLD (February 2025), with plant codes, units and years from EIA-860 2025.
Public schools (2)
-
Stryker Elementary School4 of 5 stars · Stryker
- Address
- 400 S Defiance St, Stryker, OH 43557
- School district
- Stryker Local School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 246
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 19
- Report card, 2025-26
- 4 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 82.6%
- Ohio building IRN
- 036319
- NCES school ID
- 390506504018
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Stryker High School3 of 5 stars · Stryker
- Address
- 400 S Defiance St, Stryker, OH 43557
- School district
- Stryker Local School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 162
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 14
- Report card, 2025-26
- 3 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 75.3%
- Four-year graduation rate
- 95.5%
- Ohio building IRN
- 036327
- NCES school ID
- 390506504019
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.
Public libraries (1)
-
Stryker Branch LibraryBranch · Stryker
- Address
- 304 S Defiance, Stryker, OH 43557
- What it is
- Branch
- Library system
- Williams Co Public Library
- Open
- 2,392 hours a year, 52 weeks
- Building
- 2,200 sq ft
- System's visits, FY2024
- 130,000
- System's loans, FY2024
- 314,693
- People the system serves
- 31,533
- Phone
- (833) 633-7323
IMLS Public Libraries Survey (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: IMLS Public Libraries Survey FY2024 (outlets and their systems). Any Ohio resident can get a free card at any Ohio public library.
Police stations (1)
-
Stryker Police DepartmentStryker
- Address
- 200 North Defiance Street, Stryker, OH 43557
- Coordinates
- 41.50509, -84.41406
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.
Facilities reporting toxic releases (3)
-
A Schulman IncToxics Release Inventory · Stryker
- Address
- 103 Railroad Ave, Stryker, OH 43557
- County
- Williams County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
- EPA program ID
- 43557FRRCR3RAIL
- EPA registry ID
- 110000383834
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Sauder Manufacturing Co Stryker PlantToxics Release Inventory · Stryker
- Address
- 201 Horton Street, Stryker, OH 43557
- County
- Williams County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
- EPA program ID
- 43557SDRDS200HO
- EPA registry ID
- 110000383843
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Strydel IncToxics Release Inventory · Stryker
- Address
- 201 Ellis St, Stryker, OH 43557
- County
- Williams County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
- EPA program ID
- 43557STRYD21ELL
- EPA registry ID
- 110004611625
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 (1)
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2022-09-28 · Stryker
- Reported
- 2022-09-28
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 50 gallons
- Where
- Stryker, Williams County
- Ohio EPA district office
- NWDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2209EPA0001480
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 Stryker, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43557 Springfield Township and Stryker | 40% | Groundwater wells (2 wells) | 4.9 pCi/L average radon | Median year built 1956 | Stryker Local · 3.5 stars overall | No digital FEMA flood map for this county |
Local government
Who holds office in Stryker, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Who holds office
| Office | Name | Party | Term ends | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiscal Officer | Beth Rediger | |||
| Member of Council | Shawna Leupp | 2029-12-31 | 203 Tyler Ln | |
| Member of Council | Rebecca Miller | 2029-12-31 | 105 Road St. | |
| Member of Council | Victoria Cameron | 2029-12-31 | 106 W Allison St. | |
| Member of Council | Mikolaj Wlasiuk | 2029-12-31 | 400 S West St, Pob 219 | |
| Member of Council | Kenneth Williams | 2027-12-31 | 416 N. Defiance St. | |
| Member of Council | Sean Ingram | 2027-12-31 | 422 N Defiance St | |
| Mayor | Joey Beck | 2027-12-31 | 103 Johnson Ave. |
Roster as of 2026-07-06: county board of elections.
Auditor of State record
- No fiscal caution, watch or emergency on the Auditor of State's lists.
- Financial Audit, 2023 to 2024, released 2025-09-30
The county
Williams County: 10 ZIP codes, 22 cities, villages and townships, 38,264 people.
Nearby places
Rain and snow
How much has actually fallen on Stryker, day by day, from 1893 to now. Daily totals, not averages.
- rain, last 30 days
- 2.37 in
- 2026-09-30 to 2026-10-29
- rain so far in 2026
- 34.9 in
- 3.7 in above normal for the date
- snow so far in 2026
- 16.8 in
- a normal year brings 29.6 in
- a normal year
- 36.5 in
- average of 30 years, 1991-2020
| Month | Rain (in) | Snow (in) | Days counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 2.36 | — | 29 |
| September 2026 | 4.07 | — | 30 |
| August 2026 | 5.97 | — | 31 |
| July 2026 | 2.72 | — | 31 |
| June 2026 | 3.00 | — | 30 |
| May 2026 | 1.76 | — | 31 |
| April 2026 | 8.41 | — | 30 |
| March 2026 | 4.69 | 0.1 | 31 |
| February 2026 | 0.68 | 4.2 | 28 |
| January 2026 | 1.20 | 12.5 | 31 |
| December 2025 | 1.74 | 6.6 | 31 |
| November 2025 | 1.95 | 7.6 | 30 |
| Wettest year | 2011 — 51.6 in |
|---|---|
| Driest year | 1963 — 23.4 in |
| Snowiest year | 2003 — 79.5 in |
| Wettest day on record | 25 August 1998 — 6.22 in |
| Heaviest snowfall in a day | 20 December 1973 — 10.94 in |
| Deepest snow on the ground | 9 February 1982 — 23.25 in |
Estimated, not measured. No rain gauge has ever stood inside Stryker, 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.
48,879 days of records, 1893-01-01 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.
Environmental permits and filings
What Ohio EPA has on file for Stryker: permits, inspections, violations, cleanups and the state loans behind sewer and water work. Every line links to the agency's own document.
- facilities and sites on file
- 5
- those placed on the map inside Stryker
| Program | Facilities and sites |
|---|---|
| Air pollution | 2 |
| Hazardous waste | 2 |
| Cessation Of Regulated Operations | 1 |
Source: Ohio EPA eDocument portal (edocpub.epa.ohio.gov), indexed 2026-10-14. Facilities are placed on the map from Ohio EPA's own map layers, EPA's Facility Registry, coordinates written in the filings, or a geocoded street address. A permit filed under a private person's name (most are household septic systems) is counted but never named, placed or linked; licenses for individual workers and open-burning notices are left out entirely.
Quick answers
What county is Stryker, Ohio in?
Stryker is a village in Williams County, Ohio, with 1,259 residents.
When was Stryker, Ohio founded?
Stryker was settled 1853; laid out 1854-01-15; incorporated 1863-06-02. Founders on record: John H. Sargent, Epaphras L. Barber, Jesse McCart (surveyors). Source
How did Stryker, Ohio get its name?
Named for John Stryker, a Rome, New York lawyer and politician who left law and politics in 1847 to concentrate on railroad enterprises; railroad developers of the period commonly bought land at ten-mile intervals along a proposed route and named the resulting town for an investor. Source
What ZIP code is Stryker, Ohio?
Most of Stryker is in ZIP code 43557.
Where does Stryker, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Stryker (Stryker Village): Groundwater wells (2 wells).
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Stryker, Williams County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/stryker/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-10-31
