Local events in Union Township, Lawrence County
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Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Union Township, Lawrence County began
Union Township lies in southeastern Lawrence County along the Ohio River, holding the villages of Proctorville and Chesapeake on its shoreline. In the early Northwest Territory era, when waterways served as the region's roads, the township supported a grist mill and blacksmith shop on Symmes Creek. Like many of the county's fourteen townships it shares its name with dozens of other Union Townships statewide, and its own founding record is thin.
Where the name comes from
No source found says why this township was called Union. The name is used for 27 townships in Ohio. An earlier Union Township, laid out in Scioto County after that county was created in 1803, covered ground later divided between Scioto and Lawrence counties; the 1916 history gives its bounds but no reason for the name.
Before the town
No source found records a Native village, mound, trail, or treaty event specific to Union Township. The township lies within the Ohio River lands ceded at the 1795 Treaty of Greenville; the county's broader Native history -- Shawnee and Mingo presence in the lower Ohio Valley, and the absence of a documented county-specific site -- is covered at the county level.
Nations recorded here: Shawnee.
Timeline
- — During the early Northwest Territory period, when waterways served as the region's highways, a grist mill and blacksmith shop operate on Symmes Creek within the township.
- — After Scioto County is created in 1803, four townships are laid out, one named Union, beginning at the mouth of Carey's Run on the Ohio and running up to the Little Scioto; this early Union Township lay in what is now Scioto County, not Lawrence County.
- — Joel Gillett of Proctorville buys grafted trees from the Putnam nursery at Marietta and finds a seedling among them (Wikipedia gives 1816).
- — Gillett plants the trees about two miles above Proctorville on land then called Quaker Bottom; he throws the seedling to his son Alanson, who plants it, and it grows into the apple first called Gillett's Seedling.
- — Gillett's seedling is renamed the Rome Beauty in honor of Rome Township; the 1916 history credits George Walton with the name.
- — Jacob Proctor establishes a general store by the wharf at what becomes Proctorville, on the township's Ohio River shoreline.
- — Preston Gillett carries the Rome Beauty to the Pacific coast in the California gold rush.
- — The original Rome Beauty tree, which survived on the Ohio River bank, is washed away by a flood.
- — The Rome Beauty from Lawrence County is famous in southern markets, shipped on flatboats down the river as far as New Orleans.
- — Insects and fungus disease ruin Lawrence County's apple crops and many orchards are neglected and die.
- — Union Township grows from 2,936 people in 1890 to 3,087 in 1900 and 3,563 in 1910; the village of Chesapeake is created in this period and Proctorville holds 577 people in 1910.
- — A flood damages low sections of Proctorville, Chesapeake and other towns along the Ohio River.
- — A state report counts orchards in Union Township among 156 across eight Lawrence County townships (with Windsor, Rome, Lawrence, Fayette, Elizabeth, Mason, and Symmes townships), totaling 212,916 apple trees, including the locally originated Rome Beauty and Jonathan varieties, both said to have gotten their names in this county.
- — Lawrence County orchards sell about half a million dollars of fruit; the 1916 county history ranks Union third in orchard planting after Rome and Windsor townships.
- — The township's population is recorded at 8,411 across 32.57 square miles in the decennial census.
Stories
The apple Joel Gillett threw away
In 1816 or 1817 Joel Gillett, a Connecticut man who had lived in New York and at Marietta, bought a lot of grafted fruit trees from the Putnam nursery at Marietta and floated them down the Ohio to plant in the Quaker Bottom, about two miles above Proctorville. While pruning the trees for planting, he found one that was a seedling sprout, either because it had come up below the graft or because the graft had died. He pitched it to his son Alanson, saying, 'There is a Democrat; you can have that.' The boy planted it, and when it bore it had such large, handsome apples that neighbors called them Gillett's Seedling. In 1832 it was renamed Rome Beauty in honor of Rome Township, and grafts spread across the county, then to the Pacific coast with Preston Gillett about 1850, and down the river on flatboats to New Orleans by 1870. The original tree stood on the river bank until a flood took it in 1860.
Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · archive.org · en.wikipedia.org
Historic places
1 place in Union Township, Lawrence County on the National Register of Historic Places. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.
-
MaplewoodBuilding · Chesapeake · listed 1977
- Address
- W of Chesapeake on Maplewood La.
- Where
- Chesapeake, Lawrence County · ZIP 45619
- What it is
- Building
- Listed on the National Register
- 1977
- NRIS reference number
- 77001070
- Coordinates
- 38.42262, -82.47395
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
Ohio River surface water, treated at the Ironton Water Treatment Plant (built 1993, approved capacity 4 million gallons per day, about 1.3 MGD produced). The foot-of-Vernon-Street siting describes the original 1872 waterworks, not the current intake location. The water here
- Hecla Water Association62% of residentsOhio River
- Aqua Ohio - Lawrence County34% of residentsOhio River (with Guyandotte River backup intake)
- South Point Village2% of residentsGroundwater wells (5 wells)
- Proctorville Village1% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Union Township, Lawrence County's boundary: 1 college, 4 public schools, 2 poor-rated bridges, 1 library, 2 Superfund sites and 5 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Colleges (1)
-
Collins Career Technical CenterPublic two-year college · Chesapeake
- What it is
- Public two-year college
- City
- Chesapeake
- Students, 2023-24 (12-month count)
- 631
- Graduation rate
- 60% within three years (a class of 240)
- IPEDS unit ID
- 203614
College Navigator (NCES) ↗ IPEDS data (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: NCES IPEDS 2024 directory, 2023-24 enrollment and tuition, graduation rates for the 2017 (four-year) and 2020 (two-year) entering classes.
Public schools (4)
-
Chesapeake Elementary School5 of 5 stars · Chesapeake
- Address
- 11359 County Road 1, Chesapeake, OH 45619
- School district
- Chesapeake Union Ex Vill School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 492
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 25
- Report card, 2025-26
- 5 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 96%
- Ohio building IRN
- 040303
- NCES school ID
- 390452902165
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Chesapeake High School4.5 of 5 stars · Chesapeake
- Address
- 10181 County Road 1, Chesapeake, OH 45619
- School district
- Chesapeake Union Ex Vill School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 348
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 21.33
- Report card, 2025-26
- 4.5 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 80%
- Four-year graduation rate
- 100%
- Ohio building IRN
- 006098
- NCES school ID
- 390452902163
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Chesapeake Middle School3.5 of 5 stars · Chesapeake
- Address
- 10335 County Road 1, Chesapeake, OH 45619
- School district
- Chesapeake Union Ex Vill School District
- Kind (NCES)
- Regular School
- Students, 2023-24
- 382
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 24
- Report card, 2025-26
- 3.5 of 5 stars
- Performance index
- 77.4%
- Ohio building IRN
- 009373
- NCES school ID
- 390452902164
NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Lawrence CountyChesapeake
- Address
- 11627 State Route 243, Chesapeake, OH 45619
- Kind (NCES)
- Career and Technical School
- Students, 2023-24
- 600
- Teachers (full-time equivalent)
- 89
- NCES school ID
- 390511804072
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.
Bridges rated poor (2)
-
Big Branch Road over Rankins CreekPoor · built 1994
- Condition
- Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
- What it is
- Bridge
- Built
- 1994
- Length
- 12 ft
- Owner
- County
- Vehicles a day
- 1,336
- Coordinates
- 38.47967, -82.48874
National Bridge Inventory (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Senaca Trail Twp over Five Mile CreekPoor · built 1900
- Condition
- Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
- What it is
- Bridge
- Built
- 1900
- Length
- 8 ft
- Owner
- County
- Vehicles a day
- 211
- Coordinates
- 38.48813, -82.38808
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.
Public libraries (1)
-
Chesapeake BranchBranch · Chesapeake
- Address
- 11054 C. R. 1, Chesapeake, OH 45619
- What it is
- Branch
- Library system
- Briggs Lawrence County Public Library
- Open
- 2,366 hours a year, 52 weeks
- Building
- 4,800 sq ft
- System's visits, FY2024
- 81,432
- System's loans, FY2024
- 236,393
- People the system serves
- 58,066
- Phone
- (740) 867-3390
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.
Superfund sites (2)
-
Iron Valley Landfill FireSuperfund program · Chesapeake
- Address
- 21 Township Road 287 N, Chesapeake, OH 45619
- County
- Lawrence County
- Status
- Superfund program site, not on the National Priorities List
- EPA program ID
- OHN000510781
- EPA registry ID
- 110067350431
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Riley DevelopmentSuperfund program · Proctorville
- Address
- 0.10 Miles Sw of Cliff View Ln &, Proctorville, OH 45669
- County
- Lawrence County
- Status
- Superfund program site, not on the National Priorities List
- EPA program ID
- OHN000510540
- EPA registry ID
- 110043240720
EPA facility record ↗ EPA Facility Registry Service (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
Source: EPA Facility Registry Service, Superfund (SEMS) and National Priorities List sites. Many program sites were assessed and needed no cleanup.
Spills reported since 2021 (5)
-
Waste Water2025-07-01 · Union Twp
- Reported
- 2025-07-01
- What spilled
- Waste Water
- Where
- Union Twp, Lawrence County
- Ohio EPA district office
- SEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2507EPA0001100
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Waste Water2025-02-16 · Union Twp
- Reported
- 2025-02-16
- What spilled
- Waste Water
- Where
- Union Twp, Lawrence County
- Ohio EPA district office
- SEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2502EPA0000213
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Waste Water2025-02-16 · Union Twp
- Reported
- 2025-02-16
- What spilled
- Waste Water
- Where
- Union Twp, Lawrence County
- Ohio EPA district office
- SEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2502EPA0000210
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Waste Water2025-02-06 · Union Twp
- Reported
- 2025-02-06
- What spilled
- Waste Water
- Where
- Union Twp, Lawrence County
- Ohio EPA district office
- SEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2502EPA0000157
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2026-01-21 · Union Twp
- Reported
- 2026-01-21
- What spilled
- Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
- Largest amount reported
- 25 gallons
- Where
- Union Twp, Lawrence County
- Ohio EPA district office
- SEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2601EPA0000078
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 Union Township, Lawrence County, with the share of its residents who live here and the same headline figures as the ZIP page.
Local government
Who holds office in Union Township, Lawrence County, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-11-02 | Township Trustee | Jason Forbush 505, 41.8%; Cole Webb 703, 58.2% |
| 2019-11-05 | Township Trustee | Dain Spears 849, 59.87%; Thornton C. Thomas 569, 40.13% |
| 2019-11-05 | Township Fiscal Officer | Shelley Pinkerman 1,254, 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.
- Agreed Upon Procedures, 2024 to 2025, released 2026-05-19
The county
Lawrence County: 9 ZIP codes, 20 cities, villages and townships, 58,180 people.
Nearby places
Quick answers
What county is Union Township, Ohio in?
Union Township, Lawrence County is a township in Lawrence County, Ohio, with 7,159 residents.
What ZIP code is Union Township, Ohio?
Union Township, Lawrence County is served by ZIP codes 45619, 45669 and 45680; 45619 holds the largest share of its residents.
Where does Union Township, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Union Township, Lawrence County (Hecla Water Association): Ohio River surface water, treated at the Ironton Water Treatment Plant (built 1993, approved capacity 4 million gallons per day, about 1.3 MGD produced). The foot-of-Vernon-Street siting describes the original 1872 waterworks, not the current intake location.
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Union Township, Lawrence County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/union-township-lawrence-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
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