Local events in Van Buren
Nothing is posted for Van Buren itself yet; here is what is on within 20 miles. All local events in Van Buren
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Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Van Buren began
Van Buren was laid out in 1833 by George Ensminger and John Trout, on land now in Allen Township, and named for Martin Van Buren, then Vice President under Jackson. A post office opened in 1835, and the village incorporated in 1866. Today Van Buren is a small village of about 400 people best known locally for adjoining Van Buren State Park, a 296-acre state park built around a wildlife-preserve dam on Rocky Ford Creek.
Platted 1833, incorporated 1866, by George Ensminger and John Trout.
Where the name comes from
The village was named for Martin Van Buren, who was serving as Vice President of the United States (1833-1837) at the time, before his later presidency.
Before the town
No source found records a site-specific Native American village, mound, trail, or treaty event at Van Buren itself. Hancock County generally lay within the northwestern Ohio territory that remained Wyandot, Shawnee, Delaware/Lenape, Miami, and Ottawa land after the 1795 Treaty of Greenville and was opened to settlement only by later cession treaties. Nothing more specific to this location was found; the county-level file should be checked for anything more detailed.
Timeline
- — George Ensminger and John Trout lay out the village of Van Buren, 58 lots, in what is now Allen Township; the plat is acknowledged December 28.
- — A post office called Van Buren begins operation.
- — Van Buren is formally incorporated as a village.
- — A wildlife preserve with a dam on Rocky Ford Creek is established near Van Buren, the origin of what is now Van Buren State Park.
- — The Ohio State Parks system takes over management of the preserve, formally establishing Van Buren State Park.
Stories
A village named for a Vice President
Van Buren was laid out in 1833 and given the name of Martin Van Buren, then serving as Vice President under Andrew Jackson and four years from the presidency himself. A post office followed in 1835, and the village incorporated in 1866. Its best-known neighbor came much later: a wildlife preserve with a dam on Rocky Ford Creek, established in 1939, passed to the Ohio State Parks system in 1950 as Van Buren State Park.
Photographs
Photo: Mbrickn, CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Local history sources: archive.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · ohiogenealogyexpress.com · en.wikipedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org
Water
No water-system data is linked to Van Buren's ZIP codes yet.
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Van Buren's boundary: 1 fire or EMS station. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Fire and EMS stations (1)
-
Allen Township Volunteer Fire Department Station 1Van Buren
- Address
- 103 South Main Street, Van Buren, OH 45889
- Coordinates
- 41.13840, -83.64896
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.
Its ZIP codes
Each ZIP code that touches Van Buren, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45889 Allen Township and Van Buren | 27% | Mostly private wells | 4.5 pCi/L average radon | Parcel list only | Van Buren Local · 4 stars overall | 4.7% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in Van Buren, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.
Who holds office
| Office | Name | Party | Term ends | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Edward D. May | 419-348-6000 |
Roster as of 2026 edition (Directory of Officials): county board of elections.
Money issues on the ballot since 2020: 5 of 5 passed.
Ballot issues
| Date | Issue | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-05-02 | Issue: 4 Van Buren LSD Tax Levy | 472 | 347 | Passed (57.63% for) |
| 2022-05-03 | Issue: 8 Van Buren Twp Renewal Levy | 158 | 50 | Passed (75.96% for) |
| 2020-11-03 | Issue: 3 Van Buren Village Levy | 145 | 79 | Passed (64.73% for) |
| 2020-11-03 | Issue: 8 Van Buren LSD Tax Levy | 2,237 | 1,797 | Passed (55.45% for) |
| 2020-03-17 | Issue: 6 Van Buren LSD Income Tax | 1,337 | 1,171 | Passed (53.31% for) |
Elections for office
| Date | Office | Candidates and votes |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-11-04 | Council | Ashley Little 46, 30.26%; Natalie L. Walters 53, 34.87%; Don Wills 53, 34.87% |
| 2023-11-07 | Mayor | Edward D. May 151, 100.0% |
| 2023-11-07 | Council | Eric L. Heitkamp 139, 100.0% |
| 2023-11-07 | Clerk-Treasurer | Gregory M. Ayers 143, 100.0% |
| 2021-11-02 | Council | Nicholas D. DeVore 90, 27.61%; Katherine Omlor 67, 20.55%; Natalie Walters 86, 26.38%; Don Wills 83, 25.46% |
| 2019-11-05 | Mayor | Edward D. May 99, 100.0% |
| 2019-11-05 | Council | Eric L. Heitkamp 94, 51.37%; Kelsey Heitkamp 89, 48.63% |
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, 2023 to 2024, released 2025-06-24
The county
Hancock County: 12 ZIP codes, 26 cities, villages and townships, 68,477 people.
Nearby places
Rain and snow
How much has actually fallen on Van Buren, day by day, from 1893 to now. Daily totals, not averages.
- rain, last 30 days
- 1.00 in
- 2026-09-29 to 2026-10-28
- rain so far in 2026
- 30.3 in
- about normal for the date
- snow so far in 2026
- 11.7 in
- a normal year brings 25.8 in
- a normal year
- 36.7 in
- average of 30 years, 1991-2020
| Month | Rain (in) | Snow (in) | Days counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 1.00 | — | 28 |
| September 2026 | 3.10 | — | 30 |
| August 2026 | 4.08 | — | 31 |
| July 2026 | 3.29 | — | 31 |
| June 2026 | 3.15 | — | 30 |
| May 2026 | 3.92 | — | 31 |
| April 2026 | 6.18 | — | 30 |
| March 2026 | 4.06 | 0.2 | 31 |
| February 2026 | 0.41 | 1.9 | 28 |
| January 2026 | 1.14 | 9.6 | 31 |
| December 2025 | 1.84 | 7.5 | 31 |
| November 2025 | 1.29 | 3.0 | 30 |
| Wettest year | 2011 — 51.4 in |
|---|---|
| Driest year | 1934 — 23.2 in |
| Snowiest year | 1910 — 58.7 in |
| Wettest day on record | 1 September 1959 — 4.47 in |
| Heaviest snowfall in a day | 16 November 1932 — 11.31 in |
| Deepest snow on the ground | 6 February 1978 — 19.54 in |
Estimated, not measured. No rain gauge has ever stood inside Van Buren, 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.
48,698 days of records, 1893-02-01 to 2026-10-28. 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 Van Buren, Ohio in?
Van Buren is a village in Hancock County, Ohio, with 396 residents.
When was Van Buren, Ohio founded?
Van Buren was laid out 1833; incorporated 1866. Founders on record: George Ensminger and John Trout. Source
How did Van Buren, Ohio get its name?
The village was named for Martin Van Buren, who was serving as Vice President of the United States (1833-1837) at the time, before his later presidency. Source
What ZIP code is Van Buren, Ohio?
Most of Van Buren is in ZIP code 45889.
Where does Van Buren, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Van Buren: Mostly private wells.
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Van Buren, Hancock County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/van-buren/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
How to cite · Report a correction · Built 2026-10-31
