Local events in Washington Township, Lawrence County
Nothing is posted for Washington Township itself yet; here is what is on within 10 miles. All local events in Washington Township, Lawrence County
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Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.
How Washington Township, Lawrence County began
Washington Township occupies the far northern tip of Lawrence County, bordering Jackson, Gallia and Scioto counties, with no incorporated town; Firebrick is its one unincorporated community. It was cut from Decatur Township between the 1840 and 1850 censuses. Its landmark is Olive Furnace, a charcoal iron furnace begun in the 1840s on the township's southern edge just above Decatur Township, built by John Campbell, Madison Cole, William Clements and J. L. Thompson under John Peters, and now a National Register site that the Mt. Olive Furnace Park Corporation works to preserve. The township had 1,019 people in 1860, 1,009 in 1910, and 174 in 2020, the smallest population of any township in the county.
Incorporated between 1840 and 1850 (Washington Township was part of Decatur in 1840; organization date not found).
Where the name comes from
No source found records the reason for the name. It is one of forty-three Washington Townships in Ohio, most likely honoring George Washington in the common pattern of the era, but no source ties this township's name to any person.
Before the town
No source found records a Native village, mound, trail, or treaty event specific to Washington Township. The township lies within the Ohio River-country lands ceded at the 1795 Treaty of Greenville; the county's broader Native history is covered at the county level.
Nations recorded here: Shawnee.
Timeline
- — Lawrence County is created by the legislative act of December 20, 1816; the area later called Washington Township is at first part of Decatur Township.
- — Washington Township does not yet exist as a separate unit: Willard's 1916 census table records it as a part of Decatur in 1840.
- — Olive Furnace, a charcoal iron furnace of the Hanging Rock Iron Region, is built north of Pedro on what is now State Route 93.
- — John Campbell, Madison Cole, William Clements and J. L. Thompson build the Olive Furnace, with John Peters superintending its construction and then managing it for about six years.
- — The township is counted separately for the first time, at 646 people, and a post office named Olive Furnace is on the county's list for 1850.
- — The assessor rates Washington's 15,415 acres at $146,619 in land value, the fourth-highest in the county.
- — The census count is 1,019.
- — The census count is 874; it falls to 659 in 1900 and rises to 1,009 in 1910, one of only three Lawrence County townships (with Upper and Union) that gained population in the generation after 1890.
- — The assessor values Washington Township at $602,166 and records eight teachers and 231 pupils in its district.
- — Olive Furnace is added to the National Register of Historic Places, its 6.3-acre site including the surviving stack and arch.
- — The township's population is recorded at 174 across 24.2 square miles in the decennial census, the smallest population of any Lawrence County township.
Stories
Olive Furnace on the township's southern rim
Olive Furnace went up in the 1840s, in the southern rim of Washington Township just above Decatur Township, north of Pedro on what is now State Route 93. John Campbell of Ironton, Madison Cole, William Clements and J. L. Thompson were the owners, and John Peters, who had learned the moulder's trade at Pine Grove Furnace and managed Buckhorn and built the Greenup Furnace in Kentucky, superintended the construction. Peters stayed on as manager for about six years, then moved to Ironton to build the Washington Furnace. Local coal vein No. 4 was mined mainly as a supply for the furnace. Like dozens of stacks across the region, it burned charcoal to smelt ore into pig iron and went cold as the district's iron trade declined. The stack and arch survive on a 6.3-acre site that earned a National Register listing in 2007, and the Mt. Olive Furnace Park Corporation, which owns it, plans to restore the surrounding buildings.
Photographs
Photo: Nyttend, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · archive.org
Historic places
1 place in Washington Township, Lawrence County on the National Register of Historic Places. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.
-
Olive FurnaceStructure · Pedro · listed 2007
- Address
- OH 93 at TR 239 (Olive Branch Rd.)
- Where
- Pedro, Lawrence County · ZIP 45682
- What it is
- Structure
- Listed on the National Register
- 2007
- NRIS reference number
- 07000299
- Coordinates
- 38.76219, -82.63041
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
- Oak Hill, Village Of81% of residentsPurchased: Scioto Co. Regional Water Dist. #1 (Teays Valley Aquifer)
- Jackson Co. Water Company-wtp18% of residentsTeays River Buried Valley Aquifer (own wells)
- Hecla Water Association1% of residentsOhio River
Hospitals, fire stations and more
Inside Washington Township, Lawrence County's boundary: 1 poor-rated bridge, 1 Toxics Release Inventory facility and 2 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.
Bridges rated poor (1)
-
Old State Route 75 over Blackfork StreamPoor · built 1925
- Condition
- Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
- What it is
- Bridge
- Built
- 1925
- Length
- 10 ft
- Owner
- County
- Vehicles a day
- 829
- Coordinates
- 38.83714, -82.59575
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.
Facilities reporting toxic releases (1)
-
Plibrico Co Firebrick Plant *Toxics Release Inventory · Oak Hill
- Address
- 454 County Road 33., Oak Hill, OH 45656
- County
- Lawrence County
- Status
- Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
- EPA program ID
- 45656PLBRCROUTE
- EPA registry ID
- 110007160838
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 (2)
-
Material Undetermined / Other Reached water2022-11-07 · Washington Twp
- Reported
- 2022-11-07
- What spilled
- Material Undetermined / Other
- Reached a waterway
- 99 - Unnamed
- Where
- Washington Twp, Lawrence County
- Ohio EPA district office
- SEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2211EPA0001658
Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗
-
Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S) Reached water2021-08-11 · Washington Twp
- Reported
- 2021-08-11
- What spilled
- Oil Hydraulic Fluid(S)
- Reached a waterway
- 99 - Unnamed
- Where
- Washington Twp, Lawrence County
- Ohio EPA district office
- SEDO
- Ohio EPA case number
- 2108EPA0001228
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 Washington Township, Lawrence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45656 Jefferson Township and Oak Hill | 2% | Mostly private wells | 1.4 pCi/L average radon | Median year built 1972 | Oak Hill Union Local · 2.5 stars overall | 1.4% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
| 45682 Bloom Township and South Webster | 2% | Mostly private wells | Too few radon tests | Median year built 1962 | Bloom-Vernon Local · 4.5 stars overall | 4.3% of residents in the 1% floodplain |
Local government
Who holds office in Washington 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-11-07 | Township Fiscal Officer | Jona Bates 117, 59.69%; Alisha Adkins 79, 40.31% |
| 2017-11-07 | Township Trustee (number of seats not on file, so winners are not marked) | Davey Adkins 78, 26.0%; Jeff Bates 105, 35.0%; Tom Jolly 75, 25.0%; Arron Waugh 42, 14.0% |
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.
- Basic Audit, 2023 to 2024, released 2025-04-15
The county
Jackson County: 4 ZIP codes, 16 cities, villages and townships, 31,291 people.
Nearby places
Quick answers
What county is Washington Township, Ohio in?
Washington Township, Lawrence County is a township in Jackson County, Ohio, with 174 residents.
When was Washington Township, Ohio founded?
Washington Township, Lawrence County was incorporated between 1840 and 1850 (Washington Township was part of Decatur in 1840; organization date not found). Source
What ZIP code is Washington Township, Ohio?
Most of Washington Township, Lawrence County is in ZIP code 45656.
Where does Washington Township, Ohio get its water?
The main water source for Washington Township, Lawrence County (Oak Hill, Village Of): Mostly private wells.
Cite this page
Cite this page as:
Cracked Buckeye, "Washington Township, Lawrence County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/washington-township-lawrence-county/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].
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