Logan County Historical Society And Museum

History

The state officially formed the boundaries of Logan County in 1817 and named it after General Benjamin Logan. Many of the towns founded by these early settlers were on or near the sites of the old Indian villages because of their ideal location to water and good farm land. Some of these towns included Bellefontaine on the site of Blue Jacket's Town, West Liberty near where Moluntha's Town stood, Zanesfield at Zane's Town, and Lewistown at the same place as the village of the Shawnee chief Captain Lewis. Americans first settled the southern, southeastern and central regions of Logan County.

The villages of West Liberty, Zanesfield and Bellefontaine were officially laid out around 1820. The rest of the county followed soon after, except in the northwest corner. This area remained part of the Lewistown Reservation until 1832. Very few Americans moved there after the Indians left because the land was too swampy to farm or build homes. Settlement in this area did not begin in earnest until after the reservoir was built and much of the swampy land was covered with the lake. The population rose greatly after the state established Indian Lake State Park in 1898 and better roads and railroads reached the region from other places in the county starting in the early 20th century.

Logan County continued to grow throughout the 19th century. Most of the people in the county farmed the land. Those who did not farm worked in the county's other businesses like flour mills, lumber mills, carriage makers, schools, banks and taverns, to name a few.

The more than 42,000 citizens of Logan County and the thousands of tourists who visit here every year enjoy one of the most diverse counties in Ohio. Its water-carved caverns, beautiful hills and valleys, fertile farmland, man-made lake, various industries and rich history makes Logan County a valuable asset to Ohio.

The topography and geology of Logan County are unique and spectacular. Campbell Hill, located two miles east of Bellefontaine, is the highest point in Ohio at 1,549 feet above sea level. Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, a joint-vocational school, is currently at this site. The 664th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was stationed on Campbell Hill in the 1950s and 1960s. The 664th A.C.&W. monitored the skies with a radar system set up on the peak of Ohio.

Logan County also contains some of Ohio's most magnificent caverns. Ohio Caverns, located three miles east of West Liberty, are the state's largest and most colorful caverns. Over time underground rivers and dripping water formed many large and beautiful mineral deposit formations called stalactites (formations hanging from the ceiling) and stalagmites (formations built on the floor). Zane Caverns, near Zanesfield, offers other natural wonders. Rare cave pearl formations are found in these caverns. Zane Caverns are now owned by the Shawnee Remnant Band. The site includes the Shawnee & Woodland Native American Museum.

Two of Ohio's major rivers begin in Logan County. A small stream flows into the waters of Indian Lake from the east and exits the lake in the south. This small stream becomes the Great Miami River. The hills of central Logan County provide the waters for the Mad River. The Mad River flows into the Great Miami River in Dayton, Ohio, about 60 miles from where they begin. Both of these rivers and their valleys have been important to Ohio's inhabitants for housing, transportation, food and water.