Granville, Ohio

Coordinates: 40°03′50″N 82°30′44″W / 40.06389°N 82.51222°W / 40.06389; -82.51222
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Granville, Ohio
Granville streetscape
Granville streetscape
Motto: 
"One of Ohio's Best Hometowns"
Location of Granville, Ohio
Location of Granville, Ohio
Location within Licking County
Location within Licking County
Coordinates: 40°03′50″N 82°30′44″W / 40.06389°N 82.51222°W / 40.06389; -82.51222
CountryUnited States
StateOhio
CountyLicking
Area
 • Total4.86 sq mi (12.58 km2)
 • Land4.81 sq mi (12.46 km2)
 • Water0.05 sq mi (0.12 km2)
Elevation997 ft (304 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total5,946
 • Density1,236.43/sq mi (477.36/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
43023
Area code740
FIPS code39-31402[3]
GNIS feature ID2398193[2]
Websitewww.granville.oh.us

Granville is a village in Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,946 at the 2020 census. The village is located in a rural area of rolling hills, known locally as the Welsh Hills,[4] in central Ohio. It is 35 miles (56 km) east of Columbus, the state capital, and 7 miles (11 km) west of Newark, the county seat.

Granville is home to Denison University as well as the birthplace of the song "Tweezer" by Phish. The village has a number of historic buildings, including Greek Revival structures like the Avery Downer House, St. Luke's Episcopal Church (1837) and others.[5] The Buxton Inn (1812), the Granville Inn (1924), Bancroft House (1834) and Bryn Du Mansion are local landmarks.

History[edit]

Pre-Columbian cultures[edit]

Granville is the location of the prehistoric Alligator Effigy Mound, built by the indigenous people of the Fort Ancient culture, between 800 and 1200 CE, more than four hundred years before European contact. It may be an effigy of the underwater panther featured in Native American mythology. The mound is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The area is rich in evidence of indigenous cultures. Less than five miles from the Alligator Effigy Mound are the Newark Earthworks, associated with the earlier Hopewell culture of roughly 100 BCE to 500 CE.

Pioneer settlers[edit]

Granville was not settled by European Americans until 1805; the first large group of settlers were from Granville, Massachusetts, and they named the new village after their former home. The area was first surveyed by United States representatives in 1797, as land set aside by the national government for payment in land grants to veterans who had served in the Revolutionary War.

Among the earliest settlers were Theophilus Rees & his son John. Born in Wales, they immigrated to the United States in 1795, and gradually headed west for a new life on the American frontier. They arrived in what is now Granville township in 1802, following a brief time in Philadelphia. Other Welsh settlers followed them, leaving their heritage in numerous place names.[6][7]

Early schools[edit]

Education was a pillar of early civic life. By 1820, the village's pioneer settlers built a three-story brick school house. By the 1830s they established five schools in the growing village. As the schools were developed through the mid and late 19th century, they began to serve students from the region as well as from the village. Among those institutions were the Granville Literary and Theological Institution, the Granville Female Seminary, the Granville Episcopal Female Seminary, the Young Ladies’ Institute, the Granville Female Academy, Doane Academy (named after one of Denison University‘s earliest and most generous benefactors, William Howard Doane), and Shepardson College for Women. The seminaries generally served first as preparatory schools for college, what were later called high schools. This was a period in which girls' education was newly stressed, and the village ensured their young women could be educated. Several of these institutions later combined and developed as what is today Denison University.[7][8]

Geography[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.71 square miles (12.20 km2), of which 4.68 square miles (12.12 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) is water.[9]

The central village is situated among three prominent hills. College Hill is to the north. Sugarloaf is a prominent hill and park at the west end of Broadway. Mt. Parnassus is another prominent hill and residential area at the east end of Broadway. A short distance south of the village center is the Raccoon Creek flood plain with the creek running from the west to east.[7]

Education[edit]

Village schools[edit]

Granville's public schools are operated by the Granville Exempted Village School District. The system includes, Granville High School, Granville Middle School, Granville Intermediate School and Granville Elementary School. The high school's graduating class of 2014 included 220 students.[10] The district receives strong performance rankings from the Ohio Department of Education[11] Located in the village is the Granville Christian Academy serving K-12 students. Also, there are several private preschools.

Swasey Chapel at Denison University

Denison University[edit]

On a hill overlooking the village is the campus of Denison University, founded in 1831 as the Granville Theological and Literary Seminary, originally affiliated with the Northern Baptist Convention. Today, Denison is a private, residential, non-sectarian liberal arts college with a student body of about 2,300 and a faculty of 235. The school is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is certified by the Ohio Board of Regents to grant Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. 74% of the student body comes from out of state, including representatives from forty countries.[12] The Homestead at Denison University is a residential student intentional community focusing on environmental sustainability. Swasey Chapel is the iconic campus structure. Completed in 1924, the chapel is named in honor of Ambrose Swasey, a benefactor to the college and prominent Cleveland inventor and businessman.[13]

The history of Granville has been interwoven with that of the college for nearly two centuries. Denison faculty and staff make up an important segment of the village's population, and student patronage is central to many village businesses. Granville residents may take advantage of many university facilities, such as the athletic center, free of charge. The college has recently embarked on a number of in-town purchases, including the Granville Golf Club and the Granville Inn.

Religion[edit]

St. Edward the Confessor Church with Christmas decoration

Churches occupy prominent positions at the center of the village and in the life of the community. At the intersection of Broadway and Main Street are located the First Presbyterian Church, Centenary United Methodist Church, St. Luke's Episcopal Church and the United Church of Granville (UCC). Nearby are Pilgrim Lutheran Church and St. Edward's Catholic Church. Also, located in the village are Spring Hills Baptist Church, a meetinghouse of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, Union Station Community Church and Bethel Apostolic Church.[14]

Granville has a long history of being home to the administrative center of the American Baptist Church in Ohio. Formerly known as the Ohio Baptist Convention, the American Baptist Churches of Ohio's office remains located in the village. Denison University was founded as a Baptist college and had a long association with the church. Like other Ohio independent colleges founded in the nineteenth century by religious denominations, the significance of Denison's church affiliation faded and today the university is a non-sectarian institution.

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1820199
183036281.9%
1840727100.8%
18507716.1%
18608013.9%
18701,10938.5%
18801,1271.6%
18901,36621.2%
19001,4254.3%
19101,394−2.2%
19201,4403.3%
19301,4671.9%
19401,5022.4%
19502,65376.6%
19602,8688.1%
19703,96338.2%
19803,851−2.8%
19904,24410.2%
20003,167−25.4%
20105,64678.3%
20205,9465.3%
Sources:[3][15][16][17][18][19][20]

[21]

2010 census[edit]

As of the census[22] of 2010, there were 5,646 people, 1,441 households, and 1,017 families living in the village. The population density was 1,206.4 inhabitants per square mile (465.8/km2). There were 1,554 housing units at an average density of 332.1 per square mile (128.2/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 91.9% White, 2.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 3.6% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population.

There were 1,441 households, of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.4% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05.

The median age in the village was 22 years. 18.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 38.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 12.1% were from 25 to 44; 21.4% were from 45 to 64; and 9.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 46.3% male and 53.7% female.

2000 census[edit]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 3,167 people, 1,309 households, and 888 families living in the village. The population density was 790.4 inhabitants per square mile (305.2/km2). There were 1,384 housing units at an average density of 345.4 per square mile (133.4/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 96.75% White, 0.69% African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.01% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population.

There were 1,309 households, out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.4% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $67,689, and the median income for a family was $102,885 . Males had a median income of $72,250 versus $46,484 for females. The per capita income for the village was $39,221. About 3.9% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people[edit]

Points of Interest[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Granville, Ohio
  3. ^ a b c "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "The Welsh Hills". Granville Historical Society. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Historic Homes of Granville, Ohio" (PDF). Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  6. ^ Overman, William Daniel (1958). Ohio Town Names. Akron, OH: Atlantic Press. p. 53.
  7. ^ a b c "Village website, History of Granville". Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  8. ^ "Denison, About Denison". Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  9. ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  10. ^ "Granville Exempted Village Schools". Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  11. ^ "Ohio Department of Education". Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  12. ^ "Denison University, Fast Facts". Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  13. ^ "Get to Know Denison, central campus". Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  14. ^ "Granville, Ohio Area Religious Organizations". Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  15. ^ "Population of Civil Divisions Less than Counties" (PDF). Statistics of the Population of the United States at the Ninth Census. U.S. Census Bureau. 1870. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  16. ^ "Population of Civil Divisions Less than Counties" (PDF). Statistics of the Population of the United States at the Tenth Census. U.S. Census Bureau. 1880. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  17. ^ "Population: Ohio" (PDF). 1910 U.S. Census. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  18. ^ "Population: Ohio" (PDF). 1930 US Census. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  19. ^ "Number of Inhabitants: Ohio" (PDF). 18th Census of the United States. U.S. Census Bureau. 1960. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  20. ^ "Ohio: Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  21. ^ https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/granvillevillageohio,OH/PST045219[dead link]
  22. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  23. ^ "The Two Editors: Horace Greeley and George Jones - Boyhood Friends, Journalistic Rivals". Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  24. ^ "Granville Historical Society". Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  25. ^ "Newark Earthworks". Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  26. ^ "Thomas Evans Trail". Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  27. ^ "Granville Cycling Trails". Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  28. ^ "Lake Hudson". Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  29. ^ "Polo at Bryn Du". Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  30. ^ "Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve". Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  31. ^ "Dawes Arboretum". Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  32. ^ "Cranberry Bog". Retrieved June 20, 2016.

Further reading[edit]

  • Granville: The Story of an Ohio Village, William T. Utter, 1956
  • Wild Turkeys and Tallow Candles, Ellen Amanda Hayes, 1920
  • Denison: The Story of an Ohio College, G. Wallace Chessman, 1957
  • The Historical Times, newsletter of the Granville Historical Society

External links[edit]