The story
Read it all →How Ballville came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Ballville.
Ballville was laid out around 1840. The community was named after Colonel Ball, a local Indian fighter.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
C+History
History · Ballville
Ballville dates to 1840
More historic than 43% of U.S. towns · #726 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Most of Ballville was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: maps from 1901 on and old-book passages.
1840founded
0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Ballville began
When was Ballville founded?
1840
Ballville dates its founding to 1840 (Wikipedia’s history).
2020 census: 3,823186 years
How historic is Ballville?
C+
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 43% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ballville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ballville is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #726 of 993 in Ohio. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ballville’s overall grade.
Founding era1840, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19407.1% of homes (±3.2) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%C+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical OH town 2.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 43%
NewerOlder
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 27%
Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ballville’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1840.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Ballville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Ballville’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ballville’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Ballville on the map, 1901 to 1980
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ballville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1901Fremont sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ballville.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Ballville, 1882–1909
Passages that mention Ballville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Sandusky County, Ohio1882 · page 597Read the page →
Read the text
In 1839 James Valletti purchased an interest in the mills and real estate. The village of Ballville was surveyed and laid out in lots by Messrs. Moore and Valletti the following year.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Sandusky County, Ohio1882Read the page →
Read the text
in New Jersey. He built a double log cabin on the bank of the river, opposite the residence of Mrs. Eliza Moore, in the village of Ballville. A little below that he built a grist-mill, and ground the grain of the pioneers until his death, December 24 1829, which was caused by an accident in falling at night from the attic in the mill to
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Sandusky County, Ohio1882 · page 587Read the page →
Read the text
We have already spoken of the first j settlement at the mouth of Wolf Creek, between here and the village of Ballville. By 1824 nearly every farm on the wrest side of the river had been improved.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
twentieth century history of sandusky county, ohio1909 · page 305Read the page →
Read the text
We have already spoken of the first settlement at the mouth of Wolf Creek; between there and the village of Ballville, by 1824, nearly every farm on the west side of the river had been improved.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your albumFamous people
See all →Famous people close to Ballville
Nobody well known was born in Ballville itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
T
Tony LittleAmerican exercise instructor · b. 1956J
Joel KonzenRoman Catholic bishop · b. 1950Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Ballville’s history
What year was Ballville founded?
In 1840, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town.
How does Ballville rank for history?
Ballville is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #726 of 993 in Ohio. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Ballville?
7% of Ballville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1973.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.