More historic than 34% of U.S. towns · #811 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Most of Bellbrook was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: maps from 1913 on and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1817.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bellbrook’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bellbrook is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #811 of 993 in Ohio. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bellbrook’s overall grade.
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 Bellbrook’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.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1816.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Bellbrook’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Bellbrook was laid out in 1816. The name Bellbrook is an amalgamation of the name one of the city's founders, Stephen Bell, and Little Sugar Creek. A post office called Bell Brook was established in 1817, and the name was changed to Bellbrook in 1895.
Initially a village, Bellbrook grew by way of annexation of territory from surrounding Sugarcreek Township. The first annexation, in 1970, helped push the population over 5,000 and led to Bellbrook achieving city status in 1974. With large amounts of build-able land, the area added over 1,000 housing units since the annexation. Today the city is largely developed with little land left for future development. Most of the development is taking place in neighboring Sugarcreek Township.
Passages that mention Bellbrook, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Greene County, Ohio1902 · page 358Read the page →
Read the text
Nutt. Joshua. Sugar Creek. 1814: was auctioneer when the lots for the town of Bellbrook were sold in the fall of 1815: died Mtiy 22. 1826; buried in Pioneer graveyard, Bellbrook, Ohio; aged forty-one.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
south of where Lebanon now stands. They were on their way to this locality, and hence were the first settlers where now is located the town of Bellbrook. Joseph entered tlie land extending along the east side of what is now Main street, Bellbrook, being part of Sections 31, 32 (3.5). He erected a log cabin on the site that used to be occupied by
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Greene County, Ohio1918 · page 818Read the page →
Read the text
During his absence at the front his wife made her home at Bellbrook and upon the completion of his military service he returned to Bellbrook and has lived there and in that neighborhood ever since. For some time he was engaged in saw-mill work and in threshing-machine work and for three years lived on a farm., but about forty years ago left the farm and returned to Bellbrook, where he has since remained. During the administration of President Harrison Mr. Loy was' appointed postmaster of Bellbrook and for eight years occupied that position. He also served for several years as a member
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.
Timeline
Bellbrook, 1816 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1816, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Bellbrook’s post office opened in 1817, and the census of 1850 counted 502 people here.
How does Bellbrook rank for history?
Bellbrook is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #811 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 Bellbrook?
3% of Bellbrook’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
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