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History · Berkey

Berkey’s post office opened in 1870, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1911 on and the census since 1920.

1870first post office
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Berkey began

When was Berkey founded?

1870

The Berkey post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Riga (1837), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 201 in 19202020 census: 275156 years
Founding year: the first Berkey post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Berkey’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Berkey are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19114 editions of the USGS map, 1911 to 1966. Watch Berkey change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Berkey’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Berkey’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Berkey on the map, 1911 to 1966

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Berkey. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Berkey on the 1911 USGS mapBerkey on the 1935 USGS mapBerkey on the 1951 USGS mapBerkey on the 1966 USGS map1911Swanton sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Berkey.

The story

How Berkey came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Berkey.

Read it all →

Berkey was originally called Riga. The present name is derived from Richard K. Berkeybile, an early postmaster. A post office called Riga was established in 1837, and the name was changed to Berkey in 1870.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Berkey, 1837 to 1911

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1837Post officeThe Riga post office opens
  3. 1870Post officeThe Riga post office closes
  4. 1870Post officeThe Berkey post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1911On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Berkey, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Berkey post office 43504 and CountryMark station2016Berkey post office 43504 and CountryMark stationBerkey municipal building, front2016Berkey municipal building, frontBerkey Congregational Christian Church2016Berkey Congregational Christian ChurchMap of Lucas County Ohio Highlighting Berkey Village2015Map of Lucas County Ohio Highlighting Berkey VillageMapOHMap-doton-Berkey2004OHMap-doton-Berkey
People over time

Berkey, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 306

Between 201 and 306 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Berkey’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Berkey

Nobody well known was born in Berkey itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Harlan BriggsAmerican actor · b. 1879
James W. ForsythUnion Army general · b. 1835
M
Mike O'BrienAmerican actor and comedian · b. 1976
Charles HaubielAmerican composer · b. 1892
Henry Ware LawtonUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1843
Andrew DonnalAmerican football player · b. 1992
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Berkey’s post office has been open since 1870. Another post office, Riga, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Riga
1837–1870
Berkey
1870–today
18301930today
Gone or out of use
R C Ford Field AirportairportSchween Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Berkey
Berkey

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Berkey’s history

What year was Berkey founded?

The Berkey post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.