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A−History
History · Berlin

Berlin’s post office opened in 1822, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Berlin was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1915 on.

1822first post office
2on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Berlin’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Berlin began

When was Berlin founded?

1822

The Berlin post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 1,447204 years

How historic is Berlin?

A−

More historic than 75% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Berlin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Berlin’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Berlin is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Berlin’s overall grade.
Founding era1822, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19403.3% of homes (±3.6) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register2 listings, 128 historic buildings, 1,039 per 10,000 residents · typical OH town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 75%
NewerOlder

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 Berlin’s 1,039 sits above most of its state (99% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 128 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (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 Berlin’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19154 editions of the USGS map, 1915 to 1994. Watch Berlin change.Deep rootsA post office since 1822: 204 years of Berlin.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Berlin’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewAmish Country Byway - Carriage at Stopl…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Berlin on the map, 1915 to 1994

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

Berlin on the 1915 USGS mapBerlin on the 1943 USGS mapBerlin on the 1962 USGS mapBerlin on the 1994 USGS map1915Millersburg 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 Berlin.

Timeline

Berlin, 1841 to 1995

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1841Born hereSamuel S. Yoder is born here
  3. 1890Born hereAlta Weiss is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1915On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1995In the archiveAmish Country Byway - Carriage at Stoplight
The story

How Berlin came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Berlin.

Read it all →

The village of Berlin–the oldest existing village in Holmes County–was first planned on July 2, 1816, by John Swigert, a native of Berlin, Germany. Swigert's plan provided for 108 lots to be arrayed along two streets, one north–south and the other east–west. Another early settler, Joseph Troyer, hailed from Berlin, Pennsylvania, and together Swigert and Troyer bestowed upon the new settlement the shared name of their respective home towns. Berlin is located at a high point in Holmes County, and local legend holds that Swigert chose the site because, thus situated, the town could be more readily defended against Indian attack.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Berlin, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
Amish Country Byway - Carriage at Stoplight1995Amish Country Byway - Carriage at Stoplight
Today29 recent
Large, horse-drawn wagons, including one (right) that carries visitors into a pumpkin patch at Hershberger's Farm and B…2016Large, horse-drawn wagons, including one (right) that…A horse-drawn Amish buggy heads up the hill to the large farmstead at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery, a greatly expanded…2016A horse-drawn Amish buggy heads up the hill to the la…A horse-drawn wagon carries visitors into the pumpkin patch each autumn at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery, a greatly exp…2016A horse-drawn wagon carries visitors into the pumpkin…A horse-drawn wagon carries visitors into the pumpkin patch each autumn at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery, a greatly exp…2016A horse-drawn wagon carries visitors into the pumpkin…A horse-drawn wagon carries visitors into the pumpkin patch each autumn at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery, a greatly exp…2016A horse-drawn wagon carries visitors into the pumpkin…A horse-drawn wagon carries visitors into the pumpkin patch each autumn at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery, a greatly exp…2016A horse-drawn wagon carries visitors into the pumpkin…An Amish man tends to popcorn, prepared over an open fire at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery, a greatly expanded produce …2016An Amish man tends to popcorn, prepared over an open …Chickens, and what may be an interloping duck, at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery, a greatly expanded produce stand near …2016Chickens, and what may be an interloping duck, at Her…Decorative ears of dried corn at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery, a greatly expanded produce stand near the town of Berli…2016Decorative ears of dried corn at Hershberger's Farm a…Cow, close up, at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery, a greatly expanded produce stand near the town of Berlin in central Oh…2016Cow, close up, at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery, a gr…Fall display at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery, a greatly expanded produce stand near the town of Berlin in central Ohio…2016Fall display at Hershberger's Farm and Bakery, a grea…BerlinHolmesCountyOhioLookingEastCirca19092012BerlinHolmesCountyOhioLookingEastCirca1909Untitled photo2011Untitled photoUntitled photo2011Untitled photoBerlin (US 62 & OH 39) 2017-01-11 2032011Berlin (US 62 & OH 39) 2017-01-11 203Amish Farmstead PC2800912011Amish Farmstead PC280091Amish Farmstead PC2800902011Amish Farmstead PC280090Amish Farmstead PC2800892011Amish Farmstead PC280089Berlin (Wikivoyage)2010Berlin (Wikivoyage)Berlin (US 62 & OH 39) P90201582010Berlin (US 62 & OH 39) P9020158Berlin (US 62 & OH 39) P90201502010Berlin (US 62 & OH 39) P9020150Ohio - Berlin - SR 392007Ohio - Berlin - SR 39OHMap-doton-Berlin Holmes County2007OHMap-doton-Berlin Holmes CountyBerlinHolmesCountyOhio2005BerlinHolmesCountyOhioAmish Country Byway - Horse and Wagon by One-Room Schoolhouse2005Amish Country Byway - Horse and Wagon by One-Room Sch…Amish Country Byway - Enjoying the Farmers' Market in2005Amish Country Byway - Enjoying the Farmers' Market inAmish Country Byway - Curving Cornstalks in a Field2005Amish Country Byway - Curving Cornstalks in a FieldAmish Country Byway - Corn and White Fence2005Amish Country Byway - Corn and White FenceBerlin X Roads 2002 DSC002292002Berlin X Roads 2002 DSC00229
On the National Register

2 listings protect 128 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
128
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Berlin

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Samuel S. YoderUnion Army officer · b. 1841
A
Alta WeissAmerican baseball player · b. 1890

Questions about Berlin’s history

What year was Berlin founded?

The Berlin post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Berlin rank for history?

Berlin is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns. 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 Berlin?

3% of Berlin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1986.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (19), the Library of Congress (11), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.