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History · Cecil

Cecil dates to 1866, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1914 on and the census since 1880.

1866founded
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Cecil began

When was Cecil founded?

1866

Cecil dates its founding to 1866 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 169 in 18802020 census: 146160 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1829.The full story ↓

What stands out about Cecil’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 Cecil are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 348 in 1890; 146 people lived here in 2020.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Cecil, and 1 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19144 editions of the USGS map, 1914 to 1973. Watch Cecil change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cecil’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Cecil, census by census

010020030018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 348

Peaked at 348 in 1890; 146 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Cecil’s post office has been open since 1868. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Cranesville
1829–1865
Crane
1866–1868
Cecil
1868–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
New Rochester

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

The story

How Cecil came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cecil.

Read it all →

A post office with the name Crane was established December 31, 1866; the name was changed to Cecil with effect from June 8, 1868.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Cecil, 1829 to 1914

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1829Post officeThe Cranesville post office opens
  3. 1865Post officeThe Cranesville post office closes
  4. 1866
    FoundingCecil is established
  5. 1866Post officeThe Crane post office opens
  6. 1868Post officeThe Crane post office closes
  7. 1868Post officeThe Cecil post office opens
  8. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 348
  9. 20th century
  10. 1914On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Cecil, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Prairie former school2015Prairie former schoolMain north of Fifth2015Main north of FifthCecil abandoned gas station2015Cecil abandoned gas stationCecil Presbyterian Church2015Cecil Presbyterian ChurchMap of Paulding County Ohio Highlighting Cecil Village2015Map of Paulding County Ohio Highlighting Cecil VillageMapOHMap-doton-Cecil2004OHMap-doton-Cecil
On the map

Cecil on the map, 1914 to 1973

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

Cecil on the 1914 USGS mapCecil on the 1944 USGS mapCecil on the 1960 USGS mapCecil on the 1973 USGS map1914Paulding 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 Cecil.

Famous people

Famous people close to Cecil

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

See all →
John S. SnookAmerican politician · b. 1862
Jesse B. JacksonUnited States Consul, witness of the Armenian G… · b. 1871
Ned GarverAmerican baseball player · b. 1925

Questions about Cecil’s history

What year was Cecil founded?

In 1866, according to Wikidata. Cecil’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1880 counted 169 people here.

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 (6), 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.