Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Coolville

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Coolville

Coolville dates to 1818, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1870.

1818founded
0on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Coolville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Coolville began

When was Coolville founded?

1818

Coolville dates its founding to 1818 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 334 in 18702020 census: 454208 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1820.The full story ↓

What stands out about Coolville’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.Boom and bustPeaked at 672 in 1970; 454 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19074 editions of the USGS map, 1907 to 1994. Watch Coolville change.Old housesHalf of Coolville’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Coolville’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Descri…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Coolville, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 672

Peaked at 672 in 1970; 454 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

On the map

Coolville on the map, 1907 to 1994

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

Coolville on the 1907 USGS mapCoolville on the 1960 USGS mapCoolville on the 1971 USGS mapCoolville on the 1994 USGS map1907Keno 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 Coolville.

The story

How Coolville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Coolville.

Read it all →

In 1818 Coolville was platted (laid out by) by Simeon W. Cooley, for whom it is named. The village was incorporated in 1835.

By the 1830s, Coolville contained two stores, a gristmill, and a sawmill.

Coolville has been noted for its unusual place name. The village is located close to three other "hot/cold" communities: Torch and Frost (both unincorporated communities in Athens County), and Snowville in Meigs County.

"Roots" General and Feed store was built in 1846 and still stands as a remodeled home with a business front.

The bank originally was built in the late 1800s on Main St, known today as the "Village Hall".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Coolville, 1818 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1818
    FoundingCoolville is established
  3. 1820Post officeThe Coolville post office opens
  4. 1838Post officeThe Hocking City post office opens
  5. 1845Post officeThe Hocking City post office closes
  6. 1850In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Ohio - Athens County - ED 5-30, ED 5-31, …
  7. 20th century
  8. 1907On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1954Born hereDanny Hall is born here
  10. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 672
By decade

Coolville, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1850s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s1 item
1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Ohio - Athens County - ED 5-30, ED 5-31, ED 5-32, ED 5-33, ED 5-3418501940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Ohio …
Today7 recent
Philadeplhus x Lemoinei2021Philadeplhus x LemoineiGerman Shepherd Mix2021German Shepherd MixEastern Common Bumblebee outside of2021Eastern Common Bumblebee outside ofMap of Athens County Ohio Highlighting Coolville Village2015Map of Athens County Ohio Highlighting Coolville Vill…MapWelcome to2008Welcome toEmptiness in2008Emptiness inOHMap-doton-Coolville2004OHMap-doton-Coolville
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Ohio - Athens County - ED 5-30, ED 5-31, ED 5-32, ED 5-33, ED 5-34
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Ohio - Athens County - ED 5-30, ED 5-31, ED 5-32, ED 5-33, ED 5-34, 1850

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Coolville’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Coolville’s post office has been open since 1820. Another post office, Hocking City, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Coolville
1820–today
Hocking City
1838–1845
18201920today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Coolville
FrameOld Coolville

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

Questions about Coolville’s history

What year was Coolville founded?

In 1818, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Coolville’s post office opened in 1820, and the census of 1870 counted 334 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 (8), 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) 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.