History · Dublin

Dublin’s post office opened in 1820, and 49 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 63% of U.S. towns · #502 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it

Most of Dublin was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. 49 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 18 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1850.

1820first post office

49on the National Register

1%homes built before 1940

1old photo or paper

13famous people

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Quick answers

How Dublin began

When was Dublin founded?

1820

The Dublin post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1987.

First census: 274 in 18502020 census: 49,328206 years

How historic is Dublin?

More historic than 63% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓

Founding year: the first Dublin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1987.The full story ↓

History grade

What drives Dublin’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dublin is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #502 of 993 in Ohio. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dublin’s overall grade.

Founding era1820, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA⁻Homes built before 19401.4% of homes (±0.8) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%D National Register49 listings, 68 historic buildings, 13.8 per 10,000 residents · typical OH town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4A⁻

All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 63%

NewerOlder

Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 49%

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 Dublin’s 13.8 sits above most of its state (78% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 68 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1987.

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 Dublin’s past

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

Landmarks on the Register49 places on the National Register.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1880 and 1920, then grew more than tenfold.On the map since 19015 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1995. Watch Dublin change.

★ What stands out · On the National Register

49 historic places in Dublin

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

places listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

first listed

1979

Artz House

BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Rings, Louis3

Steinbower, Theodore J.1

Sells, William Henry1

Unknown1

Neo-Classical Revival1

Second Renaissance Revival1

Artz HouseBuilt 1870

Asher Brand ResidenceBuilding

Brelsford-Seese HouseBuilding

Carl H. Shier HouseBuilding

Chapman-Hutchinson HouseBuilding

Charles Mitchell HouseBuilding

David Marshall HouseBuilt 1900

Dr. Eli Pinney HouseBuilding

All 49 listings

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

Help out

Start Dublin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dublin’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

Dublin, census by census

Lost a third of its people between 1880 and 1920, then grew more than tenfold.

16 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

The story

How Dublin came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dublin.

Read it all →

Native Americans from the Hopewell, Adena, Delaware, Shawnee, and Wyandot were among the first known inhabitants of the countryside that was to become Dublin, Ohio.

The Wyandot had moved to the Ohio countryside after being decimated by disease and a disastrous war with the Five Nations of the Iroquois in their homeland near Georgian Bay. In 1794, General Anthony Wayne defeated the Wyandot and other Ohio American Indian peoples at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, leading to the Wyandot surrendering most of their land in Ohio with the signing of the Treaty of Greenville.

ChaptersNative Americans Post-Ohio statehood

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Dublin, 1858–1909

Passages that mention Dublin, cut from the printed page as they were published.

was first incorporated, and the same year, the town of Georges ville was laid out. In 1817, the town of Oregon, originally called Middletown, was laid out, and in 1818, the town of Dublin. They will all be noticed under the head of their respective localities. In 1816, John Kilbourne obtained a cop… — **History of Franklin County [Ohio]**1858 · page 41Read the page →
Read the text
was first incorporated, and the same year, the town of Georges ville was laid out. In 1817, the town of Oregon, originally called Middletown, was laid out, and in 1818, the town of Dublin. They will all be noticed under the head of their respective localities. In 1816, John Kilbourne obtained a copy-right for the " Ohio Gazetteer," and published the first edition of that work. The demand for it was such, that within
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

In 1801 or 1802 (the date is not precisely fixed), a settlement was made at the place where the town of Dublin was subsequently located. The Sells Family. Among the first settlers was the patriarchal Ludwick Sells, a migrant from Huntington county, Pennsylvania, and his family of sons, Samuel, Pete… — **Centennial history of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio**1909 · page 410Read the page →
Read the text
In 1801 or 1802 (the date is not precisely fixed), a settlement was made at the place where the town of Dublin was subsequently located. The Sells Family. Among the first settlers was the patriarchal Ludwick Sells, a migrant from Huntington county, Pennsylvania, and his family of sons, Samuel, Peter, Benjamin and William. In 1808 another son, John Sells, joined his father and brothers, and subsequently in 1818 he laid out the town of Dublin, which grew and prospered rapidly, had a population of some four hundred,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Mr. Wing has a creditable war record, having enlisted at Dublin, Franklin county, Ohio, May 2, 1864, as a private in Company E, One Hundred and Thirty-third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served faithfully one hundred days, receiving honorable discharge at Columbus, Ohio, Septembe… — **A Centennial biographical history of the city of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio ..**1901 · page 813Read the page →
Read the text
Mr. Wing has a creditable war record, having enlisted at Dublin, Franklin county, Ohio, May 2, 1864, as a private in Company E, One Hundred and Thirty-third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served faithfully one hundred days, receiving honorable discharge at Columbus, Ohio, September 15, 1864. During his term of service he was stationed at Fort Powhattan, Virginia, and June 16, 1864, was' in a warm engagement at a point between Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia. His company commander was Captain Hegner and his regimental commander was Colonel Innis. He
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

Dublin, 1820 to 2020

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

19th century
1820Post officeThe Dublin post office opens
1845BuiltDublin Christian Church is built
1856In the archive1856 Map of Dublin, Washington Township, Franklin County, Ohio
1870BuiltArtz House is built
1877BuiltDublin Christian Church is built
20th century
1900BuiltDavid Marshall House is built
1901On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1981Born hereJeremy Bobb is born here
1988Born hereChris Wood is born here
1988Born hereNate Ebner is born here
1999Born hereAbby Steiner is born here
21st century
2020CensusPopulation peaks at 49,328

By decade

Dublin, decade by decade

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

On the map

Dublin on the map, 1901 to 1995

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

1901Dublin 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 Dublin.

Famous people

13 famous people were born in Dublin

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

See all →

Chris WoodAmerican actor · b. 1988

Abby SteinerAmerican track athlete · b. 1999

Jeremy BobbAmerican actor · b. 1981

Nate EbnerAmerican football and rugby sevens player · b. 1988

Eric BrunnerAmerican soccer player · b. 1986

Bradley McDougaldAmerican football player · b. 1990

Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Dublin’s post office has been open since 1820.

Hamlets and corners on the map

Sandy Corners

5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Dublin

DublinIndian RunLeatherlipsSaint JohnSandy Corners

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Washington Township58 historic placesB⁻Columbus181 historic placesA Jerome TownshipIts storyC⁺Concord TownshipIts storyC⁻Shawnee HillsIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Perry TownshipIts storyD Liberty Township3 historic placesC

Questions about Dublin’s history

What year was Dublin founded?

The Dublin post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1987.

How does Dublin rank for history?

Dublin is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #502 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.

What is on the National Register in Dublin?

49 listings: 46 buildings, among them the Artz House (listed 1979, the first), 1 historic district, the Dublin High Street Historic District, with 18 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 68 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Dublin?

1% of Dublin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1996.

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 (21), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (49), 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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