Founding year: the first Forest post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1855.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Forest’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Forest is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Forest’s overall grade.
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 Forest’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1855 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Forest’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A post office has been in operation at Forest since 1854. Forest was platted in 1855 when the railroad was extended to that point. The village most likely was named for the fact the original town site was a forest. Forest was incorporated in 1865.
Forest was directly in the path of totality during the solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, for almost four minutes, making it one of sites with longest duration of totality.
Passages that mention Forest, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A twentieth century history of Hardin County, Ohio1910 · page 165Read the page →
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Town of Forest. John A. Gormley laid out and platted the town of Forest March 13, 1855, on the newly built railroad, now the Pennsylvania railroad, and the village from the very first has had a steady growth. It is the third largest town in the county, with 1,500 inhabitants, and is recognized everywhere as an enterprising town. It was incorporated September 6, 1865, and has since been under town government. At first it was badly handicapped liy the presence, just south, of the flourishing town of Patterson, but since Patterson has dwindled
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Hardin county, Ohio1883 · page 673Read the page →
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A little more than twenty years ago, the locality that now embraces the enterprising town of Forest was little more than a “ frog pond,” with just a few old frame houses set up on high blocks to keep them above tbe water. And not only has there been this wonderful improvement at and around Forest, but the township is now dotted all over with fine, cultivated farms and beautiful residences, showing a wonderful contrast to its former condition, and exhibiting a marked result from the indefatigable labors and enterprise of its citizens. In 1836, when this township was organized, there
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Hardin county, Ohio1883 · page 682Read the page →
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Forest. — It would appear, from the records at Kentou, that some difficulty arose or some peculiar couditiou of things existed at the time of the survey and laying-out of Forest, as we find recorded that John A. Gormley was appointed a Commissioner by the Court of Common Pleas of Hardin County, at their June term in 1854, to act in the premises under especial authority, and that the survey was made and the town laid off in lots, streets and alleys by J. Harvey Davis, and the same platted and recorded , being duly acknowledged by said John A. Gormley March 13, 1855. Tne
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A twentieth century history of Hardin County, Ohio1910 · page 589Read the page →
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entered New York Post Graduate Medical School and pursued a post graduate course, and in 1891 he took a special course in diseases of the eye and car. in treating which organs he is a specialist. Dr. Mundy was living in Forest in 1875, being then a poor youth, though he had ambition and energy to better his position in life. In 1883 he returned to Forest, for the practice of his profession, and with a brighl future before him. whose promise has been realized. He is now accorded a high place in his profession, and has the confidence and esteem of the community.
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.
The Forest post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1855.
How does Forest rank for history?
Forest is more historic than 54% 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 Forest?
43% of Forest’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.5 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1953.
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 (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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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