Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1829.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Geneva’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Geneva is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #460 of 993 in Ohio. 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 Geneva’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 Geneva’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 A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.6 points). Two sources give 1805.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Geneva’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The area which would eventually be Geneva was first settled in 1805 by a handful of settlers from Charlotte, New York. In 1806, settlers from Harpersfield, New York arrived and established Harpersfield Township, which included the present-day townships of Geneva, Trumbull and Hartsgrove. However, in 1816, citizens of Harpersfield decided to withdraw from the township and form their own township, which then became Geneva Township, named after Geneva, New York. In 1866, the town of Geneva then became a village, and, nearly one hundred years later, in 1958, Geneva was incorporated as a city.
Passages that mention Geneva, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Ashtabula County, Ohio1878 · page 39Read the page →
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On the 31st of the same month, the public are informed that “ a new postoffice has been established on the North ridge, in the town of Geneva, in this county, and E. Mills, Esq., appointed postmaster.” This was the first post-office in the locality of the present and thriving village of Geneva.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Ashtabula County Ohio1924 · page 306Read the page →
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sioners bear the following entry: ‘Resolved, that all that part of Harpersfield Township north of the north line of No. 11, in the fifth range, to the lake, be set off from that township and erected ‘as a separate township, to be known by the name of Geneva, and that the first township election be held at the dwelling house of Loren Cowles, on the first Monday of April next.” That was the inception of the town of Geneva, third in size and importance, commercially, in the county of Ashtabula. Prior to this enactment Geneva had, together with Trumbull and Hartsgrove, been a part
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The first hotel established in Geneva township was doubtless by Colonel Jacob Bartholomew ; the date of this we have not obtained. This “ hostelry” stood on the northwest corner of the crossing of the Centre and North Ridge road. The first house of entertainment in what is now the village of Geneva was in about 1834, by S. S. 'fuller (father of the indefatigable Tom). This building is yet occupied by Mrs. Tuller, and was operated as a hotel some twenty years. The present hotels are the “ Fountain House,” located on West Main street, owned and conducted by A. Trunkey, and the “ Tuller House,” which began operations
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Ashtabula County Ohio1924 · page 307Read the page →
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On June 6, 1866, the county commissioners passed favorably on a petition signed by residents of Geneva Township praying for incorporation proceedings, but it was not until the following spring that organization was effected. On March 2, 1867, an election was held, which resulted in making Dennis Thorp the first mayor of Geneva village. W. E. Proctor was elected ‘“‘recorder’’, and Anson Smith, Salmon Seymour, Benoni Webb, Charles Talcott and Nelson Brigham constituted the first council.
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
Geneva, 1805 to 1963
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1805, according to Wikidata. Geneva’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1870 counted 1,090 people here.
How does Geneva rank for history?
Geneva is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns, #460 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.
How old are the homes in Geneva?
26% of Geneva’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1958.
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 (12), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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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