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History · Gilboa

Gilboa dates to 1837, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 29 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1960 on, and the census since 1850.

1837founded

1on the National Register

45%homes built before 1940

1old photo or paper

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From Gilboa’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Gilboa began

When was Gilboa founded?

1837

Gilboa dates its founding to 1837 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 378 in 18502020 census: 168189 years

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1843.The full story ↓

What stands out about Gilboa’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.A historic districtThe Gilboa Main Street Historic District takes in 29 historic buildings.Old housesHalf of Gilboa’s homes were built before 1943.Deep rootsEstablished in 1837: 189 years of Gilboa.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gilboa’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gilboa’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 viewFMIB 33211 Gilboa, Ohio; Plank Dam: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

On the National Register

1 listing protects 29 historic buildings

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

place listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

first listed

1979

Gilboa Main Street Historic District

Districts

Architectural styles listings

Italianate1

Romanesque1

Victorian1

All 1 listings

Gilboa Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979

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

The story

How Gilboa came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Gilboa.

Read it all →

Gilboa was laid out in 1837. The village was incorporated in 1848. A post office was established at Gilboa in 1843, and remained in operation until 1985.

On August 6, 1852, a cholera epidemic struck Gilboa. The start of the epidemic was traced to a large damp cellar that had been used to store trash and decomposing waste. The epidemic lasted until August 21 and killed 13 Gilboa residents including one of the two doctors that had not fled. Out of the estimated 600 population, all but 40 fled including four of Gilboa's six doctors.

Artist and muralist Oscar Velasquez (1944-2021) was a long time Gilboa resident. He painted more than 50 murals nationally and internationally.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Gilboa, 1880–1915

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

In 1835 other families came, among them George Stewart, John Stewart, George Bacon and Azariah Smith. The town of Gilboa was laid out, and the first grist mill built, by Elisha Stout. in 1837. The first tavern in Gilboa was kept by Benjamin Stewart, the first store by Edward Mercer, and the first f… — **History of Putnam County Ohio**1880 · page 193Read the page →
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In 1835 other families came, among them George Stewart, John Stewart, George Bacon and Azariah Smith. The town of Gilboa was laid out, and the first grist mill built, by Elisha Stout. in 1837. The first tavern in Gilboa was kept by Benjamin Stewart, the first store by Edward Mercer, and the first frame house in the village was built by Nelson McCallister.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

**History of Putnam County, Ohio**1915Read the page →
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Gilboa, the first town, was laid out in 1837 by Elisha Stout, who also built the first grist-mill in the township. The first election for township trustees was held in Gilboa, November 19, 1852. Wolves were plentiful in this part of the county, also deer, wild turkeys and other game could be seen.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

It is characteristic that Gilboa had the most rapid growth of any town in the county. From 1840 to the early fifties it was classed as the most thriving town in the county. At the time the early surveys were made, in 1852, for the Dayton & Michigan railroad, the citizens of Gilboa made an active an… — **History of Putnam County, Ohio**1915Read the page →
Read the text
It is characteristic that Gilboa had the most rapid growth of any town in the county. From 1840 to the early fifties it was classed as the most thriving town in the county. At the time the early surveys were made, in 1852, for the Dayton & Michigan railroad, the citizens of Gilboa made an active and persistent contest with Findlay and Ottawa for the location of that road through their town; they failed in their efforts, and this was the first blow which the town suffered.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Mr. Zeller was born at Gilboa, in this county, November 7, 1842. He was the son of Andrew and Catharine Zeller. His father was one of the unfortunates of the cholera epidemic which was educated in the common schools at Gilboa until he was sixteen years of age. He attended one term at common school … — **History of Putnam County Ohio**1880 · page 44Read the page →
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Mr. Zeller was born at Gilboa, in this county, November 7, 1842. He was the son of Andrew and Catharine Zeller. His father was one of the unfortunates of the cholera epidemic which was educated in the common schools at Gilboa until he was sixteen years of age. He attended one term at common school in Livingstone county, Illinois, after which he taught school in Piatt county, in the same State, returning to Gilboa in December, 1861. In the spring of 1862, at the age of twenty years, in
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

Gilboa, 1837 to 1985

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

19th century
1837
FoundingGilboa is established
1843Post officeThe Gilboa post office opens
1874In the archiveFMIB 33211 Gilboa, Ohio; Plank Dam
20th century
1960On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1985Post officeThe Gilboa post office closes

By decade

Gilboa, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item

1874FMIB 33211 Gilboa, Ohio; Plank Dam

Today17 recent

2021Captain Sheldon O. Hall Memorial Bridge

2015Map of Putnam County Ohio Highlighting Gilboa VillageMap

2010Blanchard River bridge at

2010Blanchard River at

2004OHMap-doton-Gilboa

On the map

Gilboa on the map, 1960 to 1986

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

1960Leipsic sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Gilboa.

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.

Retake this viewFMIB 33211 Gilboa, Ohio; Plank Dam, 1874

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

Retake this view · +15

People over time

Gilboa, census by census

Between 168 and 378 people in every census since 1850.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Gilboa had its own post office from 1843 to 1985.

Gilboa

1843–1985

18401930today

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

Questions about Gilboa’s history

What year was Gilboa founded?

In 1837, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Gilboa’s post office opened in 1843, and the census of 1850 counted 378 people here.

What is on the National Register in Gilboa?

One place: the Gilboa Main Street Historic District (listed 1979).

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 (18), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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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