The story
Read it all →How Gratis came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Gratis.
A post office called Gratis has been in operation since 1823. The village takes its name from Gratis Township.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Gratis
Gratis’ post office opened in 1823, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1911 on and the census since 1860.
1823first post office
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Gratis began
When was Gratis founded?
1823
The Gratis post office opened in 1823, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 462 in 18602020 census: 842203 years
Founding year: the first Gratis post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Gratis’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Gratis’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gratis’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Gratis on the map, 1911 to 1987
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Gratis. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1911Oxford sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Gratis.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Gratis in 1915
Passages that mention Gratis, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Preble County Ohio1915 · page 351Read the page →
Read the text
The village of Gratis was originally called Winchester. The postoffice was named Gratis by the postal authorities, because there were other Winchesters in the state, but the people held on to the village name long after it became certain that the postal authorities would not change. When, in the run of years, a number of people had bought lots just outside and around the village, a movement started to extend the boundaries and change the name to Gratis, so there would be but one name. Accordingly, in 1902, the council petitioned the common pleas court to change the name to Gratis,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Preble County Ohio1915 · page 357Read the page →
Read the text
The first church built in Gratis township, and, with much reason, claimed to be the first in the county, was a log church, built by the Quakers just south of town in 1805. In 1809 was replaced by a hewed-log house, which, in 1817, gave way to what was called the “old brick meeting house.” The church was then called the Elk monthly meeting, taking its name from the sreek near the south county line. In 1872, after taking up subscriptions for a year or so, the present brick church was erected, and, save for some repairing and remodeling, it continues in use. It is a large, commodious and com-
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.
By decade
Gratis, decade by decade
2016
2016
2015
2004People over time
Gratis, census by census
Between 365 and 998 people in every census since 1860.
17 censuses, 1860–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Gratis’ Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Gratis
Nobody well known was born in Gratis itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Gratis’ history
What year was Gratis founded?
The Gratis post office opened in 1823, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (4), 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.