Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1819.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lodi’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lodi is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #339 of 993 in Ohio. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lodi’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 Lodi’s 3.6 sits near the middle of its state (58% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.3 points). Two sources give 1811.
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 Lodi’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Founded in 1811, Lodi is the oldest settlement in Medina County. It was originally called Harrisville, in honor of Judge Joseph Harris. The community's name echoes that of the city of Lodi in northern Italy, where Napoleon won a victory in 1796. The year of incorporation was 1891.
An early pioneer named Redfield (after whom Redfield Street is named) sculpted the modern route to Medina through trees. It was later deemed too curvy, so the first governmental road through the region was straightened. In later years, this road became U.S. Route 42.
Passages that mention Lodi, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Medina County and Ohio1881 · page 498Read the page →
Read the text
several years later, and no record has been kept to show the date. At different times, services wefe held in the Cotrell Schoolhouse, located a mile and a half northwest of Lodi. In 1825, the Wesleyans and Methodists joined with other denominations, and helped build, with the township, the two-story town and school house on the site of the first log schoolhouse, which
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Medina county and Ohio, containing a history of the state of Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time ... a history of Medina county, giving an account of its aboriginal inhabitants ... pioneer incidents, its growth, its improveme1881Read the page →
Read the text
site for a home. He placed his stake on a spot of ground which is now known as the Tuttle lot, a few rods south of the center of the village of Lodi. He kept at work for several weeks, and erected during this time by his own individual exertions, a small, rude log house, and cut down a small tract of timber. This accomplished, he retraced his steps to the mother
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Medina County and Ohio1881 · page 474Read the page →
Read the text
site for a home. He placed his stake on a spot of ground which is now known as the Tuttle lot, a few rods south of the center of the village of Lodi. He kept at work for several weeks, and erected during this time by hisown individual exertions, a small, rude log house, and cut down a small tract of timber. This accomplished, he retraced his steps to the mother
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Medina county and Ohio, containing a history of the state of Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time ... a history of Medina county, giving an account of its aboriginal inhabitants ... pioneer incidents, its growth, its improveme1881Read the page →
Read the text
Lodi is an unincorporated village of 439 inhabitants. The town is located just one-half mile east of the geographical center of the township, at the northern extremity of the Harrisville swamp. The East Branch River skirts the town on the north, while gently rising slopes extend to the east and north. The first settlement of the township was made right
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
Lodi, 1811 to 1962
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1811, according to Wikidata. Lodi’s post office opened in 1819, and the census of 1880 counted 437 people here.
How does Lodi rank for history?
Lodi is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #339 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 Lodi?
One place: the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad Depot (listed 2013).
How old are the homes in Lodi?
20% of Lodi’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1961.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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