Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Middle Point

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Middle Point

Middle Point dates to 1851, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1911 on and the census since 1870.

1851founded
0on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Middle Point began

When was Middle Point founded?

1851

Middle Point dates its founding to 1851 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 119 in 18702020 census: 566175 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1854.The full story ↓

What stands out about Middle Point’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Middle Point are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19115 editions of the USGS map, 1911 to 1982. Watch Middle Point change.Old housesHalf of Middle Point’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Middle Point’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Middle Point’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Middle Point on the map, 1911 to 1982

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

Middle Point on the 1911 USGS mapMiddle Point on the 1944 USGS mapMiddle Point on the 1960 USGS mapMiddle Point on the 1971 USGS mapMiddle Point on the 1982 USGS map1911Delphos sheet · 1:62,500

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

The story

How Middle Point came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Middle Point.

Read it all →

Middle Point was laid out in 1851. The town's original name was Sykestown, after the Sykes family whom originally owned the land in the mid 19th century. The village was later renamed Middle Point for its relatively central location between Delphos and Van Wert. A post office has been in operation at Middle Point since 1854. Middle Point was incorporated as a village in 1874.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Middle Point, 1851 to 1911

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1851
    FoundingMiddle Point is established
  3. 1854Post officeThe Middle Point post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1911On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Middle Point, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Northwestern angle for Middle Point Trinity ELCA2015Northwestern angle for Middle Point Trinity ELCAMiddle Point village hall on Adams2015Middle Point village hall on AdamsMiddle Point former Presbyterian church2015Middle Point former Presbyterian churchAdams north of the railroad2015Adams north of the railroadMap of Van Wert County Ohio Highlighting Middle Point Village2015Map of Van Wert County Ohio Highlighting Middle Point…MapOHMap-doton-Middle Point2004OHMap-doton-Middle Point
People over time

Middle Point, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 709

Between 119 and 709 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Middle Point

Nobody well known was born in Middle Point itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Neely EdwardsActor · b. 1883
L
Leslie PeltierAmerican astronomer · b. 1900
Sabrina ScharfAmerican politician and actress · b. 1943
Kory LichtensteigerAmerican football player · b. 1985
Bill LangeAmerican football offensive lineman · b. 1928
Clara Chipman NewtonAmerican artist · b. 1848

Questions about Middle Point’s history

What year was Middle Point founded?

In 1851, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Middle Point’s post office opened in 1854, and the census of 1870 counted 119 people here.

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 (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.