The Oak Hill post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Menager (1836), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 646 in 18802020 census: 1,407189 years
How historic is Oak Hill?
A−
More historic than 83% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Oak Hill post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Oak Hill’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oak Hill is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oak Hill’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 Oak Hill’s 6.5 sits above most of its state (68% 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 (±8.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Oak Hill’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Village of Oak Hill was officially formed on January 12, 1873, from portions of Jefferson and Madison Townships.
Many immigrants from Cardiganshire, Wales, had previously settled in the area, with the first arriving in the Gallia/ Jackson County area in 1818 and many more in the late 1830s and 1840s- an era referred to as "The Great Welsh Tide". Several Welsh churches were constructed in the Oak Hill Area in the 19th Century, with some of them conducting services in the Welsh Language in to the 1920s. The Welsh-American Heritage Museum is located in the former Welsh Congregational Church on East Main St in the village.
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.
Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds
Oak Hill’s post office has been open since 1837. Another post office, Menager, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Menager
1836–1837
Oak Hill
1837–today
18301930today
Gone or out of use
Oak Hill Post Officepost office
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Oak Hill
CongregationalPrice
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Oak Hill’s history
What year was Oak Hill founded?
The Oak Hill post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Oak Hill rank for history?
Oak Hill is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns. 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 Oak Hill?
One place: the Oak Hill Welsh Congregational Church (listed 1978).
How old are the homes in Oak Hill?
25% of Oak Hill’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.1 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1957.
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) 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.
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