Pataskala dates to 1851, and 9 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 49% of U.S. towns · #673 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Most of Pataskala was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. Below: maps from 1907 on and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1851.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Pataskala’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pataskala is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #673 of 993 in Ohio. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pataskala’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 Pataskala’s 5.5 sits above most of its state (65% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1851.
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 Pataskala’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Pataskala was laid out in 1851 when the railroad was extended to that point. "Pataskala" is a name derived from the Delaware language. A post office has been in operation at Pataskala since 1852.
Pataskala was originally called Conine Town, after an early settler of the area, Richard Conine, and his wife Sarah (Van Dorn) Conine. Born in New Jersey, the Conines purchased over 2000 acres in Lima Township, permanently settling in the area in 1821. Conine had sold most of his land by 1850, and in 1851 he laid out plots for Conine Town. Another early settler, Jess Stoneman Green, who had purchased much of Conine's property, likewise laid out and sold lots in 1852. The name was changed to Pataskala in 1852.
The first settlements made were on the headwaters of the South fork of Licking, near where the village of Pataskala now stands. Mr. Hatfield, in the winter of 1805-6, “slashed” a small piece of ground near W. H. Mead’s sheep shed, for browse for his cattle. That spot was never cleared for cultivation, and is now covered with a beautiful grove of timber of second growth.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
unfit for use, and instead of rebuilding at that place, the Christian Union church building in Pataskala was purchased, and the church transferred to this place. The church was reorganized in Pataskala in March, 1870. Prior to the purchase of the Christian Union church, the society met for a short time in the old Wesleyan Methodist church, one of the first churches erected in Pataskala; the Wesleyan Meth-
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
Pataskala, 1851 to 1907
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1851, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Pataskala’s post office opened in 1851, and the census of 1870 counted 462 people here.
How does Pataskala rank for history?
Pataskala is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #673 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 Pataskala?
9 listings: 9 buildings, among them the Bethel Baptist Church (listed 1983, the first). 10 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Pataskala?
8% of Pataskala’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1998.
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 (3), Wikidata (9), the National Register of Historic Places (9), 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 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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