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History · Philo

Philo dates to 1833, and 49% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1929 on.

1833founded
0on the National Register
49%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Philo’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Philo began

When was Philo founded?

1833

Philo dates its founding to 1833 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1851.

2020 census: 720193 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1851.The full story ↓

What stands out about Philo’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Philo’s homes were built before 1941.Deep rootsEstablished in 1833: 193 years of Philo.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Philo’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewOhio-Power-Plant-Philo: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Philo came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Philo.

Read it all →

An old variant name was Taylorsville. Taylorsville was laid out in 1833 by James Taylor, and named for him. A post office called Philo has been in operation since 1851. The present name is for Philo Buckingham, an early settler.

From 1924 to 1975, the Philo Power Plant generated electric power. In 1957 Unit 6 at the Philo Power plant was the first commercial supercritical steam-electric generating unit in the world. Today, the rotors from Philo 6 are on display as a sculpture created by George Greenamyer located at the AEP Building in Columbus, Ohio.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Philo, 1833 to 1929

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1833
    FoundingPhilo is established
  3. 1851Post officeThe Philo post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1929In the archiveOhio-Power-Plant-Philo
By decade

Philo, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1920s1 item
Ohio-Power-Plant-Philo1929Ohio-Power-Plant-Philo
1930s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today3 recent
Map of Muskingum County Ohio Highlighting Philo Village2015Map of Muskingum County Ohio Highlighting Philo Villa…MapPhilo-Duncan Falls bridge2014Philo-Duncan Falls bridgeOHMap-doton-Philo2004OHMap-doton-Philo
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Ohio-Power-Plant-Philo
Retake this viewOhio-Power-Plant-Philo, 1929

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Philo’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Philo

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

See all →
Zane GreyAmerican novelist · b. 1872
Richard BasehartAmerican actor · b. 1914
Cass GilbertAmerican architect · b. 1859
Kevin MartinAmerican basketball player (born February 01, 1… · b. 1983
Chalmers WylieAmerican politician · b. 1920
J
Joseph T. CollinsHerpetologist · b. 1938

Questions about Philo’s history

What year was Philo founded?

In 1833, according to Wikidata. Philo’s post office opened in 1851.

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 (4), 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.