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B+History
History · Rossford

Rossford dates to 1898, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 71% of U.S. towns · #410 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 33 buildings. Below: maps from 1900 on and the census since 1940.

1898founded
2on the National Register
18%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Rossford began

When was Rossford founded?

1898

Rossford dates its founding to 1898 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1940.

First census: 3,912 in 19402020 census: 6,299128 years

How historic is Rossford?

B+

More historic than 71% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1900.
History grade

What drives Rossford’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rossford is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #410 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 Rossford’s overall grade.
Founding era1898, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194017.5% of homes (±4.5) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register2 listings, 34 historic buildings, 53.8 per 10,000 residents · typical OH town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 71%
NewerOlder
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 59%

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 Rossford’s 53.8 sits above most of its state (89% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 34 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% 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 (±4.5 points). Two sources give 1898.

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 Rossford’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 Rossford are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19005 editions of the USGS map, 1900 to 1980. Watch Rossford change.A historic districtThe Eagle Point Colony Historic District takes in 33 historic buildings.Lost villages8 hamlets and corners are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rossford’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rossford’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

Rossford on the map, 1900 to 1980

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

Rossford on the 1900 USGS mapRossford on the 1934 USGS mapRossford on the 1951 USGS mapRossford on the 1965 USGS mapRossford on the 1980 USGS map1900Toledo 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 Rossford.

On the National Register

2 listings protect 34 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
34
each building in a district counts
first listed
1983
Eagle Point Colony Historic District
Ford, Edward, Plate Glass Company Employee Relations Building, built 1917Eagle Point Colony Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Georgian Revival1
Dutch Colonial1
Tudor Revival1
English Cottage1
Craftsman1
Mediterranean1
Ford, Edward, Plate Glass Company Employee Relations BuildingBuilt 1917
All 2 listings
Eagle Point Colony Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story so far

Rossford, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Rossford yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Rossford is a city in Wood County, Ohio, United States, located along the Maumee River in the Toledo metropolitan area. The population was 6,299 at the 2020 census. The town includes the intersection of Interstate 75 and the Ohio Turnpike (Interstates 80 and 90). Rossford Public Library and WPAY serve the community. Rossford was founded as a company town by Edward Ford of the Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company. In 1898, Ford purchased 173 acres (0.70 km2) along the Maumee River to build the Edward Ford Plate Glass Company. As workers came to the factory, Ford named the resulting town "Rossford" by combining the last name of his second wife, Caroline Ross, with his. Shortly after the foundation…

Rossford was established in 1898. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 6,293 in 2010, 6,299 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Rossford, 1898 to 1981

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1898
    FoundingRossford is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1900Post officeThe Rossford post office opens
  5. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1917BuiltFord, Edward, Plate Glass Company Employee Relations Building is built
  7. 1921Born hereLee Knorek is born here
  8. 1926Born hereJohnny Payak is born here
  9. 1943Born hereDennis Richmond is born here
  10. 1972Post officeThe Rossford post office closes
  11. 1981Born hereJonathan Bennett is born here
By decade

Rossford, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Superior Street memorial boulevard in2016Superior Street memorial boulevard inEagle Point Colony gateway2015Eagle Point Colony gatewayIndian Hills Site from Wales Road2013Indian Hills Site from Wales Road
People over time

Rossford, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,00019401960198020002020Peak: 6,406

Between 3,912 and 6,406 people in every census since 1940.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Rossford

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Jonathan BennettAmerican actor · b. 1981
Lee KnorekAmerican basketball player · b. 1921
J
Johnny PayakAmerican basketball player · b. 1926
D
Dennis RichmondAmerican retired news anchor · b. 1943
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Rossford had its own post office from 1900 to 1972.

Rossford
1900–1972
19001960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Arbor HillsCandyce GroveEagle Point ColonyFrances GardensGrassy CreekIsland ViewRanch GardensValley Hills
1cemetery inside Rossford
Eagle Point

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Perrysburg Township3 historic placesB+NorthwoodIts storyC

Questions about Rossford’s history

What year was Rossford founded?

In 1898, according to Wikidata. Rossford’s post office opened in 1900, and the census of 1940 counted 3,912 people here.

How does Rossford rank for history?

Rossford is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #410 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 Rossford?

Two places: the Ford, Edward, Plate Glass Company Employee Relations Building (listed 2016) and the Eagle Point Colony Historic District (1983).

How old are the homes in Rossford?

18% of Rossford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1971.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.