2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 67 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: the first Somerset post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Somerset’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Somerset is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Somerset’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 Somerset’s 567 sits above most of its state (99% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 69 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±12.0 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 Somerset’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
On the map
Somerset on the map, 1909 to 1994
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Somerset. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1909Thornville 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 Somerset.
Every building
Somerset, building by building, 1895–1913
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The village of Somerset was established in 1807 by settlers from Somerset, Pennsylvania at the spot on Zane's Trace located midway between Lancaster and Zanesville. Seven years later, parts of Fairfield, Muskingum, and Washington counties were merged to create Perry County, and the house of a Somerset resident was named the first temporary courthouse. In 1819, the county government arranged for the erection of a purpose-built courthouse in Somerset; while most of the building was used for a jail, it also included a courtroom and space for some county offices. Ten years later, a permanent courthouse was constructed on the village's public square.
Passages that mention Somerset, cut from the printed page as they were published.
1883 history perry county, ohio1883 · page 373Read the page →
Read the text
ness. Neil soon made himself so indispensable that his wages were raised tp $1,200 a year; and he helped on the first pike and on the first waterworks ever erected in the United States. John, his nephew, also served as director of the Newark, Somerset and Straitsville Railroad, while Neil, the uncle, helped to build the Zanesville and Maysville turnpike. The name of Crosson is thus honorably connected with the first water works and pike of the East, and the first railroad and pike through the town of Somerset. John’s father, after settling his family comfort-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
1883 history perry county, ohio1883 · page 295Read the page →
Read the text
The Lutheran Church in Somerset is one of the oldest in the county. Among the early emigrants to Somerset and neighborhood were many Pennsylvania Germans, most of whom were Lutherans, and, at a very early day—about 1812 or 1813—there was Lutheran preaching at Somerset in private houses, and at the old log schoolhouse situated on South Columbus street. About 1817 or 1818 the old log house of worship was erected on North street. The congregation had been organized a few years previously. The original church building was constructed of
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
Somerset, 1811 to 1959
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
The Somerset post office opened in 1811, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Somerset rank for history?
Somerset is more historic than 98% 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 Somerset?
Two places: the Sheridan House (listed 1980) and the Somerset Historic District (1975).
How old are the homes in Somerset?
47% of Somerset’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.0 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1952.
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 (2), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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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