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History · Tontogany

Tontogany’s post office opened in 1857, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1938 on and the census since 1880.

1857first post office
0on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Tontogany began

When was Tontogany founded?

1857

The Tontogany post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 343 in 18802020 census: 387169 years
Founding year: the first Tontogany post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Tontogany’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 Tontogany are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Tontogany’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tontogany’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tontogany’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
The story

How Tontogany came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tontogany.

Read it all →

Tontogany was platted in 1855, and named for Tontogany, a Native American chief. A post office called Tontogany has been in operation since 1857. The village was incorporated in 1874. In 2016, six cars from a CSX train derailed in downtown Tontogany, causing significant damage to the area.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Tontogany, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Map of Wood County Ohio Highlighting Tontogany Village2015Map of Wood County Ohio Highlighting Tontogany VillageMapTontogany, Ohio viewed from Main and Broad streets-0268752010Tontogany, Ohio viewed from Main and Broad streets-02…OHMap-doton-Tontogany2004OHMap-doton-Tontogany
On the map

Tontogany on the map, 1938 to 1994

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

Tontogany on the 1938 USGS mapTontogany on the 1952 USGS mapTontogany on the 1971 USGS mapTontogany on the 1980 USGS mapTontogany on the 1994 USGS map1938Tontogany sheet · 1:31,680

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Tontogany.

People over time

Tontogany, census by census

010020030040018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 395

Between 283 and 395 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Tontogany

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

See all →
A
Anthony De La TorreAmerican actor · b. 1993
James W. ForsythUnion Army general · b. 1835
J
Jim LeylandHall of Fame American baseball player and manag… · b. 1944
J
Joseph E. BairdAmerican politician · b. 1865
Andy TracyAmerican baseball player · b. 1973
C
Cara ZavaletaAmerican model and actress · b. 1980

Questions about Tontogany’s history

What year was Tontogany founded?

The Tontogany post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (3), Wikipedia, 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.