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AHistory
History · Wapakoneta

Wapakoneta dates to 1782, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 94% of U.S. towns · #88 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it

7 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 53 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.

1782founded
7on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
8famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Wapakoneta’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Wapakoneta began

When was Wapakoneta founded?

1782

Wapakoneta dates its founding to 1782 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 504 in 18502020 census: 9,957244 years

How historic is Wapakoneta?

A

More historic than 94% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1829.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Wapakoneta’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wapakoneta is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #88 of 993 in Ohio. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wapakoneta’s overall grade.
Founding era1782, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194027.1% of homes (±5.2) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register7 listings, 60 historic buildings, 60.6 per 10,000 residents · typical OH town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 94%
NewerOlder
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 91%

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 Wapakoneta’s 60.6 sits above most of its state (90% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 60 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1782.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points).

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 Wapakoneta’s past

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

A historic districtThe Wapakoneta Commercial Historic District takes in 53 historic buildings.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1885 to 1911, drew every building in Wapakoneta.On the map since 19064 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1982. Watch Wapakoneta change.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Wapakoneta, and 3 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

7 listings protect 60 historic buildings

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

places listed
7
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
60
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Auglaize County Courthouse
Auglaize County CourthouseSt. Joseph Catholic Church and School, built 1899First Presbyterian Church of Wapakoneta, built 1861John H. Nichols HouseBlume High SchoolCharles Wintzer BuildingWapakoneta Commercial Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Italianate3
Greek Revival2
DeCurtins1
Hemmert, John and Joseph1
Gothic Revival1
Italian Renaissance1
Auglaize County CourthouseBuilding
St. Joseph Catholic Church and SchoolDeCurtins · Built 1899
First Presbyterian Church of WapakonetaGreek Revival · Built 1861
John H. Nichols HouseGreek Revival
Blume High SchoolItalian Renaissance
Charles Wintzer BuildingItalianate
All 7 listings
Wapakoneta Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1989

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

Every building

Wapakoneta, building by building, 1885–1911

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.

Wapakoneta fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the map

Wapakoneta on the map, 1906 to 1982

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

Wapakoneta on the 1906 USGS mapWapakoneta on the 1961 USGS mapWapakoneta on the 1972 USGS mapWapakoneta on the 1982 USGS map1906Lima 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 Wapakoneta.

The story

How Wapakoneta came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wapakoneta.

Read it all →

In 1748, the French built a trading post (Fort au Glaize, also known as "Wapakoneta Trading Post" or "AuGlaize Trading Post") about a half-mile northeast of the future site of Wapakoneta. After being re-established in 1760 as "Francis Duchouquet's Trading Post," the British later took over this territory after the French ceded it following defeat in the Seven Years' War. Neither they nor the later Americans (after independence) built a succeeding fort here. French-Canadian traders later reestablished a trading post at the site in 1784, which was abandoned after the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Wapakoneta, 1782 to 1949

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1782
    FoundingWapakoneta is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1829Post officeThe Wapahkonetta post office opens
  5. 1855Post officeThe Wapahkonetta post office closes
  6. 1855Post officeThe Wapakoneta post office opens
  7. 1861BuiltFirst Presbyterian Church of Wapakoneta is built
  8. 1862Born hereCharles J. Thompson is born here
  9. 1895Born hereDudley Nichols is born here
  10. 1899BuiltSt. Joseph Catholic Church and School is built
  11. 20th century
  12. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1908In the archiveAuglaize River
  14. 1927In the archiveChas (Charles) Metzger's Garage, Wapakoneta, Ohio April 27, 1927
  15. 1935Born hereCharles Brading is born here
  16. 1949Born hereDan Newland is born here
By decade

Wapakoneta, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1920s5 items
Auglaize River1908Auglaize RiverPostcardAuglaize River1908Auglaize RiverPostcardAuglaize Street1909Auglaize StreetPostcardAuglaize Street1909Auglaize StreetPostcardChas (Charles) Metzger's Garage, Wapakoneta, Ohio April 27, 19271927Chas (Charles) Metzger's Garage, Wapakoneta, Ohio Apr…
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
Today7 recent
Wapakoneta-West Central Ohio Industrial Center (JRS)2009Wapakoneta-West Central Ohio Industrial Center (JRS)Wapakoneta-West Central Ohio Industrial Center (JRS)2009Wapakoneta-West Central Ohio Industrial Center (JRS)Wapakoneta-West Central Ohio Industrial Center (JRS)2009Wapakoneta-West Central Ohio Industrial Center (JRS)Wapakoneta-West Central Ohio Industrial Center (JRS)2009Wapakoneta-West Central Ohio Industrial Center (JRS)Wapakoneta-West Central Ohio Industrial Center (JRS)2006Wapakoneta-West Central Ohio Industrial Center (JRS)Wapakoneta-West Central Ohio Industrial Center (JRS)2006Wapakoneta-West Central Ohio Industrial Center (JRS)Wapakoneta-Ohio-2004-snow2004Wapakoneta-Ohio-2004-snow
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.

Auglaize River
Retake this viewAuglaize River, 1908

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Wapakoneta, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00018501900195020009,957

Grew from 504 people in 1850 to 9,957 in 2020, more than tenfold.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Famous people

8 famous people were born in Wapakoneta

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

See all →
D
Dudley NicholsAmerican screenwriter · b. 1895
Charles J. ThompsonAmerican politician · b. 1862
C
Charles BradingAmerican politician · b. 1935
Dan NewlandAmerican freelance journalist · b. 1949
George KohlrieserAmerican psychologist · b. 1944
J
Jennifer CrusieAmerican writer · b. 1949
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Wapakoneta’s post office has been open since 1855. Another post office, Wapahkonetta, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Wapahkonetta
1829–1855
Wapakoneta
1855–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Colonial EstatesFour Seasons Trailer ParkRoyal Crest Mobile Home Park
Gone or out of use
Blume High Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Wapakoneta
EvergreenOld Saint Josephs

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

Help out

Finish Wapakoneta’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewAuglaize River: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Duchouquet Township7 historic placesAPusheta Township1 historic placeA−

Questions about Wapakoneta’s history

What year was Wapakoneta founded?

In 1782, according to Wikidata. Wapakoneta’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1850 counted 504 people here.

How does Wapakoneta rank for history?

Wapakoneta is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #88 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 Wapakoneta?

7 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Auglaize County Courthouse (listed 1973, the first), and 1 historic district, the Wapakoneta Commercial Historic District, with 53 contributing buildings. 60 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Wapakoneta?

27% of Wapakoneta’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1972.

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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.