Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Waverly

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
A−History
History · Waverly

Waverly dates to 1829, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 79% of U.S. towns · #324 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it

Most of Waverly was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1960. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 14 buildings. Below: maps from 1885 on and the census since 1840.

1829founded
1on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Aesopposea · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Waverly began

When was Waverly founded?

1829

Waverly dates its founding to 1829 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1840.

First census: 306 in 18402020 census: 4,165197 years

How historic is Waverly?

A−

More historic than 79% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1830.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Waverly’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Waverly is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #324 of 993 in Ohio. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Waverly’s overall grade.
Founding era1829, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19409.9% of homes (±4.9) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register1 listing, 14 historic buildings, 33.9 per 10,000 residents · typical OH town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 79%
NewerOlder
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 67%

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 Waverly’s 33.9 sits above most of its state (86% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 14 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% 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 (±4.9 points). Two sources give 1829.

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 Waverly’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 Waverly are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages8 hamlets and corners are still on the map.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1885 to 1921, drew every building in Waverly.On the map since 19063 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1971. Watch Waverly change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Waverly’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Waverly’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
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Waverly’s post office has been open since 1830.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Bristol VillageGlen JeanGreen AcresKilgore EstatesWaverly EstatesWaverly HeightsWaverly Mobile Home ParkWaverly Place
Gone or out of use
Waverly Public Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Waverly
Evergreen

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

Every building

Waverly, building by building, 1885–1921

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.

Waverly fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

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

The story

How Waverly came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Waverly.

Read it all →

Historians believe that Waverly and the surrounding areas were inhabited by nomadic people as early as 13,000 BC. The first historical evidence that can be tied to a particular culture dates back to sometime between the years 1000 and 800 BC, to the culture known as the Adena. The area around Waverly is particularly rich in Adena heritage, including a number of mounds throughout the area. The Adena were given their cognomen from Thomas Worthington's Adena Estate near Chillicothe, where evidence of their culture was found in the early 1900s.

ChaptersFirst inhabitants and native culturesEuropean settlementThe Ohio and Erie CanalThe battle for the county seatJames Emmitt and The Historic Emmitt HouseThe Civil War through the atomic eraRacial segregation in Waverly

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Waverly, 1829 to 1997

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1829
    FoundingWaverly is established
  3. 1830Post officeThe Waverly post office opens
  4. 1882Born hereBarney Schreiber is born here
  5. 1898Born hereGeorge D. Nye is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1997Born hereHollyn is born here
By decade

Waverly, decade by decade

Today12 recent
1957 Ford 60020141957 Ford 600WaverlyOhioHS2013WaverlyOhioHSWaverlyOH22013WaverlyOH2WaverlyOH12013WaverlyOH1PikeCtyOHLibrary12013PikeCtyOHLibrary1Waverly, Ohio2012Waverly, OhioWaverly Library2012Waverly LibraryWaverly (Ohio) High School2012Waverly (Ohio) High SchoolEmmitt House Hotel in2012Emmitt House Hotel inDetailed map of2008Detailed map ofMap"Green door, what's that secret you're keepin'?"2005"Green door, what's that secret you're keepin'?"OHMap-doton-Waverly2004OHMap-doton-Waverly
On the map

Waverly on the map, 1906 to 1971

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

Waverly on the 1906 USGS mapWaverly on the 1961 USGS mapWaverly on the 1971 USGS map1906Waverly 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 Waverly.

On the National Register

1 listing protects 14 historic buildings

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
14
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Waverly Canal Historic District
Waverly Canal Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Georgian Revival1
Federal1
Queen Anne1
Eastlake1
Gothic Revival1
All 1 listings
Waverly Canal Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1978

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

People over time

Waverly, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0001850190019502000Peak: 4,858

Between 306 and 4,858 people in every census since 1840.

19 censuses, 1840–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Waverly

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

See all →
George D. NyePolitician · b. 1898
HollynAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1997
B
Barney SchreiberAmerican baseball player · b. 1882

Questions about Waverly’s history

What year was Waverly founded?

In 1829, according to Wikidata. Waverly’s post office opened in 1830, and the census of 1840 counted 306 people here.

How does Waverly rank for history?

Waverly is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #324 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 Waverly?

One place: the Waverly Canal Historic District (listed 1978).

How old are the homes in Waverly?

10% of Waverly’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1960.

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 (1), 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.