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History · Waynesfield

Waynesfield dates to 1848, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1913 on and the census since 1880.

1848founded
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How Waynesfield began

When was Waynesfield founded?

1848

Waynesfield dates its founding to 1848 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 306 in 18802020 census: 749178 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1851.

What stands out about Waynesfield’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 Waynesfield are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19135 editions of the USGS map, 1913 to 1983. Watch Waynesfield change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1848: 178 years of Waynesfield.Old housesHalf of Waynesfield’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Waynesfield’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Waynesfield’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Waynesfield on the map, 1913 to 1983

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

Waynesfield on the 1913 USGS mapWaynesfield on the 1943 USGS mapWaynesfield on the 1961 USGS mapWaynesfield on the 1973 USGS mapWaynesfield on the 1983 USGS map1913Alger 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 Waynesfield.

Timeline

Waynesfield, 1848 to 1913

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1848
    FoundingWaynesfield is established
  3. 1851Post officeThe Waynesfield post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1913On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story so far

Waynesfield, in brief

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

Waynesfield is a village in Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The population was 749 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Waynesfield was established in 1848. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 847 to 749 (-12%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Waynesfield, 1880–1905

Passages that mention Waynesfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Waynesfield, situated in the southwest part of the township, was laid out by B. G. Atkinson, who opened the first store; the first physician was Henry Leaman. It has a good trade, being surrounded by a rich agricultural country, it now has three stores, one hotel, two churches, two physicians, and …
History of Auglaize County, Ohio1880 · page 180Read the page →
Read the text

Waynesfield, situated in the southwest part of the township, was laid out by B. G. Atkinson, who opened the first store; the first physician was Henry Leaman. It has a good trade, being surrounded by a rich agricultural country, it now has three stores, one hotel, two churches, two physicians, and a steam grist and saw mill.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
was graduated from that institution the following year. He commenced the practice of his profession at Mount Jackson, but soon afterward moved to Westminster, Ohio, where he practiced until 1858. In that year he moved to Waynesfield, Ohio, where he acquired a large and lucrative practice. In 1885 h…
History of western Ohio and Auglaize County1905 · page 745Read the page →
Read the text

was graduated from that institution the following year. He commenced the practice of his profession at Mount Jackson, but soon afterward moved to Westminster, Ohio, where he practiced until 1858. In that year he moved to Waynesfield, Ohio, where he acquired a large and lucrative practice. In 1885 he retired from practice and was succeeded by W. S. Turner. After retiring from practice Dr. Krebs moved to his farm, located north of Waynesfield, where he resided until 1897, when he erected for

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.

By decade

Waynesfield, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Map of Auglaize County Ohio Highlighting Waynesfield Village2015Map of Auglaize County Ohio Highlighting Waynesfield …MapWaynesfield downtown2009Waynesfield downtownPost office2009Post officeOHMap-doton-Waynesfield2004OHMap-doton-Waynesfield
People over time

Waynesfield, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 847

Between 306 and 847 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Questions about Waynesfield’s history

What year was Waynesfield founded?

In 1848, according to Wikidata. Waynesfield’s post office opened in 1851, and the census of 1880 counted 306 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 (4), 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 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.