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History · Zoar

Zoar dates to 1817, and 59% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Zoar Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 61 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1912 on, and the census since 1850.

1817founded
2on the National Register
59%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Zoar’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Zoar began, and where its name came from

When was Zoar founded?

1817

Zoar dates its founding to 1817 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 249 in 18502020 census: 172209 years

How did Zoar get its name?

Zoar was named after the Biblical village to which Lot and his family escaped from Sodom.

Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1826. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Zoar’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Zoar Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, takes in 58 historic buildings.Old housesHalf of Zoar’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 326 in 1870; 172 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Zoar’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCommunistic Societies of the United Sta…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

2 listings protect 61 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmark
1
Zoar Historic District
historic buildings protected
61
each building in a district counts
first listed
1969
Zoar Historic District
Zoar Historic DistrictZoar Historic District★
Districts★ landmark
★ Landmark
Zoar Historic DistrictDistrict
Zoar Historic DistrictDistrict

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

The story

How Zoar came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Zoar.

Read it all →

Zoar was founded by Radical Pietist Christian dissenters from Germany called the Society of Separatists of Zoar in 1817. It was named after the Biblical village to which Lot and his family escaped from Sodom. It was a communal society: All property was communally owned, and the farms, shops, and factories were managed by regularly elected trustees. The society attained its greatest prosperity in the 1850s, when it owned over 10,000 acres of land and was worth approximately $1 million. Many German-style structures have been restored and are part of the Zoar Village State Memorial. There are presently ten restored buildings. According to the Ohio Historical Connection, Zoar is an island of Old-World charm in east-central Ohio.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Zoar in 1884

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

Upon reaching the Tuscarawas branch of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh road at Zoar Station, a lease of the right of way over this road from Zoar Station to Dover, a distance of eight miles, was effected, and the Wheeling & Lake Erie road about the same time purchased the Cleveland & Marietta road, exte…
The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio1884 · page 396Read the page →
Read the text

Upon reaching the Tuscarawas branch of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh road at Zoar Station, a lease of the right of way over this road from Zoar Station to Dover, a distance of eight miles, was effected, and the Wheeling & Lake Erie road about the same time purchased the Cleveland & Marietta road, extending from Dover to Marietta, and now operates fcthis road with the eightmile lease, from Zoar Station to Marietta, as a branch of the Wheeling & Lake Erie.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The station and post office is now called Zoar Station. The store here is the the property of the Zoar society, and has been operated since 1803 by Charles H. Ehlers. Mr. Ehlers has also been Postmaster since 1867.
The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio1884 · page 546Read the page →
Read the text

The station and post office is now called Zoar Station. The store here is the the property of the Zoar society, and has been operated since 1803 by Charles H. Ehlers. Mr. Ehlers has also been Postmaster since 1867.

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

Zoar, 1817 to 2016

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1817
    FoundingZoar is established
  3. 1826Post officeThe Zoar post office opens
  4. 1870CensusPopulation peaks at 326
  5. 1875In the archiveCommunistic Societies of the United States Views in Zoar 1875
  6. 20th century
  7. 1912On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1933In the archiveEXTERIOR, WEST FRONT AND SOUTH SIDE - Zoar School, Fifth Street
  9. 21st century
  10. 2016LandmarkZoar Historic District named a National Historic Landmark
By decade

Zoar, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item
Communistic Societies of the United States Views in Zoar 18751875Communistic Societies of the United States Views in Z…
1930s1 item
EXTERIOR, WEST FRONT AND SOUTH SIDE - Zoar School, Fifth Street1933EXTERIOR, WEST FRONT AND SOUTH SIDE - Zoar School, Fi…
1940s–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
Today4 recent
Map of Tuscarawas County Ohio Highlighting Zoar Village2015Map of Tuscarawas County Ohio Highlighting Zoar Villa…MapCanal Tavern of2012Canal Tavern ofDetailed map of2009Detailed map ofMapOHMap-doton-Zoar2004OHMap-doton-Zoar
On the map

Zoar on the map, 1912 to 1994

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

Zoar on the 1912 USGS mapZoar on the 1944 USGS mapZoar on the 1961 USGS mapZoar on the 1971 USGS mapZoar on the 1984 USGS mapZoar on the 1994 USGS map1912Dover 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 Zoar.

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.

Communistic Societies of the United States Views in Zoar 1875
Retake this viewCommunistic Societies of the United States Views in Zoar 1875, 1875

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Zoar, census by census

01002003001850190019502000Peak: 326

Peaked at 326 in 1870; 172 people lived here in 2020.

17 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Wilkshire Hills1 historic placeC+Lawrence Township5 historic placesA−Sandy Township1 historic placeB+

Questions about Zoar’s history

What year was Zoar founded?

In 1817, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Zoar’s post office opened in 1826, and the census of 1850 counted 249 people here.

What is on the National Register in Zoar?

Two places: the Zoar Historic District (listed 2016) and the Zoar Historic District (1969).

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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, 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.