Sugar Creek Township, Wayne County, Ohio

Sugar Creek Township is one of the sixteen townships of Wayne County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 7,187 people in the township.

Sugar Creek Township, Wayne County, Ohio
Commercial district in Kidron
Commercial district in Kidron
Location of Sugar Creek Township in Wayne County
Location of Sugar Creek Township in Wayne County
Coordinates: 40°46′46″N 81°42′38″W / 40.77944°N 81.71056°W / 40.77944; -81.71056
CountryUnited States
StateOhio
CountyWayne
Area
 • Total
37.3 sq mi (96.6 km2)
 • Land37.3 sq mi (96.5 km2)
 • Water0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation1,119 ft (341 m)
Population
 • Total
7,187
 • Density192.7/sq mi (74.5/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code39-75231[3]
GNIS feature ID1087161[1]

Geography

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Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:

The village of Dalton is located in northern Sugar Creek Township, and the unincorporated community of Kidron lies in the southwestern part of the township.

Name and history

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It is one of five Sugar Creek Townships statewide.[4]

The first settler in Sugar Creek township was James Goudy in 1808. He established a lumber mill along the banks of Sugar Creek in the northeast part of Sugar Creek township. “Brief Historical Memento of Dalton, Ohio”, August 8, 1940, Carl Lawrence and Dean Norris, pgs. 5 & 53.

Between 1808 and 1810, a road was cut through the densely-forested land from Canton to Wooster. “Brief Historical Memento of Dalton, Ohio”, August 8, 1940, Carl Lawrence and Dean Norris, pgs. 19 & 51. Wooster Daily Record, Monday, January 10, 1949, pg. 10. Wooster Daily Record, Tuesday, September 23, 1957, pg. 9.

In 1812, four townships were created in Wayne County, Sugar Creek, Wooster, Mohican, and Prairie. “Brief Historical Memento of Dalton, Ohio”, August 8, 1940, Carl Lawrence and Dean Norris, pg. 11.

In 1814, the Church of Sugar Creek was organized and in 1817 the village of Dover (part of present-day Dalton, OH) was surveyed. Wooster Daily Record, Tuesday, September 23, 1957, pg. 9.

In 1819 the Sonnenberg village (near present-day Kidron, OH) was established in the southwestern part of Sugar Creek township. These settlers were Mennonites from the canton of Bern in Switzerland.[5]

The post office in Dover (now Dalton) was established in 1825. “Brief Historical Memento of Dalton, Ohio”, August 8, 1940, Carl Lawrence and Dean Norris, pg. 37.

Like the founders of Kidron, the early settlers of Sugarcreek, Ohio, 20 miles from Sugar Creek township, in Tuscarawas County, also came from the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The settlers of Sugarcreek, however, arrived probably a decade or two later than their Kidron neighbors in the 1830s and 1840s, and were part of the Reformed Church – not Mennonite. Sugarcreek had its post office established in 1888, when it received its official name. Sugarcreek was originally named for a local stream running nearby, and the small settlement of Shanesville, also in Tuscarawas County, later merged with Sugarcreek.[5]

Government

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The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer,[6] who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.

References

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  1. ^ a b "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. ^ "Sugar Creek township, Wayne County, Ohio - Census Bureau Profile". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  3. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "Detailed map of Ohio" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
  5. ^ a b A Little Bit Swiss: Amish Country's "other" heritage Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine, Amish-Heartland.com. 2002-09-30. Accessed 2009-04-26.
  6. ^ §503.24, §505.01, and §507.01 of the Ohio Revised Code. Accessed 4/30/2009.
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