MiddletownJournal.com

Lebanon flourished as stagecoaches rumbled through her streets bearing travelers and settlers from the East. In 1805, the first courthouse and jail were built by public subscription, and in 1807, John McLean began publishing Ohio's oldest weekly newspaper, The Western Star.

In Ohio, the township predates our state government. The townshipÕs size and shape were determined by the Congressional Acts which established the various land grants. All lands defined by these acts were surveyed under the range and township system with the exception of the Virginia Military lands. Some were subdivided into townships five miles squareÑthose, for example, in the Connecticut Western Reserve established in 1786. Others were surveyed into townships six miles square, as in the Congress Lands, 1789-1801. In certain of the Ohio land grants, Congress set aside lands for the use of schools and the support of religious institutions. In the Symmes Purchase, for example, Section 16 of each township was reserved for schools and Section 29 was set aside for religious institutions.

As the Ohio Territory became populated, it was only natural that the surveyed townships should become the basic unit of local government. In 1804, the elected officials of a township consisted of three trustees, a clerk, two overseers of the poor, and a sufficient number of supervisors of highways, in addition to justices of the peace and constables. A township treasurer and assessor were later added. In the early years of statehood, Ohio township government cared for the poor, maintained the roads, preserved the peace, registered brands and fulfilled the needs of local government generally.

Today, just as in 1804, the township in Ohio is a political subdivision of the state. As such, it has only those powers granted to it by the state legislature and performs functions defined by the state. To keep pace with the demands of changing times, the functions, duties and obligations of the township have changed over the years. Demands for increased or different services have prompted the state legislature to grant OhioÕs 1311 townships the authority to fulfill these changing demands.

Three trustees and a clerk, each elected for a four-year term, administer each of our townships today. Officially they fill their offices on a part-time basis, but they are always ready to meet their responsibilities and put in many hours of work to serve their constituents. And their intimate knowledge of their community, its needs and its citizens makes them able to offer more personal service than any other unit of government

From the Ohio Township Association's Township History and Function Brochure