Big Plain is an unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in Fairfield Township

Fairfield Township, Madison County, Ohio

Fairfield Township is one of the fourteen townships of Madison County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,333 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...

, Madison County

Madison County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 40,213 people, 13,672 households, and 10,035 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 people per square mile . There were 14,399 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is located at 39°50′19"N 83°17′21"W, at the intersection of West Jefferson-Kiousville Road and Big Plain-Circleville Road, approx. 4 miles north of Kiousville

Kiousville, Ohio

Kiousville is an unincorporated community in southern Fairfield Township, Madison County, Ohio, United States. It is located at , at the intersection of Kiousville-Georgesville Road and McKendree Road....

.

History

The community was originally laid out by Thomas Chappel, Robert Thomas and William D. Pringle in the spring of 1849, and was then named California, after the recent gold rush in the U.S. State of the same name

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, and the community was later expanded by Pringle. As of 1875, the community had one church, two dry goods stores, one drug store, two blacksmith

Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...

 and wagon shops, two physicians, and one shoe shop. Due to there already being a post office named California elsewhere in the state, the Big Plain Post Office was established on June 17, 1850, named after large prairies in the area known as the "Big Plains". To prevent any confusion, the name of the community was changed to match the name of the post office some time between 1875 and 1905. The post office was discontinued on December 14, 1905. The mail service is now sent through the London

London, Ohio

London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,771, an increase from 7,807 in 1990. It is the...

 branch. As of 1915, the community contained a church, a Knights of Pythias

Knights of Pythias

The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded at Washington, DC, on 19 February 1864.The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded by Justus H. Rathbone, who had been...

lodge, and the township hall.