Milford Township, Butler County, Ohio
Encyclopedia
Milford Township, one of thirteen townships
in the county, is located in north-central Butler County
, Ohio
, United States
, between Oxford
and Middletown
. The township, which contains the village of Somerville
, had a population of 3,254 in 2000
, up from 2,651 in 1990
. Excluding Somerville, 2,960 live in the unincorporated part of the township. It comprises one entire survey township
in the Congress Lands
and has an area of thirty-six square miles. The township was named by Robert Lytle
, the township justice of the peace
and County Judge who was the great-grandfather of a famous Milford Township native, Governor Andrew L. Harris
. Statewide, other Milford Townships are located in Defiance
and Knox
Counties.
in order of creation, it was erected from St. Clair Township
by the Butler County Commissioners on December 2, 1805, with these boundaries:
This area was diminished to the present territory when the western half, another full survey township commonly known as the "college township
", was separated from Milford Township by the Butler County Commissioners (James Blackburn, William Robison, and John Wingate) on August 5, 1811, to form Oxford Township
.
Unincorporated places in the township are Darrtown
and Collinsville
.
post offices and is in the Talawanda City School District. Major highways include State Routes 73
(the road between Oxford and Middletown), 177
, and 744
, and U.S. Route 127
(the road between Hamilton
and Eaton
, which is also known as the Gov. Andrew L. Harris Bicentennial Roadway). At the 2005 Milford Township Bicentennial, the Gov. Andrew L. Harris
Bicentennial Roadway was dedicated in 2005 by an invited speaker, James Brodbelt Harris, the governor's relative and the president of the family reunion
association, whose family owns an Ohio Century Farm in the township.
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
in the county, is located in north-central Butler County
Butler County, Ohio
Butler County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2010, the population was 368,130. Its county seat is Hamilton. It is named for General Richard Butler, who died in 1791 fighting Indians in northern Ohio. Butler's army marched out of Fort Hamilton, where the city of...
, 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...
, between Oxford
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
and Middletown
Middletown, Ohio
Middletown is an All-America City located in Butler and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Formerly in Lemon, Turtlecreek, and Franklin townships, Middletown was incorporated by the Ohio General Assembly on February 11, 1833, and became a city in 1886...
. The township, which contains the village of Somerville
Somerville, Ohio
Somerville is a village in Milford Township, Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 294 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Somerville is located at ....
, had a population of 3,254 in 2000
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, up from 2,651 in 1990
United States Census, 1990
The Twenty-first United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 248,709,873, an increase of 9.8 percent over the 226,545,805 persons enumerated during the 1980 Census....
. Excluding Somerville, 2,960 live in the unincorporated part of the township. It comprises one entire survey township
Survey township
Survey township, sometimes called Congressional township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System, refers to a square unit of land, that is nominally six miles on a side...
in the Congress Lands
Congress Lands
The Congress Lands was a group of land tracts in Ohio that made land available for sale to members of the general public through land offices in various cities, and through the General Land Office...
and has an area of thirty-six square miles. The township was named by Robert Lytle
Lytle family
The Lytle family of Cincinnati is considered to be Cincinnati's first family and the founders of Cincinnati.-Captain William Lytle:Captain William Lytle , was deeded of land for service as one of General Washington's elite corps of officers in the Revolutionary War . He solicited settlers to...
, the township justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and County Judge who was the great-grandfather of a famous Milford Township native, Governor Andrew L. Harris
Andrew L. Harris
Andrew Lintner Harris was one of the heroes of the Battle of Gettysburg and the last Civil War general to serve as a governor in the U.S., serving as the 44th Governor of Ohio.-Biography:Harris was born in Milford Township, Butler County, Ohio, and was educated in the local schools...
. Statewide, other Milford Townships are located in Defiance
Milford Township, Defiance County, Ohio
Milford Township is one of the twelve townships of Defiance County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,013 people in the township.-Geography:...
and Knox
Milford Township, Knox County, Ohio
Milford Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Knox County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,422 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southwestern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
Counties.
History
The seventh townshipTownship (United States)
A township in the United States is a small geographic area. Townships range in size from 6 to 54 square miles , with being the norm.The term is used in three ways....
in order of creation, it was erected from St. Clair Township
St. Clair Township, Butler County, Ohio
St. Clair Township, one of thirteen townships in Butler County, Ohio, United States, consists of three disconnected pieces located along the Great Miami River in central Butler County. It had a population of 7,336 in 2000, down from 7,670 in 1990. Exclusive of the village of New Miami, which lies...
by the Butler County Commissioners on December 2, 1805, with these boundaries:
- Beginning at the southeast corner of the fifth townshipSurvey townshipSurvey township, sometimes called Congressional township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System, refers to a square unit of land, that is nominally six miles on a side...
of the second range west of the MiamiGreat Miami RiverThe Great Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southwestern Ohio in the United States...
; thence north with the east boundary of the said second range to the north boundary of the county; thence west with the northern boundary line to the northwest corner of the county; thence south with the western boundary line of the county to the southwest corner of the fifth township in the first range; thence to the place of beginning.
This area was diminished to the present territory when the western half, another full survey township commonly known as the "college township
College Township
The "College Township" was the full survey township located in the northwest corner of Butler County, Ohio, now corresponding to the civil township of Oxford, designated by the Ohio General Assembly to be the site of the state university now called Miami University...
", was separated from Milford Township by the Butler County Commissioners (James Blackburn, William Robison, and John Wingate) on August 5, 1811, to form Oxford Township
Oxford Township, Butler County, Ohio
Oxford Township, also known as the College Township, is one of thirteen townships in the county and is located in the northwestern corner of Butler County, Ohio, United States, where it meets Preble County, Ohio, and Union County, Indiana. The city of Oxford and Miami University are located here. ...
.
Historic population figures
- 1900—1476
- 1910—1397
- 1920—1344
- 1930—1467
- 1940—1532
- 1950—1688
- 1960—2135
- 1970—2350
- 1980—2569
- 1990—2651
Geography
Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships:- Somers Township, Preble CountySomers Township, Preble County, OhioSomers Township is one of the twelve townships of Preble County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,245 people in the township, 1,943 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
- north - Gratis Township, Preble CountyGratis Township, Preble County, OhioGratis Township is one of the twelve townships of Preble County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,471 people in the township, 3,343 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
- northeast corner - Wayne TownshipWayne Township, Butler County, OhioWayne Township, one of thirteen townships in the county, is located in north-central Butler County, Ohio, United States between Trenton and Oxford. It had a total population of 4,252 in 2000, up from 3,897 in 1990. Exclusive of the two incorporated villages in the township, Jacksonburg and Seven...
- east - St. Clair TownshipSt. Clair Township, Butler County, OhioSt. Clair Township, one of thirteen townships in Butler County, Ohio, United States, consists of three disconnected pieces located along the Great Miami River in central Butler County. It had a population of 7,336 in 2000, down from 7,670 in 1990. Exclusive of the village of New Miami, which lies...
- southeast corner - Hanover TownshipHanover Township, Butler County, OhioHanover Township, one of thirteen townships in the county, is located in west-central Butler County, Ohio, United States, midway between Hamilton and Oxford. It had a population of 7,878 in 2000, up from 7,653 in 1990. Rapidly growing, the Census Bureau in 2004 estimated the population was 8,751...
- south - Reily TownshipReily Township, Butler County, OhioReily Township, one of thirteen townships in the county, is located in west-central Butler County, Ohio, United States. It has a population of 2,568 in 2000, up from 2,521 in 1990. There are no incorporated places in the township, but the communities of Bunker Hill, Newkirk, Scipio, St. Charles,...
- southwest corner - Oxford TownshipOxford Township, Butler County, OhioOxford Township, also known as the College Township, is one of thirteen townships in the county and is located in the northwestern corner of Butler County, Ohio, United States, where it meets Preble County, Ohio, and Union County, Indiana. The city of Oxford and Miami University are located here. ...
- west - Israel Township, Preble CountyIsrael Township, Preble County, OhioIsrael Township is one of the twelve townships of Preble County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,273 people in the township, 1,031 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
- northwest corner
Unincorporated places in the township are Darrtown
Darrtown, Ohio
Darrtown is an unincorporated community in southern Milford Township, Butler County, Ohio, United States....
and Collinsville
Collinsville, Ohio
Collinsville is an unincorporated community in southeastern Milford Township, Butler County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 45004. It lies at the intersection of U.S. Route 127 and State Route 73.-References:...
.
Government
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, 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.Public services
The township is served by the Somerville and CollinsvilleCollinsville, Ohio
Collinsville is an unincorporated community in southeastern Milford Township, Butler County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 45004. It lies at the intersection of U.S. Route 127 and State Route 73.-References:...
post offices and is in the Talawanda City School District. Major highways include State Routes 73
Ohio State Route 73
State Route 73 is an east–west state highway in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. Its western terminus is on U.S. Route 27 in Oxford. State Route 73’s eastern terminus is in Portsmouth at U.S. Route 23; this is also the southern terminus of State Route 104, and the two state...
(the road between Oxford and Middletown), 177
Ohio State Route 177
State Route 177 is a north–south state highway located in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. The southern terminus of State Route 177 is at the signalized junction of State Route 4 and State Route 129 in Hamilton, after State Route 177 runs concurrently with State Route 129 for...
, and 744
Ohio State Route 744
State Route 744 is an east–west state highway in southwestern Ohio, a U.S. state. The western terminus of State Route 744 is at its junction with U.S. Route 127 a distance of northwest of Somerville...
, and U.S. Route 127
U.S. Route 127
U.S. Route 127 is a long north–south United States highway in the eastern half of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 27 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The northern terminus is at Interstate 75 near Grayling, Michigan...
(the road between Hamilton
Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
and Eaton
Eaton, Ohio
Eaton is a city in and the county seat of Preble County, Ohio, United States. The population was 8,407 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, which is also known as the Gov. Andrew L. Harris Bicentennial Roadway). At the 2005 Milford Township Bicentennial, the Gov. Andrew L. Harris
Andrew L. Harris
Andrew Lintner Harris was one of the heroes of the Battle of Gettysburg and the last Civil War general to serve as a governor in the U.S., serving as the 44th Governor of Ohio.-Biography:Harris was born in Milford Township, Butler County, Ohio, and was educated in the local schools...
Bicentennial Roadway was dedicated in 2005 by an invited speaker, James Brodbelt Harris, the governor's relative and the president of the family reunion
Family reunion
A family reunion is an occasion when many members of an extended family get together. Sometimes reunions are held regularly, for example on the same date of every year....
association, whose family owns an Ohio Century Farm in the township.