Perry Township, Stark County, Ohio
Encyclopedia
Perry Township is one of the seventeen townships
of Stark County
, Ohio
, United States
. It is an urban township
; the 2000 census
found 29,167 people in the township.
Several populated places are located in Perry Township:
, hero of the War of 1812. Commander Perry was the victor of a battle on Lake Erie on September 10th, 1812.
The first formal settlement in the township was Kendal
founded in 1812 by Thomas Rotch and his wife who were Quakers from Massachusetts. Other settlers arriving with the Rotch Family were Arvine Wales and Charles Skinner. They utilized Sippo Creek and operated a woolen factory and saw mill.
In 1826, James Duncan founded Massillon. The Ohio/Erie Canal was opened to Massillon in 1828 and the entire area and surrounding communities grew exponentially.
Johnny Appleseed
(Jonathan Chapman) planted the first orchard in Perry Township on the south side of the Canton–Massillon Road on the Daum Farm. Dr. William Gardner was believed to have been the first physician to settle in Perry Township. He came from New York in 1814. The first religious society was the Religious Society of Friends
in Kendal about 1813. Methodists soon populated the area.
The first school in the township was established in Kendal. Public schools or common schools came into existence in Perry Township in 1825. By 1875, Perry Township had seven one-room schools.
The construction of Reedurban, Genoa, and Richville Schools brought the one-room era to an end. In the 1950’s Whipple, Watson, Lohr, and Perry High were built. The 1956 opening of Perry High School signifies the first time Perry Local Schools offered secondary education. The growth of the school system continued with the construction of Edison Junior High in 1962 and a vocational wing on the High School in 1964.
Perry Township as a community experienced rapid growth. The agricultural farms from the early days have been reborn as housing developments, commercial and industrial sites, medical facilities, and municipal structures. In the 1970’s, housing developments in the township were advertised as “the convenience of the city and the charm of the country”.
Today, Perry Township is a stable, united community with a population of nearly 30,000 residents. Even though most of the land has been developed, there is still a hint of the agricultural history in some sections of the township.
It is one of twenty-six Perry Townships statewide
.
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,...
of Stark County
Stark County, Ohio
Stark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 375,586. It is included in the Canton-Massillon, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, 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 an urban township
Urban township (Ohio)
An urban township is a designation of a unit of local government in Ohio as prescribed by chapter 504 of the Ohio Revised Code. Chapter 504 outlines the procedures for an Ohio civil township to adopt limited home rule government. At least 5,000 people are required to reside in unincorporated...
; the 2000 census
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...
found 29,167 people in the township.
Geography
Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:- Jackson TownshipJackson Township, Stark County, OhioJackson Township is one of the seventeen townships of Stark County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 37,744 people in the township, 37,484 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
- north - Plain TownshipPlain Township, Stark County, OhioPlain Township is one of the seventeen townships of Stark County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 51,997 people in the township, 35,543 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township...
- northeast corner - Canton TownshipCanton Township, Stark County, OhioCanton Township is one of the seventeen townships of Stark County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 13,882 people in the township, 13,402 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
- east - Pike TownshipPike Township, Stark County, OhioPike Township is one of the seventeen townships of Stark County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,088 people in the township, 3,282 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
- southeast corner - Bethlehem TownshipBethlehem Township, Stark County, OhioBethlehem Township is one of the seventeen townships of Stark County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,650 people in the township, 4,210 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
- south - Sugar Creek TownshipSugar Creek Township, Stark County, OhioSugar Creek Township is one of the seventeen townships of Stark County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 6,740 people in the township, 2,944 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
- southwest corner - Tuscarawas Township - west
- Lawrence TownshipLawrence Township, Stark County, OhioLawrence Township is one of the seventeen townships of Stark County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 13,382 people in the township, 8,321 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
- northwest corner
Several populated places are located in Perry Township:
- Most of the city of MassillonMassillon, OhioMassillon is a city located in Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately 8 miles to the west of Canton, Ohio, 20 miles south of Akron, Ohio, and 50 miles south of Cleveland, Ohio. The population was 32,149 at the 2010 census....
is located in the western half of Perry Township - A small part of the village of NavarreNavarre, OhioNavarre is a village in Stark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,440 at the 2000 census...
, in the southwest - The census-designated placeCensus-designated placeA census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
of Perry HeightsPerry Heights, OhioPerry Heights is a census-designated place in Stark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 8,900 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Canton–Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, in the northeast - The unincorporated communityUnincorporated areaIn 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...
of RichvilleRichville, OhioRichville is an unincorporated community in southern Perry Township, Stark County, Ohio, United States. State Route 627 passes through the community. The community is part of the Canton–Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, in the south
Name and history
On December 7th, 1813, Stark County Commissioners named Township 10, Range 9, Perry Township. It was named in honor of Oliver Hazard PerryOliver Hazard Perry
United States Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island , the son of USN Captain Christopher Raymond Perry and Sarah Wallace Alexander, a direct descendant of William Wallace...
, hero of the War of 1812. Commander Perry was the victor of a battle on Lake Erie on September 10th, 1812.
The first formal settlement in the township was Kendal
Kendal, Ohio
The plat for the town of Kendal, in Stark County, Ohio was entered on April 20, 1812. It was named by its founder, Thomas Rotch , after the town of Kendal, in Cumbria, England. Kendal was absorbed into the town of Massillon, Ohio in 1853.-History:...
founded in 1812 by Thomas Rotch and his wife who were Quakers from Massachusetts. Other settlers arriving with the Rotch Family were Arvine Wales and Charles Skinner. They utilized Sippo Creek and operated a woolen factory and saw mill.
In 1826, James Duncan founded Massillon. The Ohio/Erie Canal was opened to Massillon in 1828 and the entire area and surrounding communities grew exponentially.
Johnny Appleseed
Johnny Appleseed
Johnny Appleseed , born John Chapman, was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois...
(Jonathan Chapman) planted the first orchard in Perry Township on the south side of the Canton–Massillon Road on the Daum Farm. Dr. William Gardner was believed to have been the first physician to settle in Perry Township. He came from New York in 1814. The first religious society was the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
in Kendal about 1813. Methodists soon populated the area.
The first school in the township was established in Kendal. Public schools or common schools came into existence in Perry Township in 1825. By 1875, Perry Township had seven one-room schools.
The construction of Reedurban, Genoa, and Richville Schools brought the one-room era to an end. In the 1950’s Whipple, Watson, Lohr, and Perry High were built. The 1956 opening of Perry High School signifies the first time Perry Local Schools offered secondary education. The growth of the school system continued with the construction of Edison Junior High in 1962 and a vocational wing on the High School in 1964.
Perry Township as a community experienced rapid growth. The agricultural farms from the early days have been reborn as housing developments, commercial and industrial sites, medical facilities, and municipal structures. In the 1970’s, housing developments in the township were advertised as “the convenience of the city and the charm of the country”.
Today, Perry Township is a stable, united community with a population of nearly 30,000 residents. Even though most of the land has been developed, there is still a hint of the agricultural history in some sections of the township.
It is one of twenty-six Perry Townships statewide
Perry Township, Ohio
Perry Township, Ohio may refer to:*Perry Township, Allen County, Ohio*Perry Township, Ashland County, Ohio*Perry Township, Brown County, Ohio*Perry Township, Carroll County, Ohio*Perry Township, Columbiana County, Ohio...
.