New Hampton, Ohio
New Hampton was a small town in Jefferson Township, Madison County, Ohio. Founded on July 13, 1822, the town consisted of 93 town lots and contained North, South and Main Streets running east and west, with Union, Friend, Center, Pearl, and Prairie Streets running north and south.
As shown by early tax records, the original owners of lots in the town were: James Burnham, Nathan Bond, William Farrow, Abraham Jones, Lucinda Jones, William Jones, Samuel Jones, Elizabeth Pippet, George Samuel Rockhill, and Samuel Sexton. Other residents were Mr. Gillmore, who operated a general store and Benjamin Pike, who had the distinction of being the operator of the first Post Office in this area.
At the height of its prosperity the town consisted of two stores, three taverns, a Baptist Church, and a Post Office. Also, there were dwellings built sufficient to house approximately seventeen families. Estimated population of the town would be about 100 pioneers. However, due to the lack of other towns in the immediate vicinity, the town was a busy and thriving trading post, and the settlers were able to get supplies, salt, and tools required for their existence and comfort.
No attempt to organize a municipal government was ever undertaken and the town was short lived, due to the nearby construction of the National Road in the 1830's. It was more desirable to build and live near the new road, rather than on the Indian trail, over which Main Street of New Hampton was constructed. The trail led southeast to Circleville, Ohio and was often referred to in old deeds as Circleville Road.
Immediately after the construction of the National Road, the residents of New Hampton, one by one, abandoned their old homes and moved their dwellings to the Town of Jefferson, later renamed West Jefferson. Reports are that many of the old houses were actually picked up and moved intact to the new location. The New Hampton Cemetery apparently was still used by the residents of the new Town of Jefferson for several years, as indicated by the inscriptions on the tombstones, some bearing dates of death as late as 1881. The last building in New Hampton to be abandoned was the Baptist Church in or around the year of 1840, which had been presided over by Rev. Isaac Jones. The New Hampton Cemetery is all that remains of the town.
Geography
New Hampton is located at 39° 56' 23.51" North, 83° 16' 9.15" West.
References
External links
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