Outville
Outville was first established in 1810, when the founder, Joseph Wilcox, and his family traveled to Licking County from New York and bought a tract of land from Theodore Foster. Foster had received the land as a present from President John Adams, in return for his service in the Revolutionary War.[1] Outville is the only town named Outville in the entire nation. The town was originally named Kirkersville Station, but the name changed to honor the station master, James Outcalt.[2]
Outville, Ohio is home to the first ever lighted baseball field in Licking County, bringing people from all over the state to watch the games. The first baseball game was held on May 27, 1935.[3] Outville is located along County Road 40, between Ohio 40 and Ohio 16. In its later years, the town was referred to as “a friendly smile along the highway,” but Outville used to be a very busy and thriving community.[4]
There are several important historical buildings located in Outville. One of them is an old feed store, which used to sell hay and grain to the locals. The old Hay & Grain Co. was built in 1921, after a fire had destroyed the previous building. In order to protect this piece of history, Doug and Helen Smith bought the landmark and made it the home of their Realty & Auction Company. By the end of the 1990s, the building became “the center of the universe in Outville,” where people could talk about anything. The old feed store also became a little museum, filled with memorabilia from Licking County’s past.[5]
Another building is the Outville Depot. The Depot was built in 1899. In the 1940s, the depot was closed and no longer used by the town. In hopes to preserve the building, the depot was moved to the Dwight Moose farm in 1960, where it remained until it was donated to the township in 1993. The railway depot was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 and has since been restored.[6] Lastly, there is the Outville post office. This post office ran from 1858 to 1960. In 1960, the delivery service was transferred to the Pataskala post office. [7]
M.J.
Return to Townships and Communities main page.
References
- ↑ Martha Tykodi, “Outville Is One Of a Kind – Literally,” This Week in Licking County, September 26, 2004.
- ↑ Martha Tykodi, “Greetings From Nation’s Only Outville,” This Week in Licking County, November 6, 2005.
- ↑ Jeff Bell, “Smiths Preserve Building and Local History,” Buckeye Lake Beacon, March 7, 1998, 7.
- ↑ Jean Carrelli, “A Smile On the Highway,” The Advocate, August 23, 1986, 6.
- ↑ Bell, “Smiths Preserve Building and Local History.”
- ↑ “Outville’s Historical Depot” Brochure.
- ↑ Tykodi, “Greetings From Nation’s Only Outville.”
