Lucasville, OH

Lucasville is a census-designated place in central Scioto County, part of the Portsmouth micropolitan area. The 2020 census counted 1,655 residents. Captain John Lucas laid out the town on August 7, 1819, setting aside a lot for a family cemetery that later held other early settlers. A post office has served Lucasville since 1828, and the place's name still points back to that first town plat. Its county position gives it a rural crossroads feel with Portsmouth nearby.

The Scioto County Fairgrounds are Lucasville's largest gathering place, a permanent home for a county fair that moved among Portsmouth-area sites before settling there. The grounds now hold livestock pavilions, grandstands, 4-H and Junior Fair programs, car shows, equestrian events, trade days, and year-round rentals. Just outside the CDP, the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility adds a major state institution to the local map. Lucasville therefore carries two very different county-scale roles: an agricultural fairground community built around seasonal traditions, and a place known on road signs because a large correctional complex sits at its edge.