Smithville, OH

Smithville takes its name from Thomas Smith, who built the first house here in 1818 and laid out a village in 1831. The present village followed in 1836, in the Sugar Creek country of Wayne County. That early start still shows up in local preservation: the Smithville Community Historical Society’s Pioneer Village presents buildings and daily life from roughly 1830 to 1890, while the county landmark list includes an 1836 log structure on Main Street. Smithville also hosts the Wayne County Schools Career Center and a Green Local School District campus. The local shorthand is pioneer village, Sugar Creek, and a small Wayne County place with its history close at hand.