Barnesville Historic District
Overview
The Barnesville Historic District consists of the oldest part of Barnesville, Ohio originally platted in 1808, and contains roughly 40 acres and 180 buildings. The district was added to the National Register on July 19, 1984.
The area around Barnesville was settled by pioneer families, mostly Quakers, around the early 19th century. These early settlers arrived in the area after leaving Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the southern states. A meeting house was built and the cemetery was established to the east of the future site of Barnesville. This early settlement attracted the attention of a certain Maryland farmer.
Barnesville was first “laid out” in 1808 by James Barnes, who had traveled to the area hoping to create a new Quaker settlement in a rural setting. He found a rolling landscape along a Drovers’ road ideal for a site and soon platted out lots and roads for his new town.
