Village of DeGraff, Ohio

The Village of DeGraff is located in Logan County and is the home of the Riverside Local School District.

DEGRAFF CITY BUILDING:
107 S. Main St., DeGraff, OH 43318
Phone: (937) 585-6632

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    • DeGraff Overview
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  • HISTORY
    • Historic Timeline
    • “History of DeGraff”, By Daniel Evan Strayer
    • The DeGraff Fire of 1914
    • People With Impact
    • Historic Glimpses of Logan County
    • The DeGraff Creamery
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History: Historic Glimpses of Logan County

DeGraff Lumber Company

The following text is written by LaDonna Heath from Historic Glimpses of Logan County, Ohio.
Logan County Historical Society/MT Publishing, 2003.

The land that John Boggs purchased in 1805 was by 1826 a desirable location for his son William. He came with his wife and child, and was accompanied by an old friend of his father who had received land from John Boggs. These men built cabins on their acquired land. Young William built a sawmill below his cabin in 1833 and by 1840 a gristmill.

In 1850, a civil engineer named Col. Andrew DeGraff came to the area when surveying for a new railroad line to connect the Boggs area to Bellefontaine. The railway was called the Bellefontaine Line (Bee Line). Mr. DeGraff and William Boggs would work together to map out and survey the town to be named for the engineer.

Purchasing some land, John Koke and Samuel Gilfillen “platted some sixty lots, one third of which were on the southeast side of the track, but Mr. Koke could not carry out his contract and it reverted back to the original owner.”

“Three years later (1853), thirty-three lots were added between Miami and Hayes streets, and in 1856 nineteen lots between Miami and Race streets were platted. In 1858, fifty-one lots were added north of Miami street, extending into Pleasant Township.”

The “Bee Line” railroad was fully operational by the early 1860s. The town was assured success even though there were many new hurdles to cross. The opportunities for the early town outweighed the negative qualities. Quincy was having some problems during this time, and DeGraff with the free investment of Boggs’ money benefited in growth.

In 1864, the village was incorporated, with A. J. Lippincott as mayor and Mathias Wolf, recorder. Aaron Mitchell (“Old Uncle Ben”) began to purchase wheat with the aid of Mr. Boggs, and DeGraff soon was one of the best markets for grain in the county.

In 1874, improved sidewalks were made to the streets. In 1877, one half of lot #20 on Main Street was bought at a cost of $500 to erect a town hall. A fine, two story brick was erected at a cost of $3,300. A hook & ladder fire truck had been purchased in 1873 at a cost of $225. DeGraff had electricity by 1893 to light the town. In 1898, the Inland Telephone Company built an exchange.

A little-know neighborhood community was located across the Bokengehalas Creek on South Main, DeGraff. Its name was Thatcherville, named because several members of the Thatcher family built their homes in this location. The Thatcher Lumber Company stood just across the creek on the west side of the road.

The town experienced serious damage, along with neighboring Quincy, when a tornado of June 8, 1872, roared through both villages, leveling nearly everything in its path. In Quincy, about 70 buildings were all or partially destroyed and one woman (Mrs. Rose Glick) later died. DeGraff lost two children (Lulu & Callie Rall) and most of the town had businesses destroyed, many beyond repair. Both towns also suffered through the 1913 Flood.

It has been very unique that two towns in one township have continued to survive when only three miles apart. During the 1800-1900s, each town has had as many as three churches. Businesses included a post office, hotels, groceries, livery stables, banks, wagon makers, blacksmiths, drug stores, newspapers, dry goods, hardwares, restaurants, and other small shops.

DeGraff had two well-known industries (Mid-States Container and DeGraff Packing companies) through the 1900s and Quincy still in 2003 has Quincy Castings. But as people are no longer dependent on the small town businesses, we see constant changes happening in these two communities.

To help secure their identity, Quincy and DeGraff have consolidated two important facilities. The first change in 1960 brought the two rival school systems together into one new district called Riverside Local Schools located west of DeGraff. The second began in 1974 when the towns secured land for a sewage treatment plant located just north of Quincy.

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ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Stephanie Orsborne
Mayor
degraffmayor@gmail.com

Ken McAlexander
Village Administrator
administrator@degraffoh.com

Kassandra Staley
Fiscal Officer
fiscalofficer@degraffoh.com

Terry Brentlinger
Police Chief
policechief@degraffoh.com

NAVIGATE DEGRAFF, OHIO

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • DeGraff Overview
    • Village Government
    • Village of DeGraff Meeting Minutes
  • HISTORY
    • Historic Timeline
    • “History of DeGraff”, By Daniel Evan Strayer
    • The DeGraff Fire of 1914
    • People With Impact
    • Historic Glimpses of Logan County
    • The DeGraff Creamery
    • Poems of DeGraff
  • DEPARTMENTS
    • DeGraff Police Department
    • Fire Department
    • Village Departments
    • Planning & Zoning
  • VILLAGE LIFE
    • Churches in DeGraff
    • Riverside Local Schools
    • DeGraff Park
    • Recreation
    • Greenwood Cemetery
  • DOCUMENTS
    • Village Ordinances & Resolutions
    • Consumer Confidence Reports
    • Village of DeGraff Meeting Minutes
    • Tax Documents & Information
    • DeGraff Park Facility Permit
  • PAY BILLS
    • PAY UTILITIES
    • PAY CITY TAXES
  • COVID-19
  • News
  • Contact

LATEST NEWS & EVENTS…

SEALED BIDS BEING ACCEPTED…

The Village of DeGraff is accepting bid proposals for EMS coverage Please send sealed bids to:             Village of DeGraff             Attn: Mayor Orsborne             PO Box 309             DeGraff, OH 43318 Or you can drop off sealed proposals at:             107 S. Main … [Read More...]

2023 Meeting Schedule…..

Village of DeGraff 2023 Meeting Schedule   Council Meetings: 1st & 3rd Tuesday Monthly at 7pm Finance: 1st Tuesday Monthly at 6:15 pm Park: Meetings are TBD Safety: 3rd Tuesday Monthly at 6:15 pm Utility: 4th Tuesday Monthly at 5:00 pm (all above meetings are located at … [Read More...]

Hydrant Flushing…….

The Village will be flushing fire hydrants next week. If you have any questions please call the Village office at 937-585-6632. … [Read More...]

DeGraff Emergency Siren….

Both of DeGraff's emergency warning sirens are currently not working. We are working to remedy the situation as soon as possible. Please watch local news stations and/or listen to WPKO for emergency weather announcements to make sure you and your family remain safe. We will continue to try and post … [Read More...]

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Consumer Confidence Report (CCR)

Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs), also known as water quality reports or drinking water quality reports, provide you with important information about the … More

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