As the Ohio Territory became populated, the surveyed townships became the basic unit of  local government. In 1804, the elected officials of a township consisted of three trustees, a clerk, two overseers of the poor, and a sufficient number of supervisors of highway, in addition to justices of the peace and constables.  A township treasurer and assessor were later added. In the early years of statehood, Ohio township government cared for the poor, maintained the roads, preserved the peace, registered brands, and generally fulfilled the needs of local government.

Today, just as in 1804, the township in Ohio is a political subdivision of the state. As such, it has only those powers granted to it by the state legislature and performs functions defined by the state. To keep pace with the demands of changing times, the functions, duties and obligations of the township have changed over the years. Demands for increased or different services have prompted the state legislature to grant Ohio's 1,309 townships the authority to fulfill these changing demands.

Three trustees and a clerk, each elected for a four-year term, administer each of our townships today. Officially, they fill their offices on a part-time basis.   

Xenia Township was established August 20, 1805. (At that time it included a part of what is now Clark County.)  It covers 48.40 square miles. The population of  the Township is 6,117 as of 2001.  

Old Town appears to have been the oldest settlement in Greene county. It was a village of the Shawnee Indians, which had a peak population of  1100 persons around 1779. The Shawnee Indians themselves destroyed the village by fire when General Clarke's forces were approaching in 1780. Its Indian name was "Chillicothe," but it was called "Old Chillicothe," by the white settlers to distinguish it from other Indian villages of the same name. Daniel Lewis and David Monroe were the original proprietors. Moses Collier was the surveyor of the town. The plat of the town was received for record February 6, 1839, although it existed before the entry. Its location is about three miles north of Xenia, on the Little Miami Railroad. Its population in 1870 was two hundred. Its business enterprise was represented by one shoemaker, one distiller, one blacksmith, two wagon makers, one grocer, one dealer in flour, feed, etc. and a school.  

The Wilberforce Community was once the home of the Shawnee and Ottawa Indians. It is an unincorporated village of approximately 2,380 acres. The area was named for William Wilberforce, an English abolitionist.  

Xenia Township is comprised of several towns and villages:

Amlin Heights, ca.  1967

Bryson, ca. 1908

Bucktown, ca. 1860's

Camp Greene, 1863

Camp Lowe, 1861

Deweysville

Fairview, ca. 1855

Frog's Hollow, ca. 1933

Goes Station, 1846

King's Station, ca. 1877

Monroe, ca. 1908

Oldtown, 1838 (previously called Old Chillicothe)

Sugar Grove, ca. 1855

Tawawa Springs, 1852-1860's (previously called Drake's Springs, - 1851)

Wilberforce, 1856

Xenia, 1804

Covered Bridges

Charleton Mill Rd.  (over Massie Creek, a Howe truss bridge with 120' clear span and 16' roadway, built in 1883)

Stevenson Rd.

(over Massie Creek; bids received in 1877

for the double, wood truss bridge.)

Cemeteries

Stevenson Cemetery (also known as Massie's Creek Scotch Associate graveyard) -- located in Xenia Township, four and one half miles northeast of Xenia on Stevenson Road, on the south side of  Jones Road.

Friends Cemetery (also known as Ellis Cemetery) -  located in Xenia Township on Route 68 North on the east side  of the road, south of Clifton Road. It is fenced and has a sign at the entrance. The condition of the cemetery is good, except for some illegible stones (due to weathering) and several paper markers which have become illegible. The oldest burial at the cemetery is 1864.

Universities/Colleges

Wilberforce University - the first predominantly black college in the United States, founded in 1856. It opened as Ohio African University under auspices of the Cincinnati Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It merged with Union Seminary in 1863 and was renamed Wilberforce University.

Central State University  - began in 1887 as a state-funded department of Wilberforce. It became a separate institution in 1947 and was named Central State College in 1951, becoming a university in 1965.

Xenia Township Home Page                   

You can contact us at (937)372-0859 or by e-mail at xeniatwp@xeniatownship.org