Ashville

Ashville Village History Lesson

Ashville, Ohio was born in the 1800’s as a distilleries owned by Richard Staige, who sold them in 1812 to Mahlon Ashbrook.  Ashbrook and his brother Absolom went into business together and became highly successful-- even building a grist mill on Walnut Creek and owning a store run by his sister and brother-in-law.  His brother-in-law went on to be Ashbrook’s-- as it was called back then-- first postmaster.  However, 1855 saw the end of their fortunes and a slowing down of the village’s growth.  

1876 saw the construction of the Scioto Valley Railroad and the Ashville Depot was built.  Ashville already had a train station that connected the railroad to rural roads, but the Scioto Valley Railroad built a new station and made Ashville quite an important stop in Pickaway County.  It was closed in 1976 and-- due to local efforts-- moved and preserved as a Historical Place.  

In 1882 Ashville became incorporated and inaugurated its first mayor, W. R. Julian.  Today the village is 2.51 square miles-- all of it land-- and a village council.

Ashville's Local Politics & Village Services/ Departments

Ashville has a mayor-council system of government.  According to AshvilleOhio.gov, there are two sources of duties for the Mayor and the Village Council: the Ohio Revised Code and the Ordinances of Ashville.  All of the Village Council meeting minutes are available on the website for public consumption.  In addition to his legislative duties, the Mayor also runs the Mayor’s Column on the website as a way to communicate with his constituents and draw attention to community interests.  

The Ashville Police Department serves the community with honor and is located on West Main Street.  Their Core Values were established to be guides for high standards of service: Integrity, Professionalism, Sense of Justice, Duty, Loyalty, Discipline and Courage.  The Police don’t just serve in time of need-- they also provide alarm permits, bike safety, railroad crossing safety, and more.  

However, Ashville does not have its own dedicated fire department.  The village is served by the Harrison Township Fire Department which also provides EMS services.  The department also serves Walnut Township, and parts of Jackson, Madison and Muhlenberg Townships, covering roughly 127 square miles.  It’s also staffed by 16 full-time members and several part-time members.  Each 24-hour shift is staffed by 5 full-time and 3 part-time firefighters/EMS.  According to the website, staff can hold a level two fire card, be a fire safety inspector or instructor.  Emergency technology employees certificates that range from EMT to paramedic, and every staff member continually trains.  Training is done in-house and on-site, at the Ohio State Fire Academy, and/or through continuing education programs.  

The Ashville Service Department is responsible for keeping the streets clean and clear in all weather.  Their responsibilities include snow plowing and ice control, weed control, leaf pick-up, signs and more.  They are on-call 24/7 to respond to area needs.