Rockford is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Mercer County,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States. The village is on the St. Mary's River near the center of the western Ohio border 12 miles Northwest of Celina. The population was 1,051 at the 2020 census. The village was founded in 1815 by French-Indian trader Anthony Madore, and was originally named Shanesville.

Name

Anthony Shane

Anthony Shane, born ''Antoine Chene'', was a French-Indian trader who lived with his wife in a double-log cabin north of the current area of Rockford. He ran a trading post, and was given a large tract of land known as the Shanes Grant for his role as a scout for General Anthony Wayne's army. The grant consisted of north of the town and at the town site. On June 23, 1820, Shane filed his plot to the town of Shanesville, which then comprised 42 lots on the south side of the river. Shane lived in Shanesville until 1832, when acting as a government agent, he accompanied the Shawnee Indians to Kansas. It is not known if he ever returned to Shanesville.Baltzell, Fred and Baltzell, Martha. "Rockford Sesquicentennial Journal". Reference Materials. Rockford Carnigie Library. April 15, 2008. Page 3.

Changes

Shanesville was renamed Shane's Crossing, and eventually renamed again to Rockford by Post Office Department decree.

History

Prior to European colonisation, the high ground adjacent to St. Marys River at Rockford was used as a camping ground and village site for Native American tribes. Artefacts including weapons and tools have been found on the site. Early traders, trappers and adventurers used the St. Marys River as a thoroughfare, and frequented trails along the banks of the river. Most notable of these is the Piqua-Fort Wayne Trail linking the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

to the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

, which crossed to the north bank at Rockford. During the Indian Wars of the late 18th century, many armies transited Rockhold, most notably General Josiah Harmar en route to his defeat at Kekionga. General

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and a Founding Father of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military expl ...

built Fort Adams in the area of Rockford in the early August 1794, as a temporary relay station and supply depot. Fort Adams was initially garrisoned with 100 soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Underhill. Fort Adams was abandoned in 1796, and is now an archaeological preserve operated by The Archaeological Conservancy. There are no physical remains of the fort. The earliest records of Rockford originate from French-Indian trader Anthony Madore, who operated a trading post to the north of the current town, on the southern bank of the St. Marys River. It is not known how long Madore owned the post, but he died around 1815. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, General William Henry Harrison camped in Rockford en route to fight the British and Indian coalition. He was joined at the camp by 200 mounted Ohio volunteers and 800 foot soldiers.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,120 people, 454 households, and 301 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 495 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population. There were 454 households, of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.7% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the village was 41.5 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 18.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,126 people, 453 households, and 298 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 489 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.11%

, 0.27%

, 0.53% Native American, and 0.09% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.51% of the population. There were 453 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were

living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.05. In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males. The median income for a household in the village was $37,574, and the median income for a family was $45,735. Males had a median income of $30,980 versus $23,125 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $18,699. About 4.8% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Parkway Local Schools

Media

The community is served by WRKD-LP 101.3 FM

Notable people

* Jordan Thompson, American football player. * Earl Wilson, New York

gossip columnist A gossip columnist is someone who writes a gossip column in a newspaper or magazine, especially in a gossip magazine. Gossip columns are written in a light, informal style, and relate opinions about the personal lives or conduct of celebrities fr ...

References

{{authority control Villages in Mercer County, Ohio Villages in Ohio