Centerville

History

Centerville was platted in 1814 on land bought from the Miami Indians at the Twelve Mile Purchase. It was settled by Quakers originally from Centreville, Delaware. Centre Monthly Meeting in Delaware is part of Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends, whose Indian relations office first sent a delegation of Quakers to Indiana Territory at the request of Chief Little Turtle of the Miami Indians, who visited them in Baltimore. Friends from Delaware lived for a time in Guilford County, North Carolina before permanently moving to Indiana Territory when it opened for settlement. The community is said to be named for its location near the middle of the county, but it is not in the center. A little-known county seat war was fought in Wayne County in 1873 between Centerville and Richmond. The county seat had been located in Centerville (Center Township) since 1818. By 1870, Richmond (Wayne Township) had surpassed Centerville in business, population, and tax revenue. These factors led the population of Wayne Township to demand the county seat be moved to Richmond. The dispute was played out in the newspapers, courts, and petitions, with Richmond the eventual winner. A new courthouse was erected in Richmond and preparations were made to move records from Centerville to Richmond. Centerville residents twice stopped Richmond's officials’ efforts to move the records, first with guarded locked gates, then by firing on their own courthouse with a three-pound cannon nicknamed “Black Betty.” The cannon was used when Richmond guards were brought in to protect the records. The cannon had been loaded with iron scraps. A crowd demanded the guard come out of the Centerville courthouse. When they refused, the cannon was fired, the door blown off its hinges, and the guards were…

Geography

U.S. Route 40 runs east−west through town along Main Street. According to the 2010 census, Centerville has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,839
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,635
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,506
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  2,175
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,105
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  2,102
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,068
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,012

Largest nearby schools

• Richmond High School
  High · Richmond · 1,332 students · 16.4:1 ratio
• Test Intermediate School
  Middle · Richmond · 762 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• Dennis Middle School
  Middle · Richmond · 597 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Northeastern Elementary School
  Elementary · Fountain City · 590 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Centerville-Abington Elem School
  Elementary · Centerville · 552 students · 18.4:1 ratio
• Centerville Sr High School
  High · Centerville · 530 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Northeastern High School
  High · Fountain City · 443 students · 16.4:1 ratio
• Rose Hamilton Elementary School
  Elementary · Centerville · 408 students · 16.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2008-09-30
  5 km SW of Kettlersville, Ohio
• M 3.8 — 2004-09-12
  4 km NW of Manilla, Indiana
• M 2.5 — 2004-01-30
  2 km S of Rockford, Ohio