Cheshire

History

Cheshire, Ohio, was named for the county of Cheshire in England. It was founded in 1811. By 2000, the village was plagued by toxic sulfurous gas clouds and acid rain from the nearby coal-fired Gavin Power Plant. Residents hired lawyers requesting a buyout. The plant's owner, American Electric Power (AEP), investigated the claims and found that no long-term injuries/illnesses resulted from the cloud but decided it could use the land to expand plant property for future technologies. In 2002, AEP reached a settlement with residents that was effectively a $20 million buyout. Most of the 221 residents agreed to leave the town and absolve the company from future property or health claims, while some remain through either deals with the company or refusal to sell their property. The company announced plans to demolish the existing structures and construct a dock facility for coal barges, but has not yet begun work on constructing them. In 2004, the remaining villagers of Cheshire and residents of the surrounding area took steps to expand the village limits by annexing properties within about a mile north and west of the previous village limits.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  496
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  492
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  487
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  469
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  441
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  430
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  426
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  368

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2025-02-03
  0 km NE of Reno, Ohio
• M 3.1 — 2025-02-03
  2 km NNW of Oak Hill, Ohio
• M 3.15 — 2024-12-16
  1 km NW of Chesapeake, Ohio
• M 2.5 — 2023-03-20
  13 km SSW of Rio Grande, Ohio
• M 2.5 — 2023-02-17
  6 km ESE of Cheshire, Ohio
• M 2.93 — 2020-04-25
  2 km SE of South Shore, Kentucky