Nelsonville

History

First settled in 1814 by Daniel Nelson, Nelsonville was incorporated in 1838 with Charles Cable as its first mayor. Nelsonville blossomed into a classic Appalachian town by the mid-19th century, relying on the extractive industries of coal, clay and salt. Like many large mining towns, Nelsonville was home to a large hotel, The Dew House, and a thriving theater, Stuart's Opera House, both located on the Public Square. During the American Civil War's famed Morgan's Raid, Confederate cavalry under Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan paused in Nelsonville in July 1863 and burned ten wooden canal boats. However, the 400 confederates failed to destroy a covered bridge over the Hocking Canal when citizens rushed to extinguish the blaze after the raiders rode off. This allowed Union cavalry to continue their pursuit of the fleeing Confederates when they arrived in Nelsonville two hours later. Upon arriving in town, the Union cavalry was delighted that the townspeople had prepared a feast for them. In 1888, Nelsonville became the first city in the United States west of the Allegheny Mountains to have citywide electric street lights. Nelsonville was admitted into the national Main Street Program and named a Preserve America Community. The central business district has also been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and both the Dew House and Stuart's Opera House have been listed separately. Nelsonville was home to a number of companies that used the area's dense clay to produce many different types of bricks, particularly glazed paving bricks, some with a distinctive star pattern. Many of the sidewalks in the public square and historic district contain these bricks.

Geography

Nelsonville is located along the Hocking River; Monday Creek flows through the eastern part of the city. One of the main streets, Canal Street, is located over where the old Hocking Canal once ran. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Nelsonville is located on U.S. Route 33. A bypass was completed in December 2013 for the city.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,452
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,565
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  7,207
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  7,094
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  7,089
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  7,038
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  6,593
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  6,380

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2025-05-09
  3 km S of Pleasant City, Ohio
• M 2.8 — 2025-04-29
  1 km SE of Pleasant City, Ohio
• M 3.1 — 2025-04-24
  3 km S of Pleasant City, Ohio
• M 3.1 — 2025-04-22
  3 km ESE of Buffalo, Ohio
• 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