Woodsfield, Ohio, map

Caldwell's Atlas of Monroe County, Ohio, was created in 1898 by Joseph A. Caldwell. The atlas contains hand-colored maps of the county, including this one of Woodsfield, Ohio, the county seat. The atlas measures 14.5 in x 16.75 in (36.83 x 42.55 cm) and contains 139 pages. The Woodsfield map shown here measures 27.5 in x 16.75 in (69.85 x 42.55 cm). Archibald Woods, George Paul, Benjamin Ruggles, and Levi Barber were large landowners in eastern Ohio and sought to have a new county organized. In 1812 they selected the site where Woodsfield now stands as the place for the county seat. In that year, the town of Woodsfield was surveyed and platted. In 1814 the Monroe County commissioners designated the town as the county seat. By 1820 Woodsfield contained eighteen houses; six were hewn logs and the remainder were wood cabins. Woodsfield was incorporated in 1835. In 1843 an act of the General Assembly was passed extending the limits of the town 120 feet in every direction beyond its existing corporation limit. Located off major transportation routes, the town grew slowly until 1879, when the narrow gauge line Bellaire and Southwestern Railroad was completed to Woodsfield and connected the town to the outside world