Butler, Ohio

Butler is a village in Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 933 at the 2010 census.Early historyBefore Butler was founded and named, it was the site of the Delaware Indians hunting ground. Helltown, as the Indians called it, was chosen for its plentiful wild game and fertile farmlands. As early as 1808, settlers were living in Northeastern Worthington township, however the area that makes up Butler was not settled until another 10 years. Joseph Craig was the first white man to settle in the Butler area. James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, had given Craig a land grant in 1823. Samuel Lewis, another interesting man, traveled through the area in 1809. On January 7, 1813, Lewis organized and divided Richland area into townships. Butler became Worthington township. Independence was laid out on the northwest quarter of Section 20, January 12, 1848, by Daniel Spohn. In the early days of its existence it was nicknamed "Spohntown " and " Squeelgut," but was named Independence by Thomas B. Andrews, rather in a spirit of defiance at the attitude of Bellville, which was not a friendly one to the aspiring village. The name was changed to Butler in the 1870s, after a Mexican war hero, General William Butler. In 1891 the name Independence was changed to Butler to match the post office. Andrews was born in 1807 and arrived in the village on November 15, 1833. Later Daniel Spohn and Andrews had the town laid out. Spohn was born in 1781 and died January 18, 1865, 13 years after the town was founded on January 12, 1848. Andrews was its first Postmaster, and, before the town was laid out, kept the office in his house near the site. After the town was laid out and a warehouse erected, he moved the office into the warehouse. The land upon which the town stands was entered on May 13, 1820 by William Simmons. The town plat was surveyed by Joseph Hastings. Mr. Andrews was instrumental in getting the town established and laying it out, taking a plot of land for pay.