Editing Somerset, Ohio

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Somerset, Ohio
|settlement_type          = [[Village (United States)|Village]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Old Perry County Courthouse with Sheridan Monument and water tower (Somerset, Ohio).jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = Old Perry County Courthouse in Somerset
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = OHMap-doton-Somerset.png
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Somerset, Ohio
|image_map1               = Map of Perry County Ohio Highlighting Somerset Village.png
|mapsize1                 = 250px
|map_caption1             = Location of Somerset in Perry County

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Ohio]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Ohio|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Perry County, Ohio|Perry]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = Eric Emmert 
|leader_title1            = Police Chief
|leader_name1             = TJ Ross
|leader_title2            = Fire Chief
|leader_name2             = Eric Emmert
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 3.02
|area_land_km2            = 3.02
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 1.2
|area_land_sq_mi          = 1.2
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1481
|population_density_km2   = 490.83
|population_density_sq_mi = 1271.24

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset              = -5
|timezone_DST            = EDT
|utc_offset_DST          = -4
|elevation_footnotes     = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft            = 1076
|coordinates             = {{coord|39|48|23|N|82|17|59|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type        = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code             = 43783
|area_code               = [[Area code 740|740]]
|blank_name              = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info              = 39-72977<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name             = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info             = 2399836<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2399836}}</ref>
|website                 = {{URL|http://www.somersetohio.org}}
|footnotes               = 
}}

'''Somerset''' is a [[village (United States)#Ohio|village]] in [[Perry County, Ohio]], United States. The population as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] was 1,481. It is located 9.5 miles north of the county seat [[New Lexington, Ohio|New Lexington]] and has a dedicated historical district. [[Saint Joseph's Catholic Church (Somerset, Ohio)|Saint Joseph Church]], the oldest Catholic church in Ohio, is located just outside Somerset on [[Ohio State Route 383|State Route 383]].

==History==
The village of Somerset was established in 1807 by settlers from [[Somerset, Pennsylvania]] at the spot on [[Zane's Trace]] located midway between [[Lancaster, Ohio|Lancaster]] and [[Zanesville, Ohio|Zanesville]].<ref>Owen, Lorrie K., ed.  ''Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places''.  Vol. 2.  [[St. Clair Shores, Michigan|St. Clair Shores]]: Somerset, 1999, 1138.</ref>  Seven years later, parts of [[Fairfield County, Ohio|Fairfield]], [[Muskingum County, Ohio|Muskingum]], and [[Washington County, Ohio|Washington]] counties were merged to create [[Perry County, Ohio|Perry County]], and the house of a Somerset resident was named the first temporary courthouse.<ref name=history>Martzolff, Clement Luther.  ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=zw8VAAAAYAAJ History of Perry County, Ohio]''.  [[New Lexington, Ohio|New Lexington]]: Ward and Weiland, 1902.</ref>{{rp|83}}  In 1819, the county government arranged for the erection of a purpose-built courthouse in Somerset; while most of the building was used for a jail, it also included a courtroom and space for some county offices.  Ten years later, [[Old Perry County Courthouse (Ohio)|a permanent courthouse]] was constructed on the village's public square.<ref name=history />{{rp|133}}

As the village of [[New Lexington, Ohio|New Lexington]] grew in importance, its residents began to agitate for the county seat to be moved to their community.  From 1851 to 1859, the [[Ohio General Assembly|state legislature]] passed three separate laws to permit the county seat to be moved; contentious elections and a decision by the [[Supreme Court of Ohio]] saw the county seat move to New Lexington, back to Somerset, and finally back to New Lexington.<ref>Thrane, Susan W.  ''County Courthouses of Ohio''.  [[Bloomington, Indiana|Bloomington]]: [[Indiana University Press|Indiana UP]], 2000, 119.</ref>  After it ceased to be used as a courthouse, the building was leased to Somerset for use as its village hall.<ref>Borchers, Perry E.  [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/oh/oh0000/oh0044/data/oh0044data.pdf Written Historical and Descriptive Data: Old Perry County Court House]{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, [[Heritage Documentation Programs|Historic American Buildings Survey]], 1959-06, 1.  Accessed November 24, 2012.</ref>

==Geography==

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the village has a total area of {{convert|1.2|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all land.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 6, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archive-date=July 2, 2012}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1820= 344
|1830= 576
|1840= 947
|1850= 1240
|1860= 1231
|1870= 1153
|1880= 1207
|1890= 1127
|1900= 1124
|1910= 1286
|1920= 1339
|1930= 1297
|1940= 1352
|1950= 1383
|1960= 1361
|1970= 1417
|1980= 1432
|1990= 1390
|2000= 1549
|2010= 1481
|2020= 1481
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 6, 2013}}</ref> of 2010, there were 1,481 people, 613 households, and 354 families living in the village. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1276.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 673 housing units at an average density of {{convert|580.2|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the village was 98.3% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.3% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.1% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.1% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.1% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.6% of the population.

There were 613 households, of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.3% were non-families. 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.05.

The median age in the village was 41.1 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.3% were from 25 to 44; 27.1% were from 45 to 64; and 17% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,549 people, 613 households, and 381 families living in the village. The population density was {{convert|1,328.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 659 housing units at an average density of {{convert|565.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the village was 99.03% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.45% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.06% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.19% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.26% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.26% of the population.

There were 613 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $29,844, and the median income for a family was $39,231. Males had a median income of $30,994 versus $21,364 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the village was $14,209. About 6.4% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 20.0% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
Somerset is served by the Northern Local School District, which operates Somerset Elementary School in the village.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nlsd.k12.oh.us/Schools | title=Our schools | publisher=Northern Local School District | access-date=March 3, 2018}}</ref> [[Sheridan High School (Thornville, Ohio)|Sheridan High School]] is located west of the village on State Route 13.

Holy Trinity Catholic School is located in Somerset.

Somerset has a public library, a branch of the Perry County District Library.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pcdl.org/hrsloc | title=Hours and locations | publisher=Perry County District Library | access-date=March 3, 2018}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[William E. Birkhimer]] - Medal of Honor recipient during the Philippine Rebellion
* [[Jacob S. Bugh]] - Wisconsin State Assemblyman 
* [[William A. Bugh]] - Wisconsin lawyer and Wisconsin State Assemblyman
* [[Tammie Green]] - professional [[golf]]er inducted into the Ohio Golf Hall of Fame
* [[Thomas Hood (Wisconsin)|Thomas Hood]] - Wisconsin state senator and jurist
* [[Philip Sheridan]] - [[Union Army|Union]] [[General officer|general]] in the [[American Civil War]].

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.somersetohio.org Village website]
* [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/I?fsaall:5:./temp/~ammem_tPZH::displayType=1:m856sd=fsa:m856sf=8a18437:@@@mdb=mcc,gottscho,detr,nfor,wpa,aap,cwar,bbpix,cowellbib,calbkbib,consrvbib,bdsbib,dag,fsaall,gmd,pan,vv,presp,varstg,suffrg,nawbib,horyd,wtc,toddbib,mgw,ncr,ngp,musdibib,hlaw,papr,lhbumbib,rbpebib,lbcoll,alad,hh,aaodyssey,magbell,bbcards,dcm,raelbib,runyon,dukesm,lomaxbib,mtj,gottlieb,aep,qlt,coolbib,fpnas,aasm,scsm,denn,relpet,amss,aaeo,cola,tccc,curt,mharendt,lhbcbbib,eaa,haybib,mesnbib,fine,cwnyhs,svybib,mmorse,afcwwgbib,mymhiwebib,uncall,mfd,afcwip,mtaft,manz,llstbib,fawbib,berl,fmuever,cdn,upboverbib,mussm,cic,afcpearl,awh,awhbib,sgp,wright,lhbtnbib,afcesnbib,hurstonbib,mreynoldsbib,spaldingbib,sgproto,mffbib,afc911bib,mjm,mnwp,rbcmillerbib,molden,ww2map,hawp,omhbib,rbaapcbib,mal,ncpsbib,ncpm,lhbprbib,ftvbib,afcreed,aipn,cwband,flwpabib,wpapos,cmns,psbib,pin,coplandbib Historical Photo of Phil Sheridan Statue]

{{Perry County, Ohio}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Perry County, Ohio]]
[[Category:1810 establishments in Ohio]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1810]]
[[Category:Villages in Ohio]]