PlainCity
Plain City that we know today was first laid out as a village in 1818 with the name Westminster. Long before this though, the area had been a major hunting ground for numerous Native American groups. The Big Darby River that passes through here was named by surveyors after an old Wyandotte man named Darby that lived along the river near the confluence of the Big Darby and the Scioto near Circleville. The river valley became known as Darby Plains. It was in this area that Jonathan Alder, who had been a Mingo captive, since the age of 5, had
1906 Main Street looking west.
Located along the Big Darby Creek, the area was popular with the Wyandotte and Mingo. Jonathan Alder, who was kidnapped by marauding as a young boy in western Virginia and lived in the area. After he was freed, he built a home along the Big Darby.
With the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, and the tragic end of Techumseh's plans to unite all of the Native Americans during the War of 1812, most of the Native Americans in the area had been forced out.
In 1814, a 17 year old Isaac Bigelow came on foot from he came on foot to Ohio from Centre County, Pennsylvania to make payment for land his father had purchased from his uncle and namesake, Isaac Bigelow. The elder Isaac, had served in the American Revolutionary War.
This particular part of Ohio was land that had been designated at the Virginia Military District. This was set aside land used as payment to officers that served during the Revolutionary War. The new government did not have enough money to pay these officers, so instead they were paid with land from the government.
This was the land on which Plain City now stands. After making payment the young Isaac returned to Pennsylvania to continue his medical studies with his father, but his heart remained in Ohio. On July 17, 1815, just about a year later, he married Polly Bigelow, his first cousin, who lived on this newly purchased Ohio land.
In 1817, Isaac, now a doctor, returned to Ohio and settled near Trickle Creek in Champaign County. Here he lived for a year. On trip to Darby Township in 1818 Isaac came to the conclusion that this would be a good place for a town. He immediately began laying out the new town that he called the Village of Westminster. This unofficial name was never officially recognized by the state, and as county lines were being finalized during the early 1820s, the name was changed to Pleasant Valley. In 1850, the name Pleasant Valley was changed again to Plain City because a number of other communities throughout Ohio were also using the name Pleasant Valley.
In 1902 local farmer Samuel Taylor donated the large Seth Thomas clock for the tower sitting on top of the hardware store owned by Taylor's son-in-law, W.J. Keiser, and M.D. Barto for the town square. Five years later a massive flag pole was installed in the center of the town square.
The village's public park is named Pastime Park, and features baseball and softball diamonds, camping facilities, a 0.25 miles nature walking path, two children's play parks, and the village's public pool: Pastime Pool.
Miami Valley Steam Threshers
Each year, during the month of July, the city hosts the multi-day Miami Valley Steam Threshers show at Pastime Park, which showcases antique tractors, steam threshers and other farm equipment, plus a parade through the center of town.
