Newton, Ohio and the Raymond Post Office

I have often wondered by the historical society in Raymond, Ohio was called the Newton Historical Society. I was sure there had to be a story somewhere, so I have been digging around in old local history books to see if I could find an explanation. And, this is what I have discovered.

A village in Liberty Township, Union County, Ohio was surveyed and platted for David Paul on August 25, 1838. This village was named Newton. Less than a year later, on February 1, 1839, Nathanial and Melissa Raymond had the town resurveyed.

The first house in Newton was built by Hezekiah David. A house was soon built in the village by John Raymond. A post office was established in the village on May 6, 1839, and John Raymond was named the first postmaster. Over time the post office became known as Raymond's Post Office, while the village continued by the name Newton.

January 13, 1896 was the last day that the post office was called Raymond's Post Office. Since January 14, 1896, the post office has simply been the Raymond Post Office. Today the post office remains in service with a zip code of 43067.

At one time the town was quite a bustling village. There was a shoe shop, three churches, a photography studio, a harness shop, two general stores, a hotel, a school, a furniture shop, two blacksmiths, and a drug store. Over the years, the name of the village was transitioned to the name Raymond. Today there is still a school in Raymond. It is an elementary for the Marysville Exempted Village School District.

Newton, and later Raymond, was never formally incorporated as a town or a village. So, the only government in the village has always been at the township level. Today the village continues to thrive with several churches in the vicinity and several business in the town.