Editor’s note: This is the third in a five-part series highlighting different villages in Athens County.
From flooding to Fords, Amesville’s history helps set it apart from other Athens villages while allowing it to maintain the small-town atmosphere residents have grown to love.
The village was home to the first Ford dealership in Ohio in 1913, which eventually led to the expansion of the dealership into the rest of the county.
Mayor Gary Goosman said the village is in the process of creating a historic kiosk to commemorate the dealership, which is now closed, among other pieces of Amesville history.
However, the most significant part of Amesville’s history deals with floods that ran through the village in the 1960s and 1990s.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Creek flooded the village of Amesville with more than seven feet of water in 1963, 1997 and 1998.
Though the floods destroyed between 15 and 20 homes, Goosman said they helped the community to form a stronger bond.
Goosman said the town still feels the effects of the floods.
“As a small town, when you lose 15 or 20 houses and of course the people that are in them, you lose revenue and the tax base that helps you support a police department, a fire department, everything,” Goosman said. “So that’s a burden; we still need to provide those services, and there’s fewer homes and businesses to help us generate revenue.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency purchased the destroyed homes from the village, and Amesville has since turned the land into a park.
“Everybody knows everybody; everybody watches out for everybody,”
Councilwoman Melissa Keirns said. “It’s a real tight-knit community. I love living here. I’ve been here almost 10 years, and I wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else.”
Keirns said she would encourage anyone to move to Amesville.
“We’re very welcoming,” Keirns said. “I mean, the mayor will come knock on your door and say hi; we aren’t really shy people. If you ever have any problems or questions, you can get them answered pretty quick.”
Goosman pointed to the area’s property values as a great reason to purchase homes in Amesville.
“You can get a quality home,” Goosman said. “The market values out here are less than Athens. With the students and everything, the prices are driven up (in Athens), so you can really get a lot of house here in Amesville for your money.”
Amesville government is involved in many statewide initiatives, including considering joining a lawsuit fighting the state over the constitutionality of Ohio House Bill 606, which limits mayors’ courts for small villages, Goosman said.
Goosman added that bringing in new environmentally friendly businesses to the farming village would bring in a much-needed economic boost.
“A lot of the direction we hope to go is with energy conservation and alternative energy,” Goosman said. “We’d like to increase our recycling and see things of that nature. There are a number of houses in Amesville that are solar powered and geothermal. I just hope we could see Amesville have more of that and have it be affordable.”
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