Paulding County is located in Northwestern Ohio, the Indiana border. Not surprisingly, Paulding is the county seat. At one time much of the county was the Great Black Swamp. The ghost towns from this area that I know anything about are listed below.
Batson
Benton Twp.
From 1891 to 1920, this town thrived at the intersection of County Road T-33 and SR 114. It boasted a sawmill, stave mill, general store, and grain elevator at one point.
Craneville
Crane Twp.
This trading post and post office was established by Horatio N. Curtis in 1825 on the north bank of the Maumee River. Curtis built the town's first brick building, which doubled as a fortress against the threat of indian attacks. The front door faced the river, while the other walls had porthole windows and was heated by six fireplaces. It was said to be haunted by the ghost of a former resident--a man who was hung in the attic by his two sons. In 1989 the house was still there; maybe it's still there today.
Dague
Blue Creek Twp.
This town was established on the Mackinaw Railroad around 1880. It sprouted up around a sawmill which stood at the site and didn't last long.
Doylestown
Washington Twp.
Named after Captain Samuel Doyle, a packet boat captain, this town was little more than a "banking place" on the canal--a place where canal boats can stack timber before it is shipped off and sold. Doylestown was one mile north of Mandale, and only existed from February 5, 1851 through December 27, 1851.
Emerald Station
Emerald Twp.
This town--along with the township--were named by Irish settlers, whose home country is often referred to as the "Emerald Isle." Emerald Station came into existence on the Toledo, Wabash & Western Railrod in the 1850s. Today it's called Emmett.
Folmer
Blue Creek Twp.
Town built in 1884 on the Cincinnati Northern Railroad.
Fort Brown
Brown Twp.
This historic site was later a town and site of the first post office in Brown Township. The original fort was built during the War of 1812. Along with Fort Amanda, Fort Jennings, and Fort Winchester, Fort Brown guarded the Maumee River and protected William Henry Harrison's supply lines in the months after the British in Canada took Detroit. The town sprang up in 1835. Along with homes and a post office, the town was home to a grist mill and a sawmill, both of which washed away. Today it is the site of a historical marker, and Colonel Brown--the town's namesake--is buried somewhere nearby.
Gilbert's Mills
Latty Twp.
This town grew up in 1872 around a sawmill.
Hamer
Washington Twp.
Town platted in 1848 and named after Ohio General Thomas L. Hamer, who served in the Mexican War. The town died with the canal.
Hedges
Jackson Twp.
The Nickel Plate Railroad brought this town into existence. It was platted in 1872 and contained 102 lots. The timber industry supported it for a long time, and at one time it was home to what was apparently a good hotel--the Parrish House. The town site is said to be 3 3/4 miles east of Route 127 on SR 613, then 1/4 mile south to the railroad tracks. The Hedges Cemetery is north of town along 613.
Holcomb
Paulding Twp.
Timber town. Existed in the 1880s.
Knoxdale
Crane Twp.
This post office and railroad station on the Toledo, Wabash & Western Railroad existed for a long time--from 1855 through 1920.
Link PO
Carryall Twp.
Post office town. Existed 1893 through 1920.
McGill
Benton Twp.
This town was a stop on the Findlay, Ft. Wayne & Western Railroad between 1893 and 1920.
Murat
Washington Twp.
This canal town was also known as Timberville and Hipp's Lock. It grew up around a canal boat turnaround, and was known for its high bridge over the canal.
Newberg
Brown Twp.
A timber banking town which existed at the north edge of what is today Melrose, between 1851 and 1880.
New Rochester
Crane Twp.
From 1835 through 1890 New Rochester was a town of some importance. It served as the Paulding county seat before Charloe built a two-story courthouse and lured it away, and in 1840 was the busiest town in the county. It stood about a mile north of present-day Cecil. Today it's marked by a roadside park.
Nineville
Harrison Twp.
One mile east of the Indiana state line the village of Nineville stood around the turn of the twentieth century. It was named after a family named Nine and was the site of a blacksmith shop.
Oquanoxa's Reserve
Brown Twp.
This indian town populated by sixty Ottawa indians was there when settlers came. Naturally, the settlers kicked the indians out in 1831 and renamed the town Charloe.
Plumb's X Road
Washington Twp.
This town was established in 1890 around Mr. Plumb's store. Plumb marked his store with an X on a sign to attract illiterate customers. This is similar to the McDonald's marketing strategy.
Point Pleasant
Blue Creek Twp.
This post office town existed in 1872. The post office later moved to Dague to be closer to the railroad.
Renollet
Emerald Twp.
This station on the Wabash Railroad existed between 1900 and 1920. It was a shipping center for local farmers, and was heavily damaged by a killer tornado in 1920.
Section 8
Paulding Twp.
This unintentionally hilarious town name came about because the timber town was built on section 8 of Paulding Township.
Smiley
Harrison Twp.
This timber town and sawmill existed between 1883 and 1902. It never boasted more than ten houses.
St. Andrews
Brown Twp.
Established May 31, 1850, by the Mather brothers, who came from Canada but were of Scottish descent. They named the town after the patron saint of Scotland. The Miami and Erie Canal connected to the Little Auglaize River in St. Andrews. The town died in 1881 when the railroad bypassed it.
Tate's Landing
Emerald Twp.
Lots of interesting things happened during the sixty or so years this town existed on the canal. Lyle Tate, an Irish worker on the canal construction project, saved his earnings and bought a few acres of land around one of the locks. A store and several taverns soon graced the spot, and the town was born. It was apparently a very volatile place; in the 1840s the lock to the east was the site of a murder. The lock keeper had killed someone, and his plea of self defense was rejected by the court. On April 25, 1887, a hundred anti-canal men blew up the lock at Tate's Landing. And in 1900, the town's last saloon was mysteriously dynamited. Today nothing's left of the place.
Tipton
Blue Creek Twp.
Route 114 was Main Street for this crossroad community. The crossing road was C71.
Worstville
Paulding Twp.
Another amusing name was given to this town, which was the site of a railroad depot, store, elevator, and Methodist Episcopal Church.
