Description:
Plain City was founded in 1818 by Isaac Bigelow. The town of Plain City was originally called Westminster when it was founded, but not long after, its name was changed to Pleasant Valley. In the year 1871, there were at least four towns in Ohio named Pleasant Valley. In 1877 the citizens petitioned to change the name of the town to Plain City.

It might not look like it now, but years ago Plain City was home to many Amish families. The first group of Amish settled in Plain City in 1896. And by 1904, there were three large Amish churches, made up of 20 to 30 families each. Here, they tended prosperous farms, raised their families, and practiced a simple, separate way of life. But by the 1940s, modern inventions, such as the automobile, began to tempt the younger generation. The incursion of worldly technology spurred the beginning of an exodus from the area. Families began looking for a more isolated place to live. Around 1944, a number of Amish families left the community, followed by another group in 1966, and yet another in 1975. Some of those who left Plain City went west to Wisconsin and Missouri. Others went to quieter, less worldly communities in Holmes County Ohio where fewer distractions existed.
 

Historic Homes of Plain City

The Farmers National Bank Building on the corner of SR 161 and US 42 was built in 1902 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Barto & Keiser Hardware Building constructed in 1902 is home to the town’s clock tower. The Seth Thomas clock is one of only two remaining in the United States.

 

The brick structure pictured (left) once housed the Princess Theater which featured silent movies

The Guy Building on W. Main Street once housed a funeral home and a dentist.

Beautiful historic churches are abundant in Plain City. Pictured above are the Presbyterian Church (upper left) and Universalist Church (upper right. The United Methodist Church (below) was built in 1902.