City of Bellefontaine, Ohio
  • Home
  • Government
    • Mayor's Office >
      • Parking
    • Safety Service Director
    • City Council >
      • Council Members >
        • Zeb Wagner, ​President
        • Kyle Springs
        • Mick Lile
        • Richard Kurtz
        • Deb Baker
        • Peter DeSomma
        • Jordan Reser
        • Jenna James
        • Clerk of Council
      • Council Agenda
      • Council Minutes
    • Auditors Office >
      • Audit Reports
    • Treasurer
    • Law DIrector
    • Municipal Court >
      • Municipal Court Judge
      • Municipal Prosecutors
      • Probation Department
      • Civil/Small Claims >
        • Fee Schedule
      • Traffic/Criminal >
        • Fees & Bond Schedule
    • Boards & Commissions >
      • Planning Commission
      • Shade Tree Commission >
        • Blue Jacket Park Tree Walk
        • Tree Planting Tips
        • Tree City USA
        • Tree Steward Program
        • Tree Inventory
        • Recommended Street Trees
      • Logan County Metropolitan Housing Authority
      • Board of Zoning Appeals
      • Civil Service Commission
      • Board of Tax Review
      • Enterprise Zone Board
      • Records Commission
      • Board of Building Code Appeals
    • City Ordinances
  • Departments
    • Airport >
      • Midwest Corporate Air
    • Police >
      • Announcements
      • Employment
      • Mission Statement
      • Programs >
        • Citizens Police Academy
        • Team Effort
        • Vacation House Check
      • Contact Us / Report a Crime
      • Police Links
    • Fire & EMS >
      • Staff
      • Equipment
      • Open Burning
      • Arson
      • Safety Town
      • History
      • Fire & EMS Links
    • Engineering >
      • Applications & Permits
      • Maps
    • Taxation >
      • FAQs
      • Tax Regulations
    • Public Works >
      • Street Department
      • Water Department
      • Wastewater Department
      • Cemetery
    • Utilities >
      • Account Information
      • Rates
      • Refuse & Recycling
      • Sourcewater
    • Code Enforcement >
      • Make a Complaint
      • Volunteer
      • Resources
      • Vacant Building Enforcement Program
      • Mobile Food Vending
    • Parks & Rec >
      • Bellefontaine Parks & Recreation Foundation
  • Announcements
  • Visitor Info
    • Public Parking
    • Attractions >
      • Hoffman Pool
      • Holland Theatre
      • Indian Lake State Park
      • Logan County History Center
      • Mad River Mountain
      • Marie's Candies
      • Marmon Valley Farms
      • Myeerah Nature Preserve
      • Ohio Caverns
      • Piatt Castles
      • Simon Kenton Pathfinders
    • Logan County Area Chamber of Commerce
    • Logan County Visitors Bureau
    • History of Bellefontaine >
      • Historic Timeline
      • History of Bellefontaine
  • DORA
  • Bid Express
  • Contact
    • Calendar
    • City of Bellefontaine on Facebook
    • Applications & Permits
  • Employment
  • Employee Portal
  • Home
  • Government
    • Mayor's Office >
      • Parking
    • Safety Service Director
    • City Council >
      • Council Members >
        • Zeb Wagner, ​President
        • Kyle Springs
        • Mick Lile
        • Richard Kurtz
        • Deb Baker
        • Peter DeSomma
        • Jordan Reser
        • Jenna James
        • Clerk of Council
      • Council Agenda
      • Council Minutes
    • Auditors Office >
      • Audit Reports
    • Treasurer
    • Law DIrector
    • Municipal Court >
      • Municipal Court Judge
      • Municipal Prosecutors
      • Probation Department
      • Civil/Small Claims >
        • Fee Schedule
      • Traffic/Criminal >
        • Fees & Bond Schedule
    • Boards & Commissions >
      • Planning Commission
      • Shade Tree Commission >
        • Blue Jacket Park Tree Walk
        • Tree Planting Tips
        • Tree City USA
        • Tree Steward Program
        • Tree Inventory
        • Recommended Street Trees
      • Logan County Metropolitan Housing Authority
      • Board of Zoning Appeals
      • Civil Service Commission
      • Board of Tax Review
      • Enterprise Zone Board
      • Records Commission
      • Board of Building Code Appeals
    • City Ordinances
  • Departments
    • Airport >
      • Midwest Corporate Air
    • Police >
      • Announcements
      • Employment
      • Mission Statement
      • Programs >
        • Citizens Police Academy
        • Team Effort
        • Vacation House Check
      • Contact Us / Report a Crime
      • Police Links
    • Fire & EMS >
      • Staff
      • Equipment
      • Open Burning
      • Arson
      • Safety Town
      • History
      • Fire & EMS Links
    • Engineering >
      • Applications & Permits
      • Maps
    • Taxation >
      • FAQs
      • Tax Regulations
    • Public Works >
      • Street Department
      • Water Department
      • Wastewater Department
      • Cemetery
    • Utilities >
      • Account Information
      • Rates
      • Refuse & Recycling
      • Sourcewater
    • Code Enforcement >
      • Make a Complaint
      • Volunteer
      • Resources
      • Vacant Building Enforcement Program
      • Mobile Food Vending
    • Parks & Rec >
      • Bellefontaine Parks & Recreation Foundation
  • Announcements
  • Visitor Info
    • Public Parking
    • Attractions >
      • Hoffman Pool
      • Holland Theatre
      • Indian Lake State Park
      • Logan County History Center
      • Mad River Mountain
      • Marie's Candies
      • Marmon Valley Farms
      • Myeerah Nature Preserve
      • Ohio Caverns
      • Piatt Castles
      • Simon Kenton Pathfinders
    • Logan County Area Chamber of Commerce
    • Logan County Visitors Bureau
    • History of Bellefontaine >
      • Historic Timeline
      • History of Bellefontaine
  • DORA
  • Bid Express
  • Contact
    • Calendar
    • City of Bellefontaine on Facebook
    • Applications & Permits
  • Employment
  • Employee Portal

History of Bellefontaine, Ohio

Welcome to Bellefontaine!
We just celebrated our 200th birthday as a city in 2020.
As mayor, I’m pleased to tell you a little about Bellefontaine, both its history and its modern day story.

Bellefontaine is the county seat of Logan County, Ohio. It was named after the French word for “beautiful spring”, since several limestone springs once existed in the area. Shawnee Chief Blue Jacket had a village located on the site of Bellefontaine. Established in 1820, Bellefontaine grew slowly, having only 610 residents in 1835. That same year, the town contained four churches, one newspaper office, and eleven stores.
​
The summer of 1837 forever changed Bellefontaine. In July of that year, the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad Company completed the first railroad in Bellefontaine.  Bellefontaine truly became a major railroad town in the 1890s when the Big Four Railroad Company (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, & St. Louis) made it one of their main terminals. Bellefontaine served many important functions as a terminal. Today, very little remains from our rich railroading history.

Bellefontaine's Historic Timeline
Oldest Concrete Street
Statue of George Bartholomew, inventor of concrete pavement, on the first concrete paved street in America, Court Avenue in Bellefontaine
Other Historical Facts
  • George Bartholomew is celebrated as the man who brought cement and concrete to the Midwest. Called "artificial stone" in the 19th century, the newfangled mixture called concrete hadn't yet been used to pave streets. George convinced the Bellefontaine City Council to try it in 1891 on Court Avenue, around the Logan County. (A section of Court Avenue remains paved today with Bartholomew's formula, celebrated as the first concrete paved street in America. A statue of George Bartholomew (pictured) stands on Court Avenue to commemorate this achievement.)
  • Bellefontaine is home to McKinley Street, the shortest street in America (20 ft.).
  • Bellefontaine is home to The Holland Theatre (1931), the only Dutch Style Theatre in our nation.
  • Some notable past residents: Edward D. Jones (BHS 1913), Norman Vincent Peale (b-1998), The Mills Brothers (1200 records, over 50 million sold; in the 1920’s The Mills Brothers became the first African-American vocal group to perform on national radio. Signed by CBS recording. Their performing years spanned 5 decades.)
  • In 1951, the 664 Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (Soviet Union and Cold War) was located at Campbell Hill. This area also marks the highest point in Ohio.
  • Our most recent claim to fame is local snowboarder, Louie Vito. Vito was an Olympic Athlete in 2010 and has won numerous medals in the Winter X-Games and other International Snowboarding Events. Not to mention, Vito was also on the popular TV show, "Dancing with The Stars."
    ​
I invite you to visit and stay awhile in Bellefontaine. Be sure to make a stop at our new Transportation Museum!
City of Bellefontaine logo
Mayor's Office
135 N. Detroit St. 
Bellefontaine, Ohio 43311
(937) 592-4376
City Employee Portal
Bellefontaine GovDeals
Regional Income Tax Agency Ohio
Website by Berry Digital Solutions, LLC