Washington County

Ludlow township derives its name indirectly from a surveyor of that name, who ran the north boundary of the "donation'' land, called the Ludlow line. On July 17, 1819, the county fathers established the township and named it after the line that now bounds it on the north. At that time, however, the township extended two miles north of this line. The establishing act, as found in the commissioners' journal, is as follows:

July 17, 1819-On the petition of Joseph Dickerson, John Davis, and Kinzer D. Jolly and others, inhabitants of the third township in The sixth range. The Board of Commissioners of Washington County establish the third township in the sixth range, together with section No. 36 of township two, in said sixth range, into a new and independent township and election district, to be hereafter known and distinguished by the name and denomination of Ludlow. And order that the qualified electors of said district meet at the house of Daniel Hearn, in said town, on the fourth Monday of August next, at 10 o'clock, A. M., to elect their township officers agreeably to law.

In 1851 all above the Ludlow line became a part of Monroe County. In 1840 the establishment of Independence declared the "section No. 36 in township two" a part of that township. These are the only two changes that Ludlow has suffered territorially since its establishment. The valley of the Little Muskingum was first settled. Solomon Tice is reported as being the first settler. Other early pilgrims were the Devees, Hearns, Elders and Dicksons.

A Methodist Church was holding services as early as 1824. Before 1848 a Methodist Church was built at Boomfield. A Disciple Church was organized about 1850. In the southeastern part of the township a Catholic Church was built about 10 years later. Schools were in existence in 1816, and perhaps some previous to that date. About 1820 the first water mill was built by Richard Taylor on the Little Muskingum at Bloomfield. This village was laid out about 1840 by Porter Flint.

The developed oil territory extends across the township and into Monroe County.

Source: History of Marietta and Washington County, by Martin R. Andrews, MA, 1902, Transcribed by C. Anthony