When Berkshire Township was first laid out, it encompassed land that has since been divided off into other townships. The towns of Sunbury and Galena had not yet been incorporated into villages with their own governments so were part of Berkshire, too. Today, the entire Village of Galena and the majority of the Village of Sunbury still lie within the township's borders, although they have been incorporated with their own Village Councils, etc. 

Galena was originally platted under the name of Zoar, but in 1834 when a post office was established, they discovered there was already a Zoar post office north and east of here, in Tuscarawas County, so the name Galena was suggested by Nathan Dustin.

Sunbury was laid out by William and Lawrence Myers and the original plat is dated November 1816. In 1820, Lawrence Myers built the historic Myers Inn, which still stands today on the southwest corner of the Sunbury Square. The inn is now a museum and the home of the Big Walnut Area Historical Society. Click for Link to Historical Society Web page.

Sunbury is fortunate to have many historic buildings which have been preserved and are still in use today, not the least of which is the imposing Town Hall. Built in 1868, the structure cost $6,500, of which $1500 was contributed by the Masonic Lodge to build the third story, which they still occupied in 1880.

I hope you've enjoyed this brief series of articles and now, when someone asks, "Where do you live?" you'll proudly say "I live in Berkshire Township, and it's an amazing place!"