Electricity in Saint Marys, OH

History of Saint Marys

After the Revolutionary War, the Shawnee village on the site became known as Girty's Town for the Indian traders James and Simon Girty, who had a trading post on the site. James Girty was originally a partner of Peter Loramie, but fled to the St. Marys River when Loramie's trading post was burned in 1782. Girty maintained his trading post between 1783 and 1790 and fled when General Harmar's army approached. He later returned to the post. When General Anthony Wayne approached the St. Marys area in 1794, James Girty packed up his goods and fled to Canada, thus ending the Girty Brothers era in Ohio. The village retained the name until the modern town was founded in 1823.When General Wayne returned through the St. Marys area late in 1794 after the Battle of Fallen Timbers, he found the site deserted but noted its strategic location as a portage between the St. Mary's River and Auglaize River. He ordered a fort built on the location. Fort St. Mary's, named for the nearby river, was built by a detachment under Lieutenant John Michael in Oct. 1795 following the Treaty of Greenville. Lieutenant John Whistler was placed in charge of the garrison.In 1812, Gen. William Henry Harrison found the fort in ruins, and built a fort named Fort Barbee on an adjacent site. Col. Joshua Barbee was placed in charge of the fort.St. Marys was the site of the signing of the Treaty of St. Mary's of 1817, and the six treaties comprising Treaty of St. Mary's of 1818.

Saint Marys by the Numbers

Population

12,744

Median Age

39.7 yrs

Median Household Income

$75,054/yr

Median Home Value

$153,900

Homeownership Rate

76%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)