The small community of Strasburg, Ohio is situated favorably at the junction of I-77 and US 250 in Tuscarawas County. The village has always enjoyed a prime location, as many of its earliest roads followed old Indian trails.
Although settlers had been in the area for some time, the village of Strasburg was formally surveyed and laid out in 1827. There had been an area schoolhouse (a primitive round log cabin) for several years, specifically since 1816, but the first house in the town was built by Christian Metzger, a weaver.
Soon the location attracted other settlers to Strasburg, and a storekeeper, shoemaker, postmaster, stagecoach driver and even a singing teacher had settled there soon after the founding of Strasburg.
Churches began to spring up in and around the town, and many inns served the needs of travellers passing through the area.
Transportation became even easier in 1872, when the Cleveland, Lorain Wheeling Railroad was built through Strasburg. From then on the village experienced steady growth.
Strasburg was incorporated in 1893, and several years later, in 1900, the first bank was organized. By 1901 Strasburg had its own electric plant, and electric streetlights were installed in the town at this time; people were enjoying the newest modern conveniences. For several years (1903-1929) the village even had a streetcar service!
In 1907 the village's weekly newspaper, The Record, was printed for this first time, and in 1913 a second railroad, the Pennsylvania, came through town, increasing the amount of business that was possible in Strasburg.
By the 1930s, the streets were paved, the town had its own public library, and many businesses had been established, including the Thomas Overall Company, which made play suits and overalls. In 1944, a new weekly newspaper, The Inter County Gazette, was established.
Today, Strasburg is a lively little community of around 2,300 residents. Several distinctive gift and craft shops are located in the area, and a prominent flea market can be found downtown. Strasburg is also home to a popular drive-in movie theatre, one of the oldest of its kind in the state. Each summer the village holds its annual Cornfest, with activities such as bathtub races, sack races and other children's games, sporting contests and a car show.
Strasburg offers the best of classic small-town life, along with the advantage of being located beside major roadways for ease in travel.
- Some information taken from the History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, 1988, by the Tuscarawas County Genealogical Society. (Aug. 2001 Edition)