One of Delaware County's traditional town square left in Galena Ohio (toby boyce)
Galena, Ohio, has been on the banks of Big and Little Walnut Creeks for 194 years.
A lot has changed over the years, including the name, but a lot has also remained the same. The community was established in 1809, platted in 1816, and a post office brought to town in 1834. The arrival of the post office forced the community to change its name from Zoar – due the similar name of a Tuscarawas County community – to Galena.
Galena today is a quiet community with about 300 residents along the north shores of the Hoover Reservoir. The Hoover Reservoir came along in 1955 when the City of Columbus dammed the creeks to create the huge reservoir — 2,818 acres of fishing water and 48.4 miles of coast line.
The reservoir might be bringing more folks into the Galena zip code, but the community remains very similar to how it nearly a century ago.
My favorite part, is the quaint downtown. The City Square includes a touching memorial to the community’s fallen sons in foreign wars. Head out to Galena and enjoy its small-town charm. Have lunch at the Galena Diner and stay for dinner at Mud Flats Bar & Grill and enjoy some good local music.
A lot of the information on this article is courtesy of Galena, Ohio’s Web site.
