Darke County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,881. Its county seat and largest city is Greenville. The county was created in 1809 and later organized in 1817. It is named for William Darke, an officer in the American Revolutionary War. Darke County comprises the Greenville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Dayton-Springfield-Sidney Combined Statistical Area.
History
Early history
Human activity in Darke County is believed to have emerged under the Adena culture during the Woodland period, roughly between 500 BCE and 100 AD. The Adena were later replaced by a series of Native American trading cultures known as the Ohio Hopewell, which were replaced by the Fort Ancient culture by 1000 AD. Although Darke County was in these cultures' spheres of influence, no major archaeological sites remain in the area. By the 1600s, the Miami people had settled the region, establishing their principal village at what is now Piqua in neighboring Miami County.
Europeans nominally owned the Louisiana Territory for centuries, dividing it among several different European countries over the years. Despite this, even as major settlements such as Detroit and St. Louis were established across the region, Darke County remained unsettled for most of that time.
The first major settlement was established at Fort Jefferson in 1791, and the base was used as a staging ground during the Northwest Indian War, but saw no action. Another camp was established in 1793 at Fort Greenville, where the historic Treaty of Greenville was signed in 1795, ceding control of Southern Ohio from the Native American tribes to the United States.
Settlement and 19th century
In 1807, the first European settlers began arriving in Darke County (then part of Miami). By 1808, initial plans were established for a settlement at the abandoned Fort Greenville that became the city of Greenville. Darke County split off from Miami County in 1809, and settlement continued to grow during the early 19th century, with major settlement outside Greenville proper hampered by unfavorable swampland. While the county was never on the Underground Railroad, local volunteers assisted escaped slaves moving to free states.
20th century and modern day
Darke County's growth slowed during the 20th century, with its economy shifting towards manufacturing and light industry instead of just agriculture. It benefited from the growth of the Dayton metropolitan area toward the end of the century, but began to see its population decline during the late 20th century as manufacturing slowed nationwide and Dayton began losing people.
Darke County's economy has since rebounded and its population has remained steady, with massive agricultural and industrial investments making it one of the nation's best-performing micropolitan areas and a substantial amount of the working population still commuting to Dayton. As home to the Eldora Speedway, the county also hosts one of the Dayton metropolitan area's biggest tourist events.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Mercer County (north)
- Shelby County (east)
- Miami County (east)
- Montgomery County (southeast)
- Preble County (south)
- Wayne County, Indiana (southwest)
- Randolph County, Indiana (west)
- Jay County, Indiana (northwest)