Perrysville is a village in Green Township, Ashland County, Ohio, United States. The population was 729 at the 2020 census.
History
The area was first permanently settled in 1810, but the village was not laid out until 1812. One of the settlers, Judge Coulter, picked the most beautiful spot for a village with the intentions of laying out a village, and although he had no name planned his neighbors jokingly called it "Coulterville." Perrysville was originally called Freeport, and under the latter name was laid out in 1815. The present name honors Oliver Hazard Perry, remembered for leading American forces in a decisive naval victory at the Battle of Lake Erie.
Geography
Perrysville is located along the Black Fork of the Mohican River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land. The village is the third largest municipality in the county after Ashland and Loudonville.
The Black Fork of the Mohican River passes the southwestern edge of the village.
Perrysville is roughly 30 miles from the cities of Mansfield, Ashland, Wooster, and Mt. Vernon. Nearby attractions include Mohican Forest, Pleasant Hill Lake, Malabar Farm, and St. Gregory Palamas Monastery.
The geography of the area, especially the multiple branches forming the Mohican River, make Perrysville and neighboring Loudonville premier locations for camping, canoeing, and eco-tourism.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 735 people, 326 households, and 186 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 372 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.3% White, 0.3% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.
There were 326 households, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.9% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.98.
The median age in the village was 37.8 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.
2000 census
As of the census
Public schooling in Perrysville began in 1816 with the construction of the first schoolhouse, taught by Asa Brown on what was then a farm. For the previous two years, education had been offered in private homes by Betsy Rice Coulter and then by William Maxwell Adolphus Johnson. During this time, school was taught only during the summer because of transportation limitations.
On November 14, 1865, an academy opened in Perrysville. At the time, academies served as a popular source of higher learning that was a step above traditional public schooling but a step below formal colleges. This school, located in what is now a Presbyterian church, taught a class of 45 enrolled students, although only 11 attended. In 1869 a separate building was built for the academy, and it operated there for twenty-six years. In 1895, the building burned down, and Greentown Academy never re-opened.