York Township

Parent Township(s): York Township can be considered either the tenth or the eleventh township created in Union County. It was officially recorded in the county offices before the completion of Claibourne Township's organization. York Township was created from a northern division of Liberty Township.

First Settled: February 1828

First Settler: Joseph Miller

Surveyed: The first surveys in this township date to 1799.

Recorded: December 3, 1833

Name Origin:

Past and Present Towns and Places of Habitation:

Past and Present US Post Offices:

One-Room Schools: Bethel, Boerbdale or Figley, Bolenbaugh, York Center, Miller, Sommersville, Middletown, Pleasant Valley of Hella Half Acre, Hamby or Shinebone, Southard, and Cahill.

Coons Settlement - George Coons purchased 100 acres of land in the T. Bowyer survey and built a cabin here in 1829. Other early settlers here were Nathanial Brooks, Levin Wright, and John Stamates. The Coons settlement was located approximately two miles north of York Center. In 1839 the York Township Free-Will Baptist Church was formed in the settlement at the house of George Coons.

Miller Settlement - The Miller Settlement was made in February of 1828 when Joseph and Jemima Miller moved to the northeast corner of York Township from Franklin County, Ohio. His son Jonathan G. Miller settled here at the same time. Another son, James C. Miller moved to the settlement in February of 1830. A school was located in the neighborhood by 1838. The school was first held in Joseph Miller's cabin.

Somersville - This was a variation in the spelling of the name Summersville.

Summersville - Summersville was named for one of its founders, William Summers, who consequently never lived in this village he helped start. The site for the village was surveyed and recorded on August 11, 1835 by Levi Phelps, County Surveyor. The first cabin was built on the village site by Thomas Price. Mr. Price also ran the first tavern in the village. The post office was originally called Bokes Creek. At one time this small village supported a a school, a hotel, two stores, a shoe shop, two blacksmiths, and two churches. The first school in Summersville was built shortly after the village was platted in 1835. Today there is still a church at Summersville.

York - This is another reference to York Center.

York Center - York Center was originally just a post office site. The original post office was kept north of Bokes Creek. The post office was opened in about 1838 with T. Wilkins the first post master. The village was platted on 24, 1841. However, there was never much building on the village site until after 1860. At one time the village consisted of around 15 houses, a wagon shop, two stores, and a blacksmith shop. Today there is a large cemetery and a United Methodist Church located in York Center. There is also a quarry in the general vicinity.

The York Rural School District was first chartered in 1915. The school building was erected in 1915. A high school was chartered for this district in York Center in 1920. This school district arose from an earlier consolidation of an earlier York Center School and the Bokes Creek (Summersville) School. The York Rural School District was consolidated with the Byhalia School District in 1952. This consolidated school would eventually be consolidated with other schools in the northern section of Union County to for the North Union School District.

Bokes Creek - The US post office in Summersville was established in approximately 1838 as the Bokes Creek Post Office. T. Wilkins is listed as the first post master.

Summersville -

Williams' Post Office - This post office was located at the present day intersection of Williams Road and Osborne Road.

York -

York Center -