Located in southern Wood County, the village of New Baltimore was founded in 1860, with the first plat of twenty-nine acres recorded by B.L. Peters in 1873. Official incorporation occurred February 7, 1876, with the name being changed to North Baltimore in 1880. The town flourished owing to the construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1873, from which the town took its name, and the discovery of rich oil and gas deposits in 1886. First settlers included: Jacob Dirk, George Franks, Levi A. Tarr, and B.L. Peters. The population of the village grew from 700 in 1880 to 2,857 in 1890. One of the first buildings, which was erected in 1860, served as a school and meeting hall and was located on the northwest corner of Main and Broadway streets. This area, then known as "The Great Black Swamp," had given birth to a thriving town.
Community Firsts
1812 General Hull's army marched along Rocky Ford Creek at the southeast edge of town on their way to Detroit
1834 Beeson Gristmill established along Rocky Ford Creek, north of E. Broadway
1874 First post office opened, Lincoln P. Hudson, postmaster
1875 First newspaper, The New Baltimore Enterprise, founded by B.L. and D.E. Peters
1876 B.L. Peters elected first mayor
1884 Henry's Opera House, 129 N. Main Street, dedicated by Dr. A.G. Henry
1886 First oil well struck; First gas well established
1888 People's Bank organized, closed in 1894, purchased by Hardy Banking Co., 1896
1888 Central Pressed Brick Co. opened, producing 8,000,000 bricks annually
1888 Zihlman Glass Company opened, making 1,000 drinking glasses a day
1890 City Hall built at 205 N. Main Street. cost $5,925, razed May 1985
1890-91 North Baltimore Electric Company founded at 115 W. State Street by Dr. Henry
1902 Toledo, Bowling Green & Southern Electric Interurban (streetcar) Line completed, later abandoned in 1930