Ansonia Map
Ansonia is a village in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,145 at the 2000 census.
Ansonia was founded in 1845 under the name of "Dallas." The village initially grew slowly; significant expansion only came after the coming of a railroad in 1852.:568 Because dense swamps hindered settlement in the vicinity,:566 woodland was plentiful, and Ansonia became a center of manufacturing for hardwood products.:568 In 1873, the residents replaced their old school with a substantial two-story building at a cost of ten thousand dollars; this building was the first home of Ansonia High School, which was founded in that year. In turn, this building was demolished and a replacement erected in 1903. Another prominent structure in the village was a mausoleum; built of marble in 1911, it was the first mausoleum in Darke County.:569
In its early decades, Ansonia was heavily influenced by Freemasonry. The community's first lodge was chartered on October 21, 1874 with a membership of sixteen; in its first forty years, this lodge expanded nearly eightfold. An IOOF lodge was instituted on June 18, 1875 with sixteen members; it grew nearly sevenfold in its first forty years. Sixteen women in the community founded a chapter of the Daughters of Rebekah in 1894, and a lodge of the Knights of Pythias was also established in the village.:569
Nearby cities include Gettysburg, Yorkshire, Osgood, Bradford, Russia.