Scott Township, Marion County, Ohio

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Location of Scott Twp, Marion Co, Ohio.

Scott Township is located in northern Marion County, Ohio along its shared common border with Crawford County, Ohio. The United States Census lists a total population of 520 people living in Scott Township during the 2000 census. The highest elevation in Scott Township is 1015 feet above sea level, the lowest point is 965 above sea level.

Scott Township has no incorporated cities or villages per se - the largest community in the township is Kirkpatrick, Ohio where the Scott Township Hall is located. Scott Township residents rely upon the Marion County Sheriff’s Department for its law enforcement protection. Residents of Western Scott Township are served by the Ridgedale Local School System; residents living in the easter portion of the township are served by the River Valley School System.

The township was organized between June 7th through 9th, 1824, and is comprised of land included in the Sandusky Plains of Ohio. Land in Scott Township is generally flat, with shallow slopes. Prairie grasses and other native plants were destroyed in its settlement; ditches were added to aid drainage of farm fields. The majority of farms in Scott Township today produce wheat, corn and soy beans.

In the 1920s, the township was a favorite Jim Thorpe (who played for the Oorang Indians NFL team in La Rue, Ohio) who hunted near the "Wolf Pond" north of Linn Hipsher Road. In 1942, the United States Federal Government seized approximately one-fourth of the total land in the township for the construction of the Scioto Ordnance Plant (this same action also resulted in the building of Marion Engineering Depot). Families living within the boundaries of the facility were given less than 60 days to vacate their homes and farms. Following the end of the war, the land was sold back to the public, however by that time, many of the homes and farmsteads that had been within the site had been leveled by the US Army; few families who had lived in the area before the government action returned to the area having established themselves in other communities.

The Township was hard hit by the Great Blizzard of 1978. Quail, once plentiful in the area have not been seen in the Township since that January storm.

Under the Ohio Revised Code (ORC), Scott Township resident's elect three Trustees to operate the business of the township. Because township home rule in Ohio is limited, duties for township officials are mostly limited to zoning and road maintenance. Trustees may also perform other such duties for residents as their budgets allow, such as maintenance of parks, however township officials are limited to certain sources of funding.