HISTORY & RESEARCH

PREBLE COUNTY was formed from Montgomery and Butler, on March 1, 1808, it was named after Capt. Edward PREBLE, who was born in Portland, Maine, August 15, 1761, and distinguished himself as a naval commander in the War of the Revolution, particularly in the Tripolitan war, and died on the 25th of August 1806. 

The first settlement in the county was by John Leslie in 1798 along Elk Creek, in what is now known as Gratis Twp. (in the southeast corner of the county, abutting Butler County to the south). Laid out in 1805, New Lexington (now in Twin Twp., Ohio 503 and Lexington Road) was the first town in the county.

We are excited to be working on the largest digitization project in Preble County History. We are collectively working on organizing, scanning, and archiving our entire photo and document collection at PCHS. With the help of our incredible volunteers, photos like the ones below including descriptions will be available to the public for viewing online in the future. Preble County is full of rich history and we are excited to share our galleries with you. In the meantime, make sure to follow us on Social Media as we post updates. Facebook & Instagram! 


 Photos below: Property of the Preble County Historical Society Collections

RESEARCH REQUESTS

If you are seeking historical information, please note that we at PCHS only have the following resources: 

Don't see what you're looking for? Check out these other wonderful county resources! 

See our document below for addresses, hours, phone numbers, and websites! Happy hunting! 

Research Referral Sheet