Putnam County

Putnam county, created in 1820 from part of Shelby county, is located in northwestern Ohio about 50 miles southwest of Toledo and uses Ottawa as its county seat. The county population on July 1, 1999, was 35,206, an increase of 1,387 over the 1990 census.

The county is named for Gen. Israel Putnam, the Revolutionary War hero who commanded the American forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Here he gave the famous command to his men: "Don't fire until you can see the whites of their eyes." The county seat is the site of an ancient Indian village, Tawa Town, from which it takes its name.

An early description of Putnam county is found in a book published in the late 1800's. "The land is level, part of the Black Swamp. Covered with heavy timber, black ash, white elm, cottonwood, and burr oak. The western part is largely settled by German Catholics. Central part settled by Mennonites."

Location: Ottawa Ohio

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