For other places in Ohio named Chester, see Chester Township, Ohio

Chester Township, Ohio

Chester Township, Ohio may refer to:*Chester Township, Clinton County, Ohio*Chester Township, Geauga County, Ohio*Chester Township, Meigs County, Ohio*Chester Township, Morrow County, Ohio*Chester Township, Wayne County, Ohio...

.

Chester is an unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in central Chester Township

Chester Township, Meigs County, Ohio

Chester Township is one of the twelve townships of Meigs County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,332 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Orange Township - north...

, Meigs County

Meigs County, Ohio

Meigs County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,770. Its county seat is Pomeroy, and it is named for Return J. Meigs, Jr., the 4th Governor of Ohio.-Geography:...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It lies along the Shade River

Shade River

The Shade River is a tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. The Shade River is long, or including its west...

 at the intersection of State Routes 7 and 248

Ohio State Route 248

State Route 248 is an east–west state highway in southern Ohio, a U.S. state. State Route 248 extends from its western terminus at State Route 7 in the unincorporated community Chester to its eastern terminus at a Y-intersection with State Route 124 in Long Bottom.-Route description:All of...

. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office

Post office

A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

, with the ZIP code

ZIP Code

ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...

 of 45720.

History

Chester is one the oldest communities in Meigs County, having its beginnings around 1800. Shade River

Shade River

The Shade River is a tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. The Shade River is long, or including its west...

 allowed for feed and saw mills to be constructed, while the Shade River Valley provided relatively fertile cropland.

Chester served as the first county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 for Meigs County, but was later replaced by the growing Ohio River

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 village of Pomeroy

Pomeroy, Ohio

Pomeroy is a village in and the county seat of Meigs County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,966 at the 2000 census. During the late 19th century, Pomeroy was an important producer of coal and salt...

. On a hill overlooking the town square or commons, is the oldest standing courthouse in the state of Ohio. Tours can be arranged through the Meigs County Historical Society.

Noted American author Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist...

 was born just downstream of Chester in the Shade River

Shade River

The Shade River is a tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States. Via the Ohio River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau. The Shade River is long, or including its west...

 valley.

Education

Public education in the community of Chester is provided by the Eastern Local School District

Eastern Local School District (Meigs County)

The Eastern Local School District is a public school district based in the community of Reedsville, Ohio, United States.The school district includes all of Orange and Olive townships as well as most of Chester Township, the northern portion of Lebanon Township, and a very small portion of far...

. Campuses serving the community include Eastern Elementary School (Grades K-8) and Eastern High School

Eastern High School (Reedsville, Ohio)

Eastern High School is a public high school in Reedsville, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Eastern Local School District...

http://www.easternlocal.com/school_home.aspx?schoolID=3 (Grades 9-12).