Waterford Township is one of the twenty-two townships

Civil township

A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

 of Washington County

Washington County, Ohio

Washington County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 61,778. Its county seat is Marietta. The county, the oldest in the state, is named for George Washington. Washington County is included in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, West Virginia-Ohio...

, 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...

. The 2000 census

United States Census, 2000

The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 found 3,708 people in the township, 2,426 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.

Geography

Located in the northwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Center Township, Morgan County
  Center Township, Morgan County, Ohio
  Center Township is one of the fourteen townships of Morgan County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 652 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Manchester Township - north...
  
   - north
• Jackson Township, Noble County
  Jackson Township, Noble County, Ohio
  Jackson Township is one of the fifteen townships of Noble County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 536 people in the township, 496 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northeast corner
• Adams Township
  Adams Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Adams Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,830 people in the township, 1,202 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - east
• Watertown Township
  Watertown Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Watertown Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,563 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - south
• Windsor Township, Morgan County
  Windsor Township, Morgan County, Ohio
  Windsor Township is one of the fourteen townships of Morgan County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,951 people in the township, 1,411 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - west

The village of Beverly

Beverly, Ohio

Beverly is a village in Washington County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,282 at the 2000 census...

 is located in central Beverly Township, and the unincorporated communities

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...

 of Coal Run

Coal Run, Ohio

Coal Run is an unincorporated community in northeastern Waterford Township, Washington County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 45721. It is located along State Route 60 between the villages of Beverly and Lowell...

 and Waterford

Waterford, Ohio

Waterford is an unincorporated community in central Waterford Township, Washington County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 45786. It is located on State Route 339 across the Muskingum River from the village of Beverly, slightly below...

 lie in the township's northeast and south.

Name and history

It is the only Waterford Township statewide.

Waterford was named after the Waterman and Ford families who were founding fathers to the area. These men, after receiving land grants from their duties during the Revolutionary War, moved their families into this territory. Generations later both families still live in the area today.

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer, who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.