Tuscarawas County is a county located in the eastern part of the state of Ohio. As of the 2000 census, the population was 90,914. Its county seat is New Philadelphia. Its name is a Delaware Indian word variously translated as "old town" or "open mouth". The New Philadelphia–Dover Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Tuscarawas County. Not much was known about the territory west of the Appalachian Mountains except for a few explorers and fur traders who ventured into the area. In 1750, Christopher Gist, of the Ohio Land Company, did some exploration of the Tuscarawas Valley. His report of the area hinted at some natural riches and friendly Indians. In 1761, missionaries from the Renewed Church of the United Brethren, also known as the Moravians, set out from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to set up a mission in the Tuscarawas Valley. Christian Fredrick Post and John Heckawelder met with Chief Netawatwes of the Lenape, also known as the Delaware Indians, at Gekelemukpechunk, near present day Newcomerstown, Ohio. They were granted permission to build a cabin near the junction of the Sandy Creek and Tuscarawas River, in present day Stark County. It was abandoned in 1763 during the French and Indian War. In 1771 David Zeisberger returned, at the request of Chief Netawatwes, to establish some missions in the valley. In the spring of 1772, near the present site of New Philadelphia, Ohio, Zeisberger along with five converted Indian families established Schoenbrunn, or "beautiful spring". They built a school house and a chapel. August of that year, John Heckawelder brought additional 250 converted Indians which then expanded the village of Schoenbrunn. A second settlement, roughly 10 miles, was established at Gnadenhutten, which means "Tents of Grace". On October 17, 1772, Zeisberger conducted the first religious service at Gnadenhutten. In 1776, Chief Netawatwes donated land for another settlement, Lichtenau, which means "fields of light", near present day Coshocton. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 571 square miles. 568 square miles of it is land and 4 square miles of it is water.

Cities

Villages

Baltic Barnhill Bolivar Dennison

Gnadenhutten Midvale Mineral City Newcomerstown

Parral Port Washington Roswell Stone Creek

Strasburg Sugarcreek Tuscarawas Zoar

Townships

Auburn Bucks Clay Dover Fairfield Franklin

Goshen Jefferson Lawrence Mill Oxford Perry

Rush Salem Sandy Sugar Creek Union

Warren Warwick Washington Wayne York

Unicorporated Communities

Dundee Sandyville

Somerdale Stillwater

Wainwright