History

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Goshen Officially Established 1819 The area that would officially become Goshen Township in 1819 was founded in 1799 by German and English settlers, most of whom had migrated down the Ohio River from western Pennsylvania after fighting for the Colonies during the American Revolutionary War.  Jacob Meyers from Penns Valley, PA is believed to be the first permanent settler. In 1798 he bought a farm of several hundred acres on a branch of the Obannon Creek, two miles south of the present village of Goshen. 

In 1803 the Stroup family settled into a log cabin also located near Obannon Creek. It was later purchased by the Cook family who farmed there for over 100 years. Preserved and fully restored, the cabin's nearest neighbor is now Goshen High School. 

Between 1825-1830, Benjamin Thacker built one of several Goshen houses using limestone quarried from Obannon Creek. The two story structure had walls over 10" thick, multiple fireplaces, a spacious "keeping room," and a full basement, making it one of the more impressive homes in town at the time. The house was eventually sold to Dr. Daniel Lyman, one of several doctors in Goshen but the first to open a doctor's office and laboratory, called a surgery, in an addition to the back of the house. The house is now a museum and home to the Goshen Twp Historical Society.

After the Civil War, Goshen veterans in the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) formed the Kilpatrick Post in Goshen, raising tens of thousands of dollars for charity and community projects, as well as donating a civil war cannon for a memorial monument in Goshen Cemetary. 

Students from one-room school houses could attend the Goshen Seminary for higher education. Eventually the Goshen Rural School was established for local students of all ages, graduating its first class in 1909. Goshen Rural School , later called the Sheila E. Green School, matriculated thousands of students until 2002, and was finally razed in 2013. 

The first car belonging to a Goshen resident rolled into town in 1912. By the 1920's Goshen boasted many businesses, multiple churches, and a thriving main street. By the middle of the 20th century new schools, a drive-in movie theater, bowling alley and roller skating rink were added.