The small Village of Archbold, Ohio is located in the western part of Fulton County in German Township. It is a very Christian community, and the people are all of German, Swiss and French ancestry, but the majority are German. The town is really flat, and the only two waterways that flow throughout the area are the Tiffin River and Brush Creek. Both of those waterways are the source of water and a place of drainage for the town.

George Ditto was the first person to settle on this land, which is now in the limits of Archbold. It is also known that George arrived here in 1838 and purchased the land north of the New York Central Railroad. That area is known as the Ditto and Haywood addition. The first natural industry in the area was woodworking because the land was entirely covered with wood. Today, woodworking is still the major industry in this area, and home to Sauder’s Woodworking.

The name Archbold came from the chief railroad engineer James Archbald. It is also stated that the name of the town came from the names of two engineers, Arch and Bald.

Archbold became a village in 1866 with a population of only 300. Mr. Fredrick Stotzer opened a harness shop in 1858, and became the first mayor of the village. The first church that was built in Archbold is St. Martin’s Lutheran Church in the fall of 1866, and is located on South Defiance St.

The first school was established in 1852 in a log cabin that was located on a farm that belonged to Jerome Grime. 1891 was the first graduating class from the Archbold school district.

Today, the population of Archbold is 4290 people. It is home to the Archbold Bluestreaks. Four County Career Center is the vocational school located on the outer edge of Archbold. There are three main lodging places in Archbold, The Arch Motel, Diener’s Guest House, and Sauder Heritage Inn. There really isn’t much to do in this sleepy little town, but if you are looking for something to eat there is a Dairy Queen, McDonalds, and Burger King for fast food, and for nice, “sit-down” restaurants, there is a Chinese restaurant, Mom’s Diner, The Home Restaurant, and The Barn. For things to do, you could always visit Sauder’s Village, or the Bowling Alley/Fun Center.