Lock, Ohio

Ohio's 12th congressional district is a United States congressional district in central Ohio, covering Athens County, Coshocton County, Fairfield County, Guernsey County, Knox County, Licking County, Morgan County, Muskingum County and Perry County along with parts of Delaware, Holmes and Tuscarawas counties. The district includes communities east of Columbus including Zanesville, Cambridge, and Mount Vernon. It is currently represented by Troy Balderson, a member of the Republican Party. Balderson took office following a special election held on August 7, 2018, to replace Rep. Pat Tiberi, who had resigned on January 15, 2018. Balderson was then re-elected in the 2018 general election two months later. From 2003 to 2013 the district included eastern Columbus, including most of its heavily African-American neighborhoods. The district also took in most of its northern suburbs, including Westerville. It was one of two districts that split the state's capital city, the other being the 15th district. For most of the time from the 1980s to the 2000s, it was considered to be less Republican than the 15th, in part due to its large black population. However, redistricting after the 2010 census drew nearly all of the 15th's black constituents into the 3rd district, while the 15th was pushed into more exurban and Republican areas north and east of the capital. It has been in Republican hands since 1920, except for an eight-year stretch in the 1930s and a two-year term in 1980 where the Democratic Party held the seat; in both instances the Democratic incumbent was later defeated by a GOP challenger. In the 2004 presidential election George W. Bush narrowly won the district against John Kerry, 51% to 49%. However, in the 2008 presidential election, Democratic candidate Barack Obama won the 12th district by a margin of 53% to 46%. After the 2011 redistricting cycle, the district has since been won in larger margins by Republican presidential candidates. In the 2018 special election, Balderson was endorsed by prominent Republicans including President Donald Trump, Governor of Ohio John Kasich (who represented the 12th from 1983 to 2001), and former Rep. Tiberi. The Democratic candidate was Danny O'Connor. The winner was not immediately clear following the unexpectedly competitive August 7 election. Only on August 24 was Balderson officially declared the winner of the special election, which witnessed a significant swing away from the Republican Party as Balderson won with a margin of less than 1%, while fellow Republican Trump had carried the district by 11% in the 2016 presidential election. In 2020 the district swung heavily back to the Republicans as Balderson won by over 14%.

Bennington Township is one of the 25 townships of Licking County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682.

The Belle Hall Covered Bridge, east of Croton, Ohio, was a covered bridge which was built in 1879. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It spanned the little Otter Fork, a tributary of the north fork of the Licking River. It is a single-span wooden truss bridge, built by an unknown builder. In 1999, it was one of only seven surviving covered bridges in Licking County, Ohio, out of about 80 which once existed. The bridge was named for a lady, Belle Hall, who lived nearby. The bridge collapsed in 1999. It was replaced by a contemporary girder bridge which has an unusual wooden deck: the deck and its supports were salvaged for re-use from the historic bridge.

Appleton is an unincorporated community in Licking County, in the U.S. state of Ohio.

Mount Liberty is an unincorporated community on the border between the Milford and Liberty Townships of Knox County, Ohio, United States. It has a post office with the ZIP code 43048. It lies along the concurrent U.S. Route 36 and State Route 3.

Hartford (also called Croton) is a village in the township of the same name in Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 404 at the 2020 census.

Northridge High School is located in rural northwestern Licking County, Ohio, and serves several townships in that part of the county, as well as a part of southern Knox County, Ohio. It has a USPS address of Johnstown, Ohio, although it is about five miles northeast of that town. The original High School is now Alexandria Elementary. After moving from the current elementary, the High School was moved to what is now the current middle school building. Today, both the middle school and high school are in the same building, but fairly separated. As of beginning of the school year 2008, 4th and 5th grade students are attending school in the Intermediate on the campus of the High School. The school's mascot is the Northridge Viking.

Centerburg is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States, along the North Fork of the Licking River. As of the 2020 census, the village population was 1,690. Centerburg is located near the geographical center of Ohio.

Hilliar Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Knox County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 3,781 people in the township.

Hartford Township is one of the 25 townships of Licking County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 1,433.

The Knox County Infirmary was a former Infirmary and poorhouse in Knox County, Ohio for those with mental disorders, the poor, and children. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. In June 1842, the county acquired 132 acres of land from William Davidson along the Cleveland, Mt. Vernon & Columbus Railroad and expanded upon the existing structures for the first county infirmary and poorhouse. A larger structure was soon needed and Tinsley & Company of Columbus was hired to furnish plans for a new building. A contract for construction was awarded to the J. Henegan & Company on September 30, 1874 and the new Italianate-styled infirmary was opened in September 1877. It featured 100 rooms and a central 65-foot-high tower that contained three water tanks. Substandard conditions forced the Knox County Infirmary to close in 1957. The building was purchased by Foursquare Gospel Church and was used as the Mt. Vernon Bible College until 1988, when it relocated to Virginia. The building, abandoned for several years, was reopened as The House of Nightmares in 1997. It became one of the state's largest haunted houses and was in use until January 2006 when four floors of the building collapsed. Toby Spade purchased the former infirmary from the state of Ohio with the intent of rehabilitating the building but the front north facade gave way in February 2015. A fire consumed the entire structure on June 26.

Centerburg High School is a public high school in Centerburg, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Centerburg Local Schools district, offering grades 9–12. Its mascot is the Trojan. The Trojan's boys basketball team won the MOAC blue division conference championship in 2016. A new track has been completed at the high school as of 2019. It is also one of central Ohio's only schools to have a large solar panel field providing power to its high school. The Centerburg Trojan pride marching band is a marching based out of Centerburg High school in Ohio and is still currently operating as of 2023 [1]