The land encompassing Genoa Township was parceled as a United States Military District and given to soldiers as compensation for their service during the Revolutionary war. The amount of land a veteran was eligible to receive was determined by their rank achieved during the war. While the first deeds for land in Genoa Township were granted in 1800 under President John Adams, actual settlement of the land by itself by non-native inhabitants is not known to have occurred for another six or seven years.
The Township was officially organized in 1816 and given its name by early resident, Elisha Bennett, after the town of Genoa in Italy, the birth place of Christopher Columbus. The areas’ rich resources made it a natural farming community. Some historic barns still stand today dating back to 1900. Another relic still visible today is the remains of the railway that bisected the community, operating from 1873 to 1950 and repurposed into the Genoa Trail in 1989.
Many of the area’s first residents are buried in four historic cemeteries maintained by the Township.
In more recent history, the construction of Hoover Reservoir began in 1953, vastly changing the landscape of Genoa Township by flooding the meandering Big Walnut stream valley to provide water supply to the City of Columbus and surrounding communities. Land, homes, and tax revenue were lost to the reservoir, causing controversy. The recreational opportunities the reservoir has since provided have become a distinguishing characteristic of Genoa Township and an asset for residents and visitors to the area.
The Township went through another transformational change between 1998 and 2003 when 3,810 new residential dwelling units were permitted, adding over 7,000 new residents, nearly tripling the population. The growth highpoint during this period occurred in 2002, with 716 new residential dwelling permits being issued that year. Today over 8,000 homes exist for the Township’s population of over 25,000.
