Mill’s Bulk Food and Deli is one of the newer Amish-owned businesses in the Adamsville area. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

Adamsville is one of those small Ohio villages that’s easy to overlook at first glance.

A handful of miles east of Zanesville in Muskingum County, Adamsville has a population of about 140 to be generous. It has zero traffic lights and one gas station. It’s located just 16 miles north from I-70 on SR 93.

But don’t underestimate the quiet, sleepy quality here. In fact, that may be just how its residents like to live. And it’s not hard to see why.

This part of Muskingum County is made up of rolling hills, lush woodlands and prosperous family farms with livestock and fields full of corn, hay and soybeans. It’s also in one of the most productive areas of Ohio for deer hunting.

So rather than sleepy or quiet, “community that’s family” is probably the best way to describe the town and the surrounding area. Families have lived here for generations since the town was first laid out in 1832 and incorporated in 1864. The town had its own weekly newspaper, The Adamsville Register, from 1889 to 1939.

The Adamsville Community Volunteer Fire Department and EMS covers the village and 100 square miles of rural farmland. The department holds an annual community fish fry to raise funds. Adamsville also has a community building that keeps busy with a full kitchen, restrooms and seating for large groups.

Perhaps its most famous resident, William S. Denison (1794-1880), a “business farmer and stock raiser” and the wealthiest man in the county at the time, became the namesake of Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

Denison accomplished this in 1853 by donating $10,000 to the college when it was in financial straits. The college, then named Granville College, was offering naming rights to whomever would donate that amount. In 1841, he built a substantial brick house just south of Adamsville; the house is still standing today along SR 93. Learn more about William S. Denison.

More recently, Amish have discovered and appreciated the lay of the land here, with a growing community of Amish families who live in the Adamsville area.

According to an Ohio Department of Transportation study in 2020, there were nearly 400 Amish in four church districts in the Adamsville area, first settling the area in 1997. Statewide, there are at least 75,000 Amish, primarily in Holmes, Wayne, Stark and Trumbull counties.

When visiting Adamsville, be prepared to use GPS or ask directions. Some retailers, especially those owned and operated by Amish, may advertise only with signs at the side of the road. But these kinds of places are well worth a visit.

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Here are a few of the places you’ll find in the Adamsville area.

Adamsville Hardware & Supply, 5385 Edgemoor Road. Provides goods for livestock, sporting goods, household/lawn/garden, plumbing, electrical, paint, pets, fencing and more. They carry Milwaukee power tools.

Alpacas of Spring Acres, 3370 Big B Road. Southeastern Ohio’s largest Suri Alpaca farm with 80+ alpacas on 180 acres. Alpaca yarn, products and farm tours are available.

Baker’s Store, 8115 East St. (SR 93). Convenience store with gasoline, deli sandwiches, pizza, hot subs, ice cream, groceries, beer, tobacco, lottery, propane, ice, hardware, health & beauty items, ATM. (740) 796-3342.

Discount Groceries, 8180 Edgemoor Road. Hours are Monday-Saturday 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday by chance, closed Sunday. No website, Facebook page or telephone number.

Dorsets ‘N Daylilies, 3660 Big B Road. This family farm raises Registered Dorset and Dorset Advantage ewes, and offers more than 800 varieties of hybridized daylilies and many newer introductions. Visitors are always welcome, please call to schedule a visit at (740) 819-8383.

Gifts From the Garden, 3460 Adamsville Road. Garden center offers seasonal flowers and plants, open seasonally. Call for hours of operation at (740) 819-9460.

Hilltop Forge & Homestead, 2830 Culbertson Road. Blacksmith and custom welding shop. Fencing, gates, deck railings, sculptures, home decor items, custom ironwork offered. (740) 605-2318.

McDonald’s Greenhouse and Corn Maze, 3220 Adamsville Road (SR 93). Pumpkins, cider and donuts, farm animals, hayrides, cornfield maze and much more for kids and families to enjoy here for the 30th year. Season starts Sept. 13, runs through Oct. 31.

Mills Bulk Food & Deli, 5790 Dresden-Adamsville Road (SR 208). Grocery store featuring Amish meats and cheeses, bulk baking supplies and grocery and dairy items.

Red Barn Market, 11490 Friendship Drive (intersection of SR 93 & 83), Otsego. Grocery, bulk foods, deli, ice cream and daily specials on sandwiches and entrees. Information on the Red Barn Market is posted on the Otsego community page on Facebook.

Roger’s Auction Barn, 7255 Knicely Road, Adamsville. Community and estate live auctions and fundraisers held regularly, food available. (740) 796-2931.

Shirer Brothers Meats, 7805 Adamsville-Otsego Road. Shirer Brothers Meats have offered custom butchering, retail and wholesale meat to customers since 1951. They offer vacuum packing on all processing including beef, pork, lamb, goat and venison. Specialties include smoked meats, jerky and bologna.

Spiker Springs Herbs & Antiques, 7335 Adamsville-Otsego Road. Family-run herbal products business located right at the farm where botanicals are grown. Call for hours at (740) 796-3521.

Yeary Orchards, 11195 Yeary Road. Yeary Orchards have offered customers the best apples around for more than 55 years at their 100-acre orchard. Open August through Christmas (or when apples are gone). Contact for hours and more information (740) 796-5922.

Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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