The town of Creola, located on a hill between two valleys, "a top the brushy fork" just outside McArthur in Vinton County's Swan Township, was built on the site of an ancient village once inhabited by Mound Builders. The hilltop location was perfect for sending and receiving smoke signals, and being bordered by a branch of Raccoon Creek, it was also an idyllic habitat for hunting and fishing. After the Mound Builders left the area, it came back to life in 1815 with the arrival of the first settlers to Creola. 

Back in the early days Creola was known as Karnes City, named after its founder, Cornelius Karnes, a Virginia resident, who, with his family, moved north. The Karnes' once owned the whole "town" -- which at the time was only his 600-acre farm. Eventually he divided a portion of his land into 27 lots and 2 out lots to sell to incoming settlers. Today these lots comprise the tiny village.

When the town acquired a post office in 1879 -- a movable shack just north of the Ohio and West Virginia Railroad depot -- the inhabitants sought a new name, since the land was no longer exclusive property of Karnes. It is reported that a Mrs. Silvery, a prominent resident at the time, suggested the name Creola, after reading a work by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

The first settlers, of mixed, but mostly English descent, were smitten with area's natural beauty and bounty and likened it to ". . .Zion of old. . . beautiful for situation." The area's first primary economic source was agriculture. Exceptionally rich in iron ore and timber the town augmented its agricultural product with mining and lumbering, excavating these natural resources as they would a wintertime "cash crop." It has been said that the ore was so heavy it had to be carried by ox cart to the railway which once ran through the center of town.

Creola also once had a log school house and an elementary school, but today residents are bussed to the nearby Swan Township School. The community also once prided itself on having the largest number of high school and college graduates of in the district. In an 1885 story published in the McArthur Democrat Enquirer, it is reported that a literary society was formed, the residents being so keen on education.

This progressive little community also carried the banner for the temperance movement and worked tirelessly to advance its cause. It was reported by A.B.Kirkendall, a prominent resident and then the Ohio Attorney General, that the citizens of Creola were noted as ". . .exceptionally tolerant of the beliefs of others, a town in possession of a broad mindedness that permeated the entire community."

Another of its' claims to fame is a visit from the infamous Morgan's Raiders, who made a pass through Creola on July 21, 1863, and camped for two days.

But things have quieted down considerably since then. On the bluff, a red building with the faded sign "Wards Grocery", once originally owned by the Karnes family, has since long closed. Sadly, other businesses have also followed suit. Creola lost its post office in 1992, which was a blow to the little community, for it was a focal point of activity. The Creola General Store, a mainstay for gatherings has also closed. Only the Cornelius Chapel, one of two churches built in 1889, remains in the center of the village.

According to the 1850 census, the population of Creola (it's unclear as to whether it was the town proper alone or the entire vicinity) was reported to be 1,154. According to the 1990 census the population of the entire 37-mile square Swan Township is only 758.

In spite of the high unemployment rates and out migration, however, Creola has a new arrival to the area. The Native American, Hoskyinksa Farm Center, is located 3 miles south of Creola. In conjunction with Rural Action Henry Chenworth operates a thriving poultry business in the area.

Even though it is a humble little hamlet, with no post office, store, or mayor to call its own, sharing these services with neighboring McArthur, residents of the friendly village of Creola can always reflect upon the natural abundance and beauty of the land, and the town's rich heritage, and they can say with confidence that indeed, good things sometimes come in small packages.

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