Ansonia is a village in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,174 at the 2010 census.HistoryAnsonia was founded in 1845 under the name of "Dallas." The village initially grew slowly; significant expansion only came after the coming of a railroad in 1852. Because dense swamps hindered settlement in the vicinity, woodland was plentiful, and Ansonia became a center of manufacturing for hardwood products. In 1873, the residents replaced their old school with a substantial two-story building at a cost of ten thousand dollars; this building was the first home of Ansonia High School, which was founded in that year. In turn, this building was demolished and a replacement erected in 1903. Another prominent structure in the village was a mausoleum; built of marble in 1911, it was the first mausoleum in Darke County.In its early decades, Ansonia was heavily influenced by Freemasonry. The community's first lodge was chartered on October 21, 1874 with a membership of sixteen; in its first forty years, this lodge expanded nearly eightfold. An IOOF lodge was instituted on June 18, 1875 with sixteen members; it grew nearly sevenfold in its first forty years. Sixteen women in the community founded a chapter of the Daughters of Rebekah in 1894, and a lodge of the Knights of Pythias was also established in the village.
