The history of Austinburg goes back to the 1840s when Seneca Austin purchased a tract of land lying along the Licking River. A decade later, Austin subdivided the land and sold the parcels to German Catholics who were settling just outside the city of Covington to avoid the city taxes. The railroad, which originally ran at the edge of Austinburg, played a significant role in shaping the future of this neighborhood. For many years, railroad jobs were the most important source of employment for neighborhood residents. In 1908, St. Benedict Church was built. Within a year, the new Sixth District School was completed. By the mid-1920s, Austinburg was one of the most desirable places to live in Covington. Like so many urban neighborhoods throughout the United States during 1960s, Austinburg lost a number of its residents to the suburbs. Today, new generations of people interested in urban living are rediscovering this historic neighborhood.
