George Berry founded Bremen in 1834 naming the new village after his father-in-law's hometown of Bremen, Germany. During the 1800s the village grew slowly, serving mainly as a service center for local farmers. In the 1850s the railroad came to Bremen. Then in 1907, oil was discovered in Bremen. Due to the boom, Bremen grew quickly and accumulated much wealth. The profit brought in by the oil was used to establish local industry, build a downtown commercial center, and line the streets of Bremen with beautiful homes (many of which can be seen today in the town).
In 1907, Bremen, Ohio, was called Oil City. (One of the many oil derricks built in the 1920's still stands in Howell Park.) Most of the villagers were in some way related to or were oil drillers themselves. Bremen was a boomtown. The Village was growing slowly in 1884, with a population of 200 inhabitants. However, this all changed with the oil boom, which began around 1907. Small quantities of gas and oil had been produced by local wells before this, but when wells began producing 140 barrels per day and 250 barrels per day, the race was on! Bremen enjoyed unparalleled prosperity during the next seven or eight years, then settled down to become an agricultural community once again. Outlying areas, including the private sector, also reaped the benefits of the gas and oil industry.
After the Oil Boom was when the Erickson Glass Works came to Bremen. Read more about Erickson Glass Today Bremen is home to Fairfield County Ohio's Amish population.
Official Village Website click here