Tontogany in Wood County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Custer Homestead

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 26, 2009

1. Custer Homestead Marker

Inscription. Near this site stood the former Custer Homestead of Emanuel and Maria Custer from 1856-1865. For two years it was the boyhood home of Captain Tom Custer, younger brother of famed General George Armstrong Custer. At age 16, Tom misled a recruiter in neighboring Gilead, Ohio about his age and enlisted in the Civil War. He later earned two Congressional Medals of Honor, the first person in history to do so, for capturing enemy flags at Namozine Church on April 3, 1865 and at Sailor's Creek on April 6, 1865. His parents relocated to Monroe, Michigan during the Civil War. Tom continued serving in the Army during the Indian Wars in the West and often visited his brother Nevin in Tontogany. He, along with his brothers George and Boston, brother-in-law James Calhoun, and nephew Harry Reed, were killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876.

Erected 2008 by Custer Homestead Marker Fund and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 19-87.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Heroes • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Military • War, US Civil • Wars, US Indian.

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In addition, it is included in the Medal of Honor Recipients, and the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1862.

Location. 41° 25.355′ N, 83° 44.309′ W. Marker is in Tontogany, Ohio, in Wood County. It is on North Street, on the left when traveling west. This historical marker is located along the south side of North Street, right in the Centennial Park of the Village of Tontogany. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1865 North Street, Tontogany OH 43565, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Black Swamp,

in the Till Plains,

and in the Toledo Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker:

Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 26, 2009

2. Custer Homestead Marker

View of historical marker on the grounds of the Village of Tontogany's, Centennial Park.

9/11 Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Tontogany Mural (approx. ¼ mile away); Arthur Cault Oliver (approx. 0.4 miles away); Victor R. Bennett, Jr. (approx. 0.4 miles away); Merlyn C. Castner (approx. 0.4 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Charles C. Lybarger (approx. 0.4 miles away); George W. Grimm (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tontogany.

Also see . . . Thomas Custer. Discussion of Thomas Custer's life and career. (Submitted on July 2, 2009, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.)

Photographed by Daulton Cox, August 15, 2026

3. Custer Homestead Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on October 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 2, 2009, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 3,353 times since then and 96 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 2, 2009, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 3. submitted on October 3, 2026, by Daulton Cox of Muncie, Indiana. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.