Evansport was named for brothers Amos and Albert G. Evans, who with Jacob Coy had the village surveyed beside the Tiffin River on December 14, 1835. The "port" in its name reflected the river's importance as a transportation route, and the town's early growth was driven by mills powered by the Tiffin River, which furnished lumber for buildings and flour and cornmeal for sustenance and trade. As settlers streamed into the northern townships of Williams County in the 1830s, debate arose over moving the county seat to a more central location, and Evansport was platted as a possible county seat site. The county seat moved to Bryan in 1840, and the creation of Defiance County in 1845 left Evansport on the Williams-Defiance county line. Around 1880, Evansport reached its peak with more than 300 residents and included fine residences, Methodist Episcopal and United Brethren churches, Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges, and businesses such as blacksmiths, coopers, general stores, a wagon maker, and a gunsmith. Bypassed by railroads and major highways, Evansport, like many 19th century rural economic centers, became a bedroom community with a rich heritage. For many years, fire protection depended on hastily organized bucket brigades, and fires in 1893, 1921, and 1925 destroyed many downtown business buildings. In 1940, residents organized a fire department and bought a used fire truck. In 2007, Tiffin Township Fire Department's small downtown firehouse was replaced by a 7,000 square-foot, $700,000 fire station at Main and Church streets on the former site of the Evansport School.