Originally known as Hocking Furnace, Haydenville was founded by and named for Columbus industrialist Peter Hayden (1806-1888), who developed the area's abundant coal, iron, sandstone, and fire clay deposits. He operated an iron furnace, coal mines, and sandstone quarries there, shipping products on the Hocking Canal and later on the Hocking Valley Railroad, which he helped build. The incorporation of the Haydenville Mining and Manufacturing Company in 1882 began the manufacture of brick and ceramic tile from fire clay, and business boomed in the late 19th century as cities paved streets with brick and fireproof construction became popular after widely publicized tragic fires. Architecturally unique in Ohio, Haydenville was built in several phases using its own clay products, and its buildings and houses display a variety of bricks, blocks, and tiles that make the town a catalog of the company's products. The brick homes on the east side date to the 1870s, while most tile block homes were built in the 1880s and 1890s, and many feature details made from sewer pipe, silo tiles, and paving blocks. Haydenville was sold to the National Fireproofing Company (Natco) in 1906 and remained company-owned until 1964, making it the last company town in Ohio; the Haydenville Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.