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Population growth in the newly settled communities of Cincinnati (1788) and Hamilton (1791) led to a call to improve the early Native American and military foot trail that connected the two settlements. The Cincinnati and Hamilton Turnpike Company was incorporated in 1817 to construct a turnpike between the two communities. With a capital-stock value of $100,000, the company set about to markedly reduce the thirty mile trip to two days travel time. From this turnpike emerged a tollgate at this site to collect tolls to pay for maintenance of the road. Blacksmith shops to tend to vehicle and horse needs and several inns to house weary travelers were also established at this site. One inn, “The Century Inn,” established in 1806, continues to operate as one of Ohio’s oldest.
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The first in a succession of schools that eventually gave College Hill its name was CARY’S ACADEMY FOR BOYS. Freeman Cary opened this school in his home on Hamilton Avenue in 1832. Success necessitated larger quarters and in 1833 PLEASANT HILL ACADEMY was built at the corner of Hamilton and Colerain (now Belmont) Avenues. Continuing growth and a distinguished faculty led to formation of a college. Money was raised by selling shares, mostly bought by local farmers. FARMERS COLLEGE OF HAMILTON COUNTY was chartered on February 23, 1846 and Cary Hall was built on this Belmont Avenue site in 1847. Future President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison, attended the college from 1848 to 1850. During the 1860s Cary Hall served as a station on the Underground Railroad. (Continued on other side)
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In July 1863, Confederate Brigadier-General John Hunt Morgan led a force of 2,000 cavalrymen across southern Ohio. Morgan’s force entered Ohio from Indiana. A chase ensued as Union cavalry pursued Morgan’s men across twenty Ohio counties. To evade 2,500 Union cavalrymen under Brigadier-General Edward Hobson and thousands of Union militia stationed at Cincinnati and Hamilton, Morgan’s exhausted troopers made a daring night ride, resulting in the longest sustained cavalry ride in American military history. Around 9 P.M., Morgan’s cavalry passed through New Burlington, then rode north on Mt. Pleasant and Hamilton Pike (present day Mill Road). Heading east on Bank Lick Road (Kemper Road), they reached this spot in the Village of Springdale around midnight. (Continued on other side)
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The Brewery District contains the majority of Cincinnati’s remaining breweries and associated structures such as icehouses, bottling buildings, offices, and stables. With the first brewery north of Liberty Street founded in1829, German immigrants fueled the growth of the brewing industry; by 1891, Cincinnati breweries produced over four barrels of beer per resident annually, almost twice as much as any other city in the nation. The brick breweries were typically designed in the Romanesque Revival style, and larger complexes often covered multiple city blocks. To produce the lager style beer common by 1860, typically very deep basements were dug or tunnels were cut into hillsides for the lagering process. At the height of production, 18 of the 36 breweries in greater Cincinnati were operating in Over-the-Rhine and the West End. Prohibition in 1919 closed most of the breweries permanently.
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First held in Cincinnati in 1850, the Ohio State Fair was organized by the Ohio Board of Agriculture to promote agricultural education and recognize achievements. The second fair was held in Franklinton (now part of Columbus) on the farm of Michael Sullivant. To increase interest and participation during its early years, the Ohio State Fair traveled to various locations around Ohio. In 1874, Columbus won a bid to host the fair for a five-year trial period. The fair remained in Columbus after the trial period and was held at the Franklin County Fairgrounds until the 37th Ohio State Fair began at this location. Conveniently located adjacent to major railroad lines, the Ohio State Fair grounds were dedicated on August 31, 1886.
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Since 1839, the Mt. Healthy Christian Church (established as the Church of Christ at Mt. Pleasant) has served as a model for global ministry and missions for Disciple of Christ churches emerging from the actions of the Restoration (Stone-Campbell) Movement. Founding Pastor David S. Burnet established the church at Mt. Pleasant with the collaboration of Restoration Movement leaders, including evangelist Walter Scott. Elder Burnet established the Christian Bible and Missionary Societies with Scott and others in 1848 in Cincinnati to nationally organize and unify the followers of the Restoration Movement. The church founded by Burnet in Mt. Pleasant has had continual significant leadership, including the Reverend Archibald McLean, leader of the movement’s reorganized Foreign Christian Missionary Society.
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Ruth Lyons, born in Cincinnati’s East End, was a broadcaster and businesswoman known for her radio and television show, The 50-50 Club and her charity, The Ruth Lyons Children’s Fund. Lyons was considered a creator of talk television and she was one of the first to turn the camera on her audience, now a common practice on TV talk shows. Lyons is credited with influencing generations of broadcasters, such as Nick Clooney, Bob Braun, David Letterman, and Jane Pauley. In 1858, she was invited to join NBC’s Today Show for a week. Lyons was a resident of 332 Tusculum Avenue and 3614 Morris Place. Her first husband, John lived at 420 and 427 Tusculum Avenue and they were married at the Morris Place residence.
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On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union surprised the world with the launching of Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite. The Cincinnati Astronomical Society’s Moonwatch Team, organized in 1956 as part of its participation in the International Geophysical Year, was immediately activated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (S.A.O.). First observations of satellites were made December 15, 1957. On these grounds, from 1957 to 1964, the Cincinnati Moonwatch Team, principally under the leadership of Tom Van Flandern (1940-2009), spent thousands of man-hours optically observing and recording data to verify the positions of satellites in space. Many times the team compiled the best satellite tracking records in the world. Because of this work The Moonwatch Team and the Cincinnati Astronomical Society were recognized by the S.A.O. as one of its leading teams worldwide.