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The Indian Creek Regular Baptist Church was established in 1810 as an arm of the Little Cedar Creek Church of Brookville, Indiana. The congregation purchased three acres of land for a burial ground and church and built a log structure here in 1811. Members voted in 1812 that they would receive no person who believed in the principles of slavery. By 1829, membership had reached 150 and the present brick meeting house was built. In the 1840s, membership declined due to conflict over mission activity The congregation dissolved in 1879 and the land was deeded to the Indian Creek Cemetery Association in 1880. The county park system received the property in 1960 through and with the cooperation of the Butler County Historical Society and the Cemetery Association.
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Built by “Old Miami” University President Robert L. Stanton, D.D. (1810-1885) as his private home and president’s office, Stanton’s 1868 Italianate house faced University Square, and welcomed students and guests. The house retains its original symmetrical façade, enclosed portal, grand staircase, double parlors, parlor doors, marbleized slate mantels, and triangular bay windows. Stanton served as president from 1866-1871. Stanton’s son, Robert Brewster Stanton, MU ’71, famed civil engineer, lived here as an undergraduate. His Miami mentor, mathematics professor Robert W. McFarland (1825-1910), purchased the house in 1873. McFarland rented it while distinguishing himself at Ohio State University during Miami’s twelve-year closure, and then resided here while first president of “New Miami” (1885-1888) and until his death. McFarland’s daughter Frances and her husband Llewellyn Bonham sold the home to Miami in 1940.
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Warren Gard (1873-1929), son of Samuel Z. Gard and Mary Duke, was born in Hamilton, Ohio. He established his practice in Hamilton after graduating from Cincinnati Law School and being admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1894. Gard served as Butler County Prosecuting Attorney from 1898-1903, and as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas from 1907-1912. In 1910, he married Pearl Zuver Woods (1875-1946). In 1912, he was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1913-1921. Gard delivered a eulogy for his friend, Warren G. Harding, on August 8, 1923, the national day of mourning for the deceased president. Gard had been a 35-year member of the bar when he died. He is buried next to his wife in the Gard plot in Greenwood Cemetery. (Continued on other side)
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Clark Lane (1823-1907), industrialist and philanthropist, was a son of John Lane (1793-1880) and Rosanah Crum (1795-1877). John came with his family to the Ohio Country when it was still part of the Northwest Territory. As a young man, Clark worked in his family’s blacksmith shop, and eventually helped found Owens, Lane & Dyer Machine Company in 1854. It built agricultural machinery, sawmills, papermaking machines, and other products, initiating Hamilton’s prominence in metals manufacturing. Lane funded the Butler County Children’s Home, an orphanage for over a century, and constructed an octagon house as his residence on Third Street. He built this library in 1866, also as an octagon, and donated it to the people of Hamilton. A 19th century admirer wrote, “The name and generous deeds of Clark Lane will never fade from the memories of a grateful people who have been recipients of his favor.”
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“The Poet’s Shack” was built as a writing studio for the prolific poet Percy MacKaye, who held the position of writer-in-residence at Miami University from 1920-1924. MacKaye requested a writing studio in the woods, a simple shack with a fire where faculty and students could gather to talk with the poet or hear his newest works. MacKaye’s studio was built on Miami’s lower campus — now known as Bishop Woods after first president Robert Hamilton Bishop — where Upham Hall stands today. Students called the structure “The Poet’s Shack.”
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Raised and educated in St. Louis, author Fannie Hurst (1885-1968) was born in Hamilton at 918 Central Avenue, the home of her maternal grandparents. She was the daughter of Rose Koppel and Samuel Hurst. Already a writer as a student at Washington University (Class of 1909), Fannie moved to New York in 1910 to begin her career. Success came after repeated rejection. Stories for popular magazines brought her attention in the mid-1910s; by the mid-1920s she had become a best-selling, highly-regarded, and well-paid author. Between 1912 and 1964, Hurst wrote 18 novels, eight short story collections, and many other pieces. Hurst’s short story “Humoresque” (1919) and the novels Back Street (1931) and Imitation of Life (1933) were three of 32 films based on her writings. The film adaption of Imitation of Life received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture in 1934. (Continued on other side)
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Thomas Cowan Bell, James Parks Caldwell, Daniel William Cooper, Isaac M. Jordan, William Lewis Lockwood, Benjamin Piatt Runkle, and Franklin Howard Scobey met in a second floor room of this building to found Sigma Chi (ΣΧ) in early 1855. All but Lockwood had been members of Delta Kappa Epsilon (ΔΚΕ) but left over a disagreement as to who should be elected poet of Erodelphian, one of Miami University’s literary societies. Runkle and Caldwell, who lived here, designed Sigma Chi’s badge, the White Cross. Reflecting the ideals of Friendship, Justice, and Learning, the Brothers donned the badge and established Sigma Chi on Commencement Day, June 28, 1855. The founding of Sigma Chi completed the Miami Triad, which includes Alpha (founding) chapters of Beta Theta Pi (ΒΘΠ, 1839) and Phi Delta Theta (ΔΘ, 1848). Miami University and Union College in Schenectady, New York are known as the “Mother of Fraternities.” (Continued on other side)
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The Hogan Family owned and operated what was known as the Hamilton Airport for over 52 years. Airplane owner and pilot, Carl “Pop” Muhlberger and aviation enthusiast and farmer, Joe Hogan, co-founded the airport in July 1929. Muhlberger taught Joe to fly and in return, Joe managed and maintained the field. During the Great Depression, Muhlberger could not afford to operate the airport, closing in July 1932. With financial backing from Joe’s older brother, Charles, and their father, William, the family purchased and reopened the airport. Running the airport was a family affair. Joe taught his brothers, Bill, Bernie, and Art to fly. They raised money to run the airport by barnstorming, sightseeing flights, and flying lessons. Sisters, Mary Ann, Katie, and Loretta (Sauer), also flew. They, along with their mother Emma, helped run the airport and its restaurant. (Continued on other side)
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