Side A: Butterworth Station (seen across the field) was the southernmost station on the Underground Railroad in Warren County. Built in 1820, it was the home of Benjamin and Rachael Moorman Butterworth. As Quakers and abolitionists who opposed slavery in their home state of Virginia, they purchased 1,500 acres along the Little Miami River and moved to Ohio in 1812. Until nearly 1850, at great personal risk, the family fed and sheltered large numbers of runaway slaves before transporting them to the next station. When the Little Miami Railroad was built in the 1840s, Henry Thomas Butterworth donated land and water and assisted with the construction. In appreciation, the railroad created a stop here called Butterworth Station and gave his family lifetime passes. On this site, a water tower with a passenger waiting area was built that served as a railroad water station for decades.
Side B: At a time when one-room schools were the norm, William Butterworth, son of Benjamin and Rachael, planned a private school of higher learning- the Maineville Academy. Located in Maineville, the two-story brick Academy opened in 1848 with Professor John W.B. Foster as headmaster. A boardwalk from Foster to the academy was built for students who arrived by train. Many who attended the Academy, and their descendants, made a name for themselves. Clarkson, son of Moorman Butterworth, was a skilled mathematician, writer, and historian. William’s son, Benjamin, served as a five-term Congressman and U.S. Director of Patents. Benjamin’s son, William, married Katherine Deere, granddaughter of John Deere. As president of Deere & Company, William successfully introduced the company’s first line of tractors. In 1930, William and Katherine donated 150 acres to the Girl Scouts to establish Camp Butterworth.
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