Owensville Historical Society
P.O. Box 743 Owensville, Ohio 45160
Preserving Our History for Our Future

Home Up About Us History Get Involved Calendar Tell Us About It Resources Contact Us Site Map

 

 

Home
Up

Search
this
Site

Newtonsville

Main Street Newtonsville - Early 1900
 
The Mill - Newtonsville Tomato Cannery - Newtonsville - 1908

Newtonsville is situated on the Logtown and Newtonsville free turnpike (Highway 131). It is a thriving village of 150 inhabitants.     It was laid out March 30, 1838 by  Stephen Whitaker and Cornelius Washburn, and contained thirty-two lots and four streets. Via:   Amity, Main, Liberty, and Cross, each 66 feet wide.    An addition of twelve lots on the Logtown pike was made January 21, 1838.   It was a one-story log building.    The next one was built by Benjamin demons, on Lot no. 5, 1839.    Jonas Kill, Vandergrif Harris, Thomas Foote, and Enoch Hunter each built houses about that time.     The first store was kept   by Moses Pickelhemer on a lot now owned by Samuel McKinnie.     The second store was   kept by Samuel Beltz which was built in 1849.    In 1869, Zed South built the storeroom he occupies at the present time.

In 1870, Z. Dickinson had a store where G. E. Mattox's drug store now is.    In 1876 a grange-store was started in this place, J. H. Thompson was the manager.    In 1868 he was succeeded by George Sapp, and he by G. E. Mattox who made drugs a specialty. The first black-smith shop was built be John Beltz in 1839, and stood on Lot 19.     His son, Anderson, built the next, on present site of John Strowhover's.     In 1866, Francis Kelsey had a harness shop in a house now occupied by Elias Shumard.    In 1873, Cornelius Needham had one also.     In 1870, Abraham Whitaker built a wagon shop on Vine Street. In 1876 Samuel McKinnie built a carpenter shop on Lot No. 7.    John Work has a cabinet-and-undertaking shop where he has worked for some fifteen years.    There have been several turning lathes,  owned by Benjamin demons, Vandergrif Harris, Thomas Hair, and John Miller, all of whom did a good business.    In 1859 Thomas Foster had a cooper shop where M. M. Hill now lives.

The Newtonsville Chair Factory was brought from Boston, in September 1870,   by Wm. Roudebush. David Jones, and Sylvester Shriner,    Wm, Roudebush became sole owner in 1873.    It's capacity is twenty dozen chairs daily.    It gives employment to about fifteen hands.

The Newtonsville Grist-Mill was partially built from Griswold's steam saw-mill, which was purchased   in 1876 and removed to this place by J. H. Drebaugh.     It's capacity is 100 bushel of wheat in fourteen hours.

The first physician to locate in Newtonsville was Dr. A. McNeal, who had an office in the house now occupied by M. M. Hill, in 1848.     He left in 1849.    Dr. W. S. Anderson opened an office in 1858.     In October, 1879, Dr. W. Barry opened an office at the same place.

Newtonsville Post Off ice was established in 1845 with Jonas Hill as the first postmaster,, The mail was daily.

Newtonsville Lodge No. 685, L O. O. F. was instituted July 26, 1879.     It first met in the school house on every Saturday evening at half-past seven o'clock-.     In September, 1879, the lodge commenced to build a hall, which is situated on Main Street and will cost $2000.

SINCE 1880-

The Newtonsville Chair Factory burnt in the!880's.    Dr. W.S. Anderson's office was located   in   the house that later became the home of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel (Eva McCo-llum) Barren,  on Main Street, several houses east of the now LO. O. F.  Lodge Build­ing.   Drc Allan Rappy  in more recent years, had an office on the corner opposite the now Rothman's store.   The house was moved across the street to its present location next to the filling station.   Dr. Rapp had to close his office and return to Boston (Owensville)   to care for his father who had suffered a stroke.   From that time on  he had offices in Boston.

Mr. Robert Williams, father of Herbert and grandfather of David, operated an undertaking establishment from 1909-1917.   It was located where Lykin's Filling Station is situated now.   Mr. Smysor operated one prior, located in back of Rothman's storeo   Mr. Williams from 1919-1940 operated the grocery on the site now occupied by Earl's Market.   David Van Camp operated a blacksmith shop at Camps Corner (the intersection of Highway 131 and 133.   There was a blacksmith shop at the corners of Highway 131 and Hutchinson Road.

The C. Mo & Lo (Cincinnati, Milford and Loveland) Traction followed the steam road to Newtonsville and eventually going through to Blanchester instead of Loveland.   Wood­land Park came into being after the traction and became very popular as a recreation area for Cincinnatians, coming out on the traction by the carload.   William Jennings Bryant spoke there during his campaign for President of the United States.

A Tomato Cannery and French Bauer Creamery flourished several years during the time the traction operated.   They  were located on the C« M. & L0 in back of Ben demons and Manley Hills' homes.   This was in the early 1900's.   The cannery went out of bus iness in the 1920*Sc   Mr. Hill took over the building in lieu of a debt for the roof.   He later razed the building and traded some of the timber for milk cows.   The traction was discontinued around 1926.   The power station burned sometime later.   The town pump was located in front of the now Earl's Market and a hitching post was in front of Rothman's store. Harry Losey operated this store for many years prior to selling to Rothman.   Mrs. Rothman's parents, at one time, lived where the first Nazarene Church held services, across from the school.     The Church being converted into a house after they moved into the now Asbury Chapel building.

Highway 131, as it is now today, from the point of Belfast Road to Newtonsville, was built in 192L   It contains a stone bed about two feet deep.   This portion seldom needs repair even with today's traffic.   It was built by Mr. C. Wright.

 

Two-Room School - Newtonsville Newtonsville School - Around 1922

 

 

 

Send mail to webmaster@OwensvilleHistoricalSociety.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2008 Owensville Historical Society
Last modified: 04/10/14

Website created by Oak Haven Photography