A Bicentennial History of Green Township: Uncovering a Jewel in the Crown of the Queen City 1809-2009
By: Joe Flickinger
Published in 2011, Heritage Books
Book Description:
In 1809, Cincinnati was officially a burgeoning Wild West town. It was called the “gateway to the west” by the people pouring onto the public landing from the myriad of steamboats docking by the river’s edge. Meanwhile, a densely forested, recently opened area just miles outside the city was being organized. A handful of rough and tumble frontiersman took a break from cutting their farms from the forest and answered the call from the constable to attend a meeting establishing a township. This township met the requirements of the Land Ordinance of 1785—a thirty-six square mile tract of land; the only one laid out this way in the Symmes Purchase. These men unknowingly were helping to set the stage for what would become one of the largest townships in Ohio. In 2009, two hundred years after its founding, Green Township has become known as the “Westside” by outsiders. To those who live there, it is called home. This book celebrates the history and heritage of Green Township and its journey from isolated frontier wilderness to being one of the largest townships in the state of Ohio. Numerous photographs, an appendix, a bibliography, and a full-name index add to the value of this work. 2011, 5½x8½, paper, index, 130 pp. To order a copy, please click HERE for the publisher's website.
Hamilton County's Green Township
By Jeff Lueders
Published in 2006, Arcadia Publishing
Book Description:
The Green Township communities of Bridgetown, Covedale, Dent, Mack, Monfort Heights, and White Oak had their humble beginnings in 1809. By the early 1900s, Green Township was primarily a rural farming community. The advent of the streetcar, and eventually the automobile, made traveling much easier. New and improved roads and better cars in the 1930s and 1940s enabled workers to commute to Cincinnati or the industrial Millcreek Valley. With this growth, the west side expanded greatly with the building of new homes, schools, and churches. By 1940, there were 18,500 Green Township residents. By 1960, the number had grown to more than 37,300. The 2000 census listed 55,660 residents, making Green Township the second-largest township in Ohio.To order a copy, please click HERE for the publisher's website.
=======================================================================
New Digital Books
The following two books are historic books detailing facts about 19th Century Green Township. They have been digitized by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County and are free to view on the libraries website. Each book has a description as well as a link to the libraries online digital library. Just click the link to view. Thanks to the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County for their efforts to digitize and preserve local history!
Pioneer Annals of Greene Township
By Reese P. Kendall
Published in 1905, 192 pages
A Valuable Source for Early Green Township History and Genealogy
This book records the tradition, legend, and history of many early pioneers and settlers of Green Township in the 1800s. It is organized by the family name, listed alphabetically. Hundreds of Green Township families are mentioned along with where they migrated to Green Township from along with spouse and children’s names. In many cases, interesting facts and stories about the person or family are told. The second half of the book records longer narratives about some key Green Township residents. There is an alphabetical index of names on the final few pages.
This book can be read on the Public Library’s Digital Library website. A complete copy can be viewed, page by page. The book can also be searched by keyword since it is in a PDF document format. The link is below –
To view the Library's digital copy, please click HERE
I Was Interested
As Told by Charles Schaible
Digitized in 2017 by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
What Everyday Life Was Like in Green Township in the 1800s
Charles Schaible was one of nine children of Michael and Louisa Schaible. The Schaibles lived on a mid-sized farm in Green Township along Muddy Creek Road and today’s Westbourne Avenue in the second half of the nineteenth century. He made notes about his life story and the story of his ancestors. His notes covered 960 hand-written pages.
The first few chapters describe everyday life on a typical 19th-century farm. Charles writes about his family, the farm, what they grew, what they ate, their neighbors, his school days, games the kids played, the inside of the house (rooms, beds, lack of plumbing, etc.) – in other words, what it was like in Green Township in the 1800s.
The remaining chapters describe the rest of this self-made man’s life to the 1930s. Charles was a founder of St. Martin’s Parish. He lived in Cheviot and helped organize the Cheviot Building and Loan Company. He also started his own company, the Schaible Foundry and Brass Works Company, which made valves and other plumbing supply items.
This book can be read on the Public Library’s Digital Library website. A complete copy can be read page by page. The page can also be searched by searching by keyword since it is a PDF document format. The link is below –
To view the Library's digital copy, please click HERE
========================================================================
Bridgetown Cemetery, located in Hamilton County, Ohio’s Green Township, was established in 1864 as the First German Protestant Cemetery with seven and a half acres along Cleves Pike. This cemetery was, from the beginning, a community cemetery, a final resting place for many of the township citizens who could not spend the time traveling across the rough county roads by horse and wagon to one of the larger public cemeteries located closer to the city of Cincinnati. In 1871, the cemetery donated a half-acre of land to the First German Protestant Church for their building. Many notable local politicians from Green Township, Cheviot, and western Hamilton County chose the cemetery for their final resting place. In 1939, the cemetery bought the Schaeperklaus farm directly to the north, bringing the total land to twenty-two acres. Since the new property has been developed and opened in 1961, the cemetery has been the non-denominational last resting place of choice by those seeking to remain close to their suburban, western Hamilton County roots.
This book celebrates the history, heritage, and story of the over 150-year-old Bridgetown Cemetery, and its journey from a seven and a half acre rural cemetery, to a twenty-two acre non-denominational cemetery that mimics the suburban landscape it is situated within. Numerous photographs, an appendix, a bibliography, and a full-name index add to the value of this work.
To purchase a copy, click here
Our Vice-President, Joe Flickinger, has also published another book, this time covering our northern neighbor Colerain Township. His book uncovers exciting events from the Siege of Fort Dunlap by Native Americans, to the growth of their farming communities during the 1800's, and finally their growth as a suburban community during and after the baby boom after WWII. Support this book and others about local history. It's only through these books and the many hours of research that go into them that the history of our areas can be spread for all to read!
A History of Colerain Township: From Frontier Wilderness to Suburban Sprawl
By Joe Flickinger
Published in 2018, Heritage Books
Cheviot History
By Roberta Michel, Rich Martin, & Robert Klein
Published in 2018
This book celebrates the Bicentennial History and Heritage of the Hamilton County City of Cheviot, Ohio. Where did the city come from? Where did it get the name "Cheviot"? This book answers these questions and more about this small city in Hamilton County Ohio that celebrated its Bicentennial in 2018. Copies can be purchased from Cheviot City Hall, as well as our Treasurer and co-author Roberta Michel at our meetings. The book is $10, and all proceeds from the sale of the book go to the newly formed Cheviot Historical Society.
========================================================================
New Local History Books!
Our Vice President, Joe Flickinger, has published his third book, this time covering the history of Bridgetown Cemetery in Green Township. This Green Township Cemetery was established in 1864 and contains the remains of over 6,000 residents. Joe's book also takes the reader on a walking tour of the cemetery, where highlights include several headstones and their meaning, as well as the graves of several of the founding trustees of the cemetery and important figures in the cemetery history.
A History of Bridgetown Cemetery: Quietly Serving Cincinnati's Western Hills for over 150 Years
By Joe Flickinger
Published in 2021, Heritage Books
This book celebrates the history, heritage, and story of the over 150-year-old Bridgetown Cemetery, and its journey from a seven and a half acre rural cemetery, to a twenty-two acre non-denominational cemetery that mimics the suburban landscape it is situated within. Numerous photographs, an appendix, a bibliography, and a full-name index add to the value of this work.
To purchase a copy, click here
A History of Colerain Township: From Frontier Wilderness to Suburban Sprawl
By Joe Flickinger
Published in 2018, Heritage Books
Colerain Township, located in Hamilton County, Ohio, was established in 1794. Predating the establishment of the state of Ohio in 1803, John Dunlap, a native of Coleraine, Ireland, surveyed the area. The early history of the township includes a siege on Fort Dunlap by Native American warriors for over twenty-four hours. They gave up when they heard reinforcements were on their way from nearby Cincinnati’s Fort Washington. After the Treaty of Greenville, the area was cleared for mainly rural farming, with small villages dotting the landscape, which housed a post office, a tavern or two, and maybe a few stores or shops that supported the farmers. The area remained rural until the end of WWII when suburban sprawl rapidly changed the small two-lane roads into bustling thoroughfares and the cornfields into cul-de-sacs with two or three bedroom homes and a garage for the family car. Today, Colerain Township is home to over 60,000 residents, making it one of the largest townships in Ohio. However, those who live there call it home. This book celebrates the history, heritage, and story of Colerain Township, and its journey from the isolated frontier wilderness, to rural farming, to a modern suburban community, bursting with people and business. Numerous photographs, an appendix, a bibliography, and a full-name index add to the value of this work. 2018, 5½x8½, paper, 136 pp.
To Order a Copy, Please click here. Cheviot History
By Roberta Michel, Rich Martin, & Robert Klein
Published in 2018
