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COMMUNITY - PAGE 7
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Fire destroys Popst Hotel / Saloon
The above headline, which appeared in the January 13, 1931 Journal News (Hamilton, Ohio), highlighted a news story about a massive fire that destroyed a former Darrtown place of business and threatened several other nearby structures.
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To see the January 13, 1931 news article and two other related news items, plus "extra info" about this event, visit: 1931 Popst Saloon Fire
MILFORD TOWNSHIP FIRE ASSOCIATION TO BUY NEW TANKER FOR FIRE HOUSE NO. 2 AT DARRTOWN
VOTER-APPROVED ONE-MILL TAX LEVY TO FINANCE PURCHASE
Click the following link to see an image of the 1973 newspaper article that reported this story.
IMAGINE DARRTOWN PIKE AS A DIRT ROAD...
In February of 1920, the Butler County Commissioners announced that two county roads would be paved with "permanent materials."
Click the following link to see...
TWO OPTIONS FOR VIEWING THE NEWS ITEM:
As the result of a conference on Wednesday in the city between L. A. Miller, chief owner of the Darrtown Telephone Company, and F. L. Van Arsdale, manager of the Bell Telephone Company of Hamilton, a joint application of these two phone companies has been filed with the state public utilities commission at Columbus, asking permission for an exchange of service. The request will be heard sometime next week. The Darrtown telephone company is an independent company and has 90 subscribers. By this exchange of service, the Darrtown company will be able to have its subscribers talk to Cincinnati.
Also, see History of Darrtown Pike and Irwin Cut Pike Pathway
It was January; the start of a new year, and, according to a local newspaper, there was good news for anyone wanting a new home at Darrtown!
New houses were to be built ... at affordable prices ... in prime locations at the upper and lower ends of Darrtown. Investors were in place; land had been purchased; experienced builders were ready; advertising has begun; and financing for buyers was available.
Click to enlarge your view of the images.
UNFORTUNATELY, images of the original newspaper articles lack clarity and are somewhat unfocused.
To FACILITATE READING the news items, they have been transcribed into files using present-day fonts.
Newspaper articles - available below - provide more details about this development.
Click to see the articles transcribed.
The Journal News 22 Jan, 1929, Tue – page 2 50 NEW HOMES FOR DARRTOWN All will be completed by March one, 1930 May get bus service Erection of 25 new homes will be started March 1, according to reports from William Wiley, builder, of Hamilton; 25 additional homes are to be completed by March 1, 1930. The subdivision known as Northside Park contains 30 acres recently purchased by William Keppler of the Grothaus – Kepler Realty Co. Mr. Keppler and William Wiley are financing this project. It is their intention to construct four, five, and six room homes at lowest cost to purchasers, built of the best material available. The new structures are to be of the same type that characterizes homes Mr. Wiley built for people in Hamilton, which have proved so desirable. With the population growth of Darrtown and Northside Park, the transportation problem has become more impressive. It appears that the time is only a few months distant, when an announcement will be made of the inauguration of regular bus service to Darrtown. Negotiations now are so advanced that but a few more details remain to be worked out for the new bus line. It Is reported that Mr. Wiley has options on other tracts, near Darrtown, and between Darrtown and Hamilton.
The Journal News 03 Jan, 1929, Thu – page 2 BUILDING BOOM AT DARRTOWN Work to be started soon on 25 dwellings near creek Twenty-five new homes are to be erected at Darrtown. They are being built on the Wagonfield farm, located on the Hamilton – Darrtown Pike, from the Wolf home to the Four Mile Creek. Benjamin Bufler, Griesmer Avenue, is one of a group of men financing the operations. Work is to start, as soon as weather conditions permit. The houses are to be built in blocks of five, five room modern dwellings, at a cost approximately, $4500 each.
If you are familiar with Darrtown... then you know that those houses were NEVER BUILT. Most of the fields north and south of town are still being farmed.
We may never know the answer to that question; however, a logical assumption about the cause of the plan's collapse may lie in the DATE when the house construction was scheduled to occur.
DID YOU NOTICE, in the news items above,that this building boom was announced in January of 1929?
As you may recall, 1929 was the year of the "Great Depression."
So, it may be that the collapse of the national economy silenced Darrtown's anticipated building boom.
Granted, the stock market crash did not occur until September of 1929. But, ... as noted at the right, in the first half of the year, people began to exercise caution about spending. And, that "pull-back" may have impacted the planned development of new homes north and south of Darrtown.
"At the beginning, governments and businesses spent more in the first half of 1930 than in the corresponding period of the previous year. On the other hand, consumers, many of whom suffered severe losses in the stock market the previous year, cut expenditures by 10%. In addition, beginning in the mid-1930s, a severe drought ravaged the agricultural heartland of the U.S.
Interest rates dropped to low levels by mid-1930, but expected deflation and the continuing reluctance of people to borrow meant that consumer spending and investment remained low."
Wikipedia offers these thoughts about the nation's financial situation in the early month's of 1929.
So, the Great Depression may have stopped the anticipated "building boom" at Darrtown. Or, maybe it was something else ... we may never know.
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TALAWANDA
CREEK
The January 10, 1928 Hamilton Journal newspaper reported that an inquiry had been made about renaming the Four Mile Creek to the Talawanda Creek.
The news item cited a letter sent by a government agency in Washington, D.C. to "L. R. Miller" (no doubt, it should have read L. A. Miller) of Darrtown. The letter stated that the Geographical Board would not likely approve a name change, "until the Indian name can be established."
Apparently no such establishment ever occurred, as the Four Mile Creek lives on to this day.
The links at the right reveal an image of the original newspaper item and a transcription of the same.
The Journal News January 10, 1928, Tue – Page 7 FOUR MILE CREEK NAME UNCHANGED There has been considerable talk recently, concerning the official changing of the name of Four Mile Creek to Talawanda, and a rumor was a float that the name had been so changed on government maps. A letter, clearing up the matter, was recently received by L. R. Miller, of Darrtown. The letter, from the geographical board, Washington, D. C., was as follows: “It is a mistake to say that this board is endeavoring to restore in Indian names of important streams. A request has been made that the Indian name, Talawanda, be adopted and used on government maps instead of the long established Four Mile Creek. “The board is investigating to determine whether this is feasible, and whether it will be acceptable locally. The investigation is by no means complete and the board will probably not approve the change, until it is convinced that the Indian name can be established. “The same will hold true to Seven Mile Creek; and if you wish the matter considered, I suggested you get citizens, of standing along the creek, to write me their views. Very truly yours, James, McCormick, Secretary.” It is likely that a movement will be started at an early date to establish the names, as many in Oxford, and surrounding communities favor the change.
Davis Corner was once again the scene of a traffic accident, when two trucks collided January 12, 1967. Both drivers suffered injuries and were taken to the McCullough-Hyde Hospital at Oxford (Ohio). State routes 177 and 73 were closed, while the area was being cleared. The financial loss was estimated to total $45,000 - which is about $414,000 today (early 2024).
Click the links below these images to see them enlarged.
The following link reveals a printed promotion of the "South Side Division" of the Darrtown development.
FOUR MILE CREEK NAME REMAINS UNCHANGED
The link at the right reveals information from the January 2024 Darrtown website newsletter that explains why the Four Mile Creek was so named.
If you know American history, then you may be aware of Anthony Wayne's military achievements, including his role is winning the Northwest Indian War (1786-1795). General Wayne (aka "Mad Anthony" Wayne) established a fort on the Great Miami River, north of Cincinnati. The fort, known as Ft. Hamilton, was a precursor to the city of Hamilton, Ohio. Wayne used Ft. Hamilton, as a base for his battles with the Indians. As he and his army traveled northward, landmarks were named in reference to their DISTANCE FROM Fort Hamilton. Hence, we have the Four Mile Creek and the Seven Mile Creek in Butler County. Anthony Wayne's name is also attached to other local sites, such as Wayne Township, Wayne-Madison Road, Wayne-Milford Road, and the Anthony Wayne hotel.
A 1912 newspaper item reported that Darrtown Telephone Company subscribers would be able to talk to the Cincinnati exchange, after this application gained the approval of the state PUCO (Public Utilities Commission of Ohio).
The February 27, 1929 Journal News, of Hamilton, Ohio, reported that 10-year old CARLISLE WOLFE suffered a "very painful accident," when he fell from a school bus, which ran over one of his lower legs.
The Journal News 27 February 1929, Wednesday page 4 Carlisle Wolfe, 10-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Ross Wolfe, met with a very painful accident, when he fell out of the school bus Friday morning. Carlisle was standing inside the door, which became unfastened, as the bus started, and he fell out and underneath. The rear wheel ran over his leg, below the knee. N. H. Ogden, principal of the school, removed the boy to his home. Dr. A. B. Wilke was called and rendered medical aid. Harry Fillager, driver of the bus, was not the blame for the affair, which was accidental. Mr. Fillager has been very solicitous of the little chap, whose leg is improving nicely.
BELOW: These links show an image of the original news item and a transcript of the same.
In January of 2024, Darrtown native, Dale Bufler recalled that the Wolfe family lived "two doors south" of the Bufler home on Darrtown's south main street.
The following link leads to an image of a 1928 news clipping that reports a "HEN PARTY" at the Darrtown Lutheran Church.
Games to be played at Darrtown and Collinsville, according to a 1977 newspaper article.
ABOVE: This image of Carlisle Wolfe was taken from the 1938 Darrtown High School senior class photo.
RIGHT: Click this link to see the announcement.
FALL FROM SCHOOL BUS INJURES STUDENT
Structure to be part of Darrtown's entry into the K.O.I. baseball league
ABOVE: This is a stock image of an unknown ball park (cira 1900s).
Currently, (January, 2024), no image of a covered grandstand at the Darrtown baseball field has been found. The actual construction of the grandstand remains unverified.
A February 1923 newspaper article reported a Darrtown-based baseball team would be entering the Kentucky-Ohio-Indiana (KOI) baseball league. The manager was named and it was announced that fans at the games would be "protected from the hot rays of the sun, by a covered stand."
Click the following links to see an image of the 1923 newspaper article, a transcription of the same, and an image of a 1919 game at the Darrtown ball field, which that illustrates the need for a covered grandstand.
The Journal News 10 February 1923 Saturday Page 7 Matt Foy to take over Darrtown K. O. I. Outfit. Darrtown folk have the baseball bug around the hot stove these days and already plans for an enclosed park with stands of an ample seating capacity are being talked over. Darrtown will place a team in the K. O. I. league this year, it was officially announced at the headquarters in Cincinnati yesterday. Matt Foy, former Liberty catcher, will manage the team, and do the catching. The entire legislative end of the team will be in Foy’s hands. The K. O. I. league will be a big proposition this year and extensive plans for a first-class team are underway. It is understood two former professional twirlers will be signed up by the Darrtown management with most of the outfield and infield being nicked from the cream of Hamilton’s best. The diamond will be on the same location as the one used during the past few years. The lot will be enclosed to give it a more business-like aspect, while the fans will be protected from the hot rays of the sun, by a covered stand.
BRIDGE ON LANES MILL ROAD CLOSED
A 1974 newspaper item reported the closure of the Lanes Mill Road bridge, over the Four Mile Creek.
Click the link at the right to see the news item.
Presumably, the arrival of telegraph service at Darrtown in 1895 was a leap in technology, similar to the arrival of internet service some 100 years later.
Click the following link to see information about the Frank Bufler store.
