USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The city of Cincinnati : a summary of its attractions, advantages, institutions and internal improvements, with a statement of its public charities > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
L
L
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 02279 6608
66 CHURCH'S MUSIC STORE
0
SHEET MUSIC & MUSIC BOOKS.
IKER
1 BRASS & STRINGED, INSTRUMENTS.(6)
I+PIANOS & MELODEONS FOR SALE OR TO LET. ( 1
JOHN CHURCH JR MUSIC HOUSE
BANERU
John Church, Jr.
PUBLISHER OF MUSIC, AND DEALER IN
Sheet Music,
Music Books, Pianos,
Organs,
uitars,
Violins,
And all kinds of Musical Merchandise.
General Wholesale and Retail Agent for
THE KNABE PIANO, AND
MASON & HAMLIN'S CABINET AND METROPOLITAN ORGANS, And other first-class Planos, Organs, and Melodeons. 66 WEST FOURTH STREET, CINCINNATI, OHIO.
THE QUEEN CITY 1869
ITY OF
INCINNATI.
A SUMMARY
OF ITS
TTRACTIONS, A DVANTAGES,
INSTITUTIONS AND INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS,
WITH
A STATEMENT OF ITS PUBLIC CHARITIES.
BY GEO. E. STEVENS.
CINCINNATI : GEO. S. BLANCHARD & CO., 39 WEST FOURTH STREET. 1869.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by GEO. E. STEVENS,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of Ohio.
STEREOTYPED AT THE FRANKLIN TYPE FOUNDRY, CINCINNATI.
1417482 P UBLISHERS' NOTICE.
INCINNATI, the largest inland city of the United States-the center of trade of the Ohio Valley, with a population of over a quarter of a million, admira- ble location and climate, and suburbs unequaled in beauty by those of any city in the world-has recently had no pub- lication setting forth its attractions and advantages, both as a place of trade and residence. This want, it is hoped, has now been supplied.
The publishers have borne in mind the impatience of the public toward prolixity in style, and, at the risk of omitting valuable material, have endeavored to present, to be read, a compend, stating, in the most concise terms, only the leading features which characterize the great city of the Central West. The original design included full descriptions of the suburbs, but the limits of the volume forbade these. As it now is, the book, without being a mere tabular guide, will be a manual of great service to every stranger. The publishers bespeak for it the attention of every merchant, manufacturer, and property-holder in Cincinnati, confident that such a publication will be a powerful agent in the advancement of their interests. Believing in the promise of a magnificent future for the Queen City, they issue this volume, trusting that no citizen will be ashamed to declare it a fair exponent of the great metropolis of the Ohio Valley.
P REFACE.
-
HE design of this volume has been to present, in the briefest possible terms, a summary of the attractions and advantages, and to assert the rightful sovereignty, of the Queen City. Not a history, recording the past, but rather a photograph, an instantaneous fixing of the pres- ent, has been intended. With this aim, taxing the utmost skill to develop the salient features-to properly adjust the effects of light and shade-to select just the point of best perspective-the difficulty has been to determine, not what to insert, but what to omit, not how much, but how little to say. Thus the work, while partly the result of compi- lation, has required, in its preparation, much time and labor. It is submitted in the firm belief that those who have attempted a task similar to this, will form the most charitable opinions of its execution. Entire freedom from inaccuracies is not claimed. The nature of the contents will account for the appearance of matter which may have ceased since it was written, to represent facts correctly.
Reference has been had to various sources for informa- tion, among which are to be credited the daily papers of
vi
PREFACE.
the city, especially the Gazette, and the volumes of the late Charles Cist, to whose labors Cincinnati has been so greatly indebted. That invaluable work, "Lippincott's Gazetteer," has supplied important items. In the prepara- tion of the statement of the charities of the city, free use has been made of published reports of the various institu- tions. To the " Atlantic Monthly," acknowledgment is also due.
The most valuable part of the book will be found to be the chapter upon the growth and future of Cincinnati. This is from the pen of E. D. Mansfield, Esq., and will command the attention and confidence which it deserves.
G. E. S.
CINCINNATI, April 20, 1869.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
INTRODUCTORY VIEW
9
CHAPTER II.
LOCATION-PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS-La Belle Riv- iere-General Description-Distances to Important Points. 12
CHAPTER III.
THE STRANGER IN CINCINNATI-Approach-General Di- rections-Different Quarters of the City-Suspension Bridge-Suburbs-Public Buildings and Points of In- terest-Hotels-Fourth Street-Levee-Fort Washing- ton-West End-" Over the Rhine"-" Siege of Cincin- nati"-Moonlight Scenes-Spring Grove-Cincinnati Hospital-Law School-Law Library-Church Edi- fices-Davidson Fountain-Garden of Eden-Young Men's Gymnastic Association-St. Xavier's College- Wesleyan Female College-Other Notable Points (ar- ranged alphabetically) 20
CHAPTER IV.
CINCINNATI AND ITS FUTURE; its Growth, Industry, Com- merce and Education. 67
CHAPTER V.
CITY GOVERNMENT-PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM-School Reg- ulations-Postal Statistics-Wealth of the City-Board of Health-Police Department-Fire Department-Ad-
(vii)
viii
CONTENTS.
PAGE
ministration of Justice-Justices of the Peace-District Court-Court of Common Pleas-Superior Court-Pro- bate Court-Police Court-United States Courts. ..... 102
CHAPTER VI.
THE CHARITIES OF CINCINNATI-Introductory-Union Betliel-Orphan Asylum-Relief Union-Children's Home-German Orphan Asylum-Home for the Friendless-Ladies Union Aid Society-Fowell Bux- ton School-St. Luke's Hospital-Widow's Home- Women's Christian Association-Young Men's Chris- tian Association-Colored Orphan Asylum-House of Refuge-Board of Health-City Infirmary-Longview Asylum-Cincinnati Hospital 120
CHAPTER VII.
THE PRESS-LITERARY, SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL ORGANI- ZATIONS-Chamber of Commerce-Board of Trade-Li- brarles-Newspapers and Periodicals-Manufacture of Books-Public Library-Young Men's Mercantile Li- brary-Theological Library-Horticultural Society .-- Academy of Medicine-Historical and Philosophical Society- Mechanics Institute-Pioneer Association- German Pioneer Association-Lane Seminary-Mount Auburn Young Ladies' Institute-Literary Clubs-Mu- sical Societies-Social Elements.
CHAPTER VIII.
ITEMS OF CAUTION AND NOTICE FOR STRANGERS-SUB- URBS-Horse-Car Routes-Fire Alarm Stations-Lines of Outward Travel - Avondale - Clifton - College Hill-East Walnut Hills-Glendale-Mount Auburn- Walnut Hills-Woodburn-Wyoming 202
187
THE QUEEN CITY.
INCINNATI, entering in 1869 the ninth decade of its existence, is the largest and wealthiest in- land city of America. The number of its inhabit- ants is estimated at over a quarter of a million. Settled in 1788, one hundred and seven years after Philadel- phia, it has to-day a population as great as that city contained in 1840, and equal to that of New York in 1833. Receiving early in its history the title "Queen City of the West," it has never lost its claim to that proud eminence. Its present greatness may well excite contemplation, and its citizens gather thence a fresh energy to stimulate a future growth, the limit of which none can place. It has been no idle fancy that has styled Cincinnati "the Paris of America." Already the great workshop and exchange of the populous Val- ley of the Ohio, a territory greater in area than the whole of France, Nature has bestowed gifts which need
(9)
10
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
only the seconding of Art to develop upon the banks of " La Belle Riviere" the grandest and most beautiful city of the New World. American brain and nerve and muscle will find here a center where the facilities for the creation of wealth shall be inferior only to those for its enjoyment. Inevitably Cincinnati, the metropo- lis of the fairest portion of the United States, is moving steadily and compactly forward to a magnificent future. Its commercial supremacy was and is "manifest des- tiny," while natural advantages belong to it which leave it few rivals in beauty of situation among the cities of the world.
The Cincinnati of A. D. 1900 will display to the visitor its vast commerce and manufactures crowding its lower plateau, while upon the elevation of the surrounding hills shall stretch away for miles under the genial skies of tlris favored region the dwellings of its inhabitants. Pushing its limits far out on every side, there will be, at no distant period, one consolidated municipality, gathering into its embrace one after another the now suburban villages, until one and the same boundary shall mark the limit of the city and the county in which it is situate.
In the recently-uttered words of a distinguished citi- zen, the Cincinnati of the not remote future is to be "a city fair to the sight, with a healthy public spirit, and high intelligence sound to the core; a city with
11
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
pure water to drink, pure air to breathe, spacious pub- lic grounds, wide avenues; a city not merely of much traffic, but of delightful homes; a city of manufactures, wherein is made every product of art-the needle-gun, the steam-engine, the man of learning, the woman of accomplishment; a city of resort for the money profit of its dealings, and the mental and spiritual profit of its culture-the Edinboro' of a new Scotland, the Boston of a new New England, the Paris of a new France."
Most justly has one of the ablest of American politi- cal economists said, that "it requires no keenness of ob- servation to perceive that Cincinnati is destined to become the focus and mart for the grandest circle of manufacturing thrift on this continent. Her delightful climate, her unequaled and ever-increasing facilities for cheap and rapid commercial intercourse with all parts of the country and the world, her enterprising and en- ergetic population, her own elastic and exulting youth, are all elements which predict and insure her electric progress to giant greatness. It may be doubted if there is another spot on earth where food, fuel, cotton, timber, and iron can all be concentrated so cheaply as here. Such fatness of soil, such a wealth of mineral treasure- coal, iron, salt, and the finest clays for all purposes of use-and all cropping out from the steep, facile banks of placid, though not sluggish, navigable rivers. How many El Dorados could equal this valley of the Ohio?"
CHAPTER II.
LOCATION-PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS-LA BELLE RIVIERE-GENERAL DESCRIPTION.
VINN HE City of Cincinnati, the county seat of Hamil- ton County, State of Ohio, is situated in a valley of circular form, about twelve miles in circum- ference, which is bisected by the Ohio River passing through it in a course from north-east to south-west. The city rests upon the north bank ; and, lying opposite, in the State of Kentucky, are the towns of Dayton, Ludlow, and Brooklyn, and the cities of Newport and Covington. The Licking River empties into the Ohio between the cities just mentioned. The hills surround- ing the city form a natural amphitheater unequaled in beauty upon this continent. From their summits, varying in height from three to four hundred feet, may be seen the splendid panorama of the great river and three cities with all their busy life. While Philadel- phia, New Orleans, Chicago, Buffalo, and St. Louis are built on comparatively level ground, and afford scarcely any noticcable variety of position, the site of Cincin-
13
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
nati is one upon which the eye of taste may rest with admiration, while the natural advantages of location, which the city and its environs present, seize the atten- tion of every beholder.
The river front of the city is about ten miles in length, and the northern line over two miles from low-water mark.
The greater part of the city is built on two terraces, or plateaus-the first, fifty feet above low-water mark, and the second one hundred and eight feet. The front margin of the latter plateau, originally a steep bank, has been graded to a gentle declivity, so that the drain- age of much of the city is made directly into the river. This upper terrace, comprising two-thirds of the area of the valley, is somewhat undulating in its surface, but in the main slopes to the north, and, at an average dis- tance of a mile, terminates at the base of the hills.
The central and business portions of the city are com- pactly built. The streets are laid out with regularity, and are about sixty-six feet in width. The sidewalks are wide, and paved with brick and stone. Shade trees adorn many of the streets and avenues. Main Street runs almost due north from the river, with Broadway, Sycamore, Walnut, Vine, Race, Elm, Plum, Central Avenue, and others, parallel with it. These are inter- sected at right angles by streets running east and west, and mostly deriving their names from their relative po-
14
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
sition-Front, Second, Pearl, Third, Fourth, Fifth, etc. The principal streets for wholesale business are Main, Walnut, Vine, Second, and Pearl; for retail, Fourth, Fifth, and Central Avenue. At the foot of Main, Syc- amore, and Broadway, on Front Street, is the Public Landing, an open area of ten acres, with one thousand feet front. The shore is paved from low-water mark, and furnished with floating wharves which rise and fall with the river. Cincinnati is remarkable for solidity of appearance, and presents a striking appearance both in regard to the architecture and the magnitude of its buildings. The material generally employed for the fronts of the best buildings is a fine freestone or sand- stone, though white limestone is used to a considerable extent.
The city was settled in 1788, and incorporated as a city in 1819. In 1800, it contained only seven hundred and fifty inhabitants. For several years after its first settlement, it suffered greatly from Indian ravages. When this source of danger ceased, the new city moved forward to greatness with rapid strides. The accom- panying engraving represents Cincinnati as it appeared in 1802.
The Ohio River, which curves so gracefully around the southern margin of the city, is one of the finest rivers in the world. The carly French adventurers called it "La Belle Riviere"-the Beautiful River.
15
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
This, it is stated, is the signification of the Indian appellation Ohio. No river on the globe rolls for so great a distance in such uniform, smooth, and placid current. It is formed by the confluence of the Alle- ghany and Monongahela in the western part of Penn- sylvania. Flowing in a south-westerly direction, and dividing Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, on the right, from Virginia and Kentucky, on the left, it empties into the Mississippi about one hundred and seventy-five miles below St. Louis. The entire length of the river is up- ward of nine hundred and fifty miles, and of the valley, not following the windings of the stream, about six hun- dred and fourteen miles. The principal tributaries are the Muskingum, Great Kanawha, Big Sandy, Scioto, Miami, Green, Kentucky, Wabash, Cumberland, and Tennessee. At Pittsburgh, its elevation above the level of the sea is six hundred and eighty feet; at the entrance of the Muskingum, five hundred and forty-one feet; at the mouth of the Scioto, four hundred and sixty-four feet ; opposite Cincinnati, four hundred and fourteen feet; at its confluence with the Mississippi, three hun- dred and twenty-four feet-making the average descent less than five inches to the mile. The current is very gentle, being about three miles per hour. The velocity is, of course, very much increased at high water. In common with other Western rivers, the Ohio is subject to great elevations and depressions. The average range
16
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
between high and low water is about fifty feet; but in a few instances, as in 1832, the rise has been over sixty feet. The navigable waters of the Ohio and its tribu- taries are estimated at not less than five thousand miles, and the extent of area drained at two hundred and twenty thousand square miles. Descending the river from Pittsburgh, the scenery is highly picturesque and beautiful. The hills, two and three hundred feet high, and intervening valleys, approach the stream on either side. These exhibit in the spring and early sum- mer a bounteous wealth of verdure, and in autumn all the glories of color which have made the forests of the West so justly celebrated. The graceful curves and bends of the river, exhibiting in the distance one range of hills gliding into another, with their beautifully- rounded summits, produce a series of splendid views rarely found.
Cincinnati is in longitude 84° 26' west from Green- wich, and latitude 39° 6' 30" north. The upper terrace of the city is five hundred and forty feet above the level of the sea.
The surface of the river at low water is four hundred and thirty-one feet, and that of the surrounding hills about eight hundred and fifty feet, above the sea. The summit of Mount Adams is three hundred and ninety- six feet above low-water mark in the Ohio River, Mount Auburn four hundred and fifty-nine feet, and Mount
17
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
Harrison, west of the city, four hundred and sixty feet.
Geologically, Cincinnati is situated in the lower Silu- rian formation. Sand and gravel underlie the greater portion of the city. The adjacent region furnishes, in inexhaustible quantities, a blue fossiliferous limestone, which is a most valuable building material.
Situated in the heart of a rich and populous district, through which are scattered rapidly-growing cities and towns, Cincinnati is the commercial metropolis of sev- eral of the finest States in the Union. Of the region between Lake Erie and Tennessee River, and between Baltimore and Saint Louis, comprising the fairest part of North America, it is the center.
A table of distances to important points, by water and by railway, is here given :
BY RIVER.
Miles.
Aurora, Ind.,
26
Cairo,
529
Carrolton, Ky., 81
Evansville, Ind., 337
Guyandotte, Va., 165
Ironton, O., .
144
Lawrenceburg, Ind.,
22
Louisville, 142
Madison, Ind., 91
Marietta, O., 306
Maysville, Ky., 61
2
18
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
Miles.
Mempliis, £ 781
New Albany, Ind.,
145
New Orleans, . 1520
Parkersburg, Va.,
293
Pomeroy, O., 220
Pittsburgh, . 476
Portsmouth, O., . 114
708
Vicksburg,
1128
Wheeling,
382
BY RAIL.
Altoona, Pa., 430
Baltimore, 580
Boston, .
936
Buffalo,
438
Cairo, 396
Chicago, 280
Cleveland,
255
Columbus, O.,
120
Dayton,
60
Detroit, 267
Evansville, Ind., 243
Harrisburg, Pa., 562
Indianapolis, .
115
Lexington, Ky.,
100
Louisville, . 137
Marietta, O.,
196
Memphis, 514
Nashville, 330
New Orleans, . 1588
New York, . 744
Philadelphia, 668
St. Louis, .
19
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
Miles.
Pittsburgh, .
313
Richmond, Ind.,
70
St. Louis, 340
Springfield, O.,
84
Toledo, 202
Urbana,
95
Vincennes,
194
Vicksburg, 1215
Washington,
610
Xenia, O.,
65
Cincinnati, already distinguished for regularity and beauty of streets, is susceptible, by reason of its peculiar topographical features, of improvements of this kind, which will leave it without a rival among American cities. Large foresight is being displayed in the engi- neering of public improvements. Splendid avenues and parks are being projected and constructed, render- ing it certain that no Baron Haussman will be needed in the next century to remodel the Queen City.
CHAPTER III.
THE STRANGER IN CINCINNATI-APPROACH-GENERAL DI- RECTIONS-DIFFERENT QUARTERS OF THE CITY-SUSPEN- SION BRIDGE-PROSPECTS FROM THE HILLS-SUBURBS- PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND POINTS OF INTEREST.
VAN HE stranger arriving in Cincinnati will find little difficulty in acquainting himself with the streets and avenues of the city, and making his way to any part without trouble. The map of the city will aid him to get the points of the compass, and give a general idea of the location. It will also indicate the relative position of the railroad depots, principal hotels, the post-office, etc. The city is very compact, and commu- nication between the different points is easy. The lincs of street cars afford a speedy transit from the railroad depots to the vicinity of excellent hotels. The hack rates of Cincinnati were established before the war, and have never since been altered. As they are not now observed by any one, they are not here given. The best plan is to have a distinct understanding with tlic hackman before entering his carriage. The railroad omnibus lines are well managed, and transport pas-
21
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
sengers and baggage with great celerity. The streets running north and south are numbered from the river north; the east and west streets, each way from Main Street.
The leading hotels of the city are here mentioned :
BURNET HOUSE .- This spacious hotel is located on the corner of Third and Vine Streets. Its fame is known throughout the United States. Its splendid ap- pointments and excellent management will continue to perpetuate its celebrity. The building is in the Italian style of architecture, and has a front of two hundred and twelve feet on Third Street and two hundred and ten feet on Vine Street. The present proprietors are Messrs. A. C. Joslin & Co.
GIBSON HOUSE .- This well-known and popular hotel is on Walnut Street, west side, between Fourth and Fifth. Its location is central and convenient to all the lines of street cars. Directly opposite are the Merchant's Exchange and the Young Men's Mercantile Library. Its interior arrangements are admirable, and the con- venience and comfort of guests are unceasingly consulted. Never has this house been more attractive or prosperous than under the management of Messrs. Sinks, Corré & Co., its present lessees.
SPENCER HOUSE .- This house needs no introduction to those at all acquainted with Cincinnati. It is on the north-west corner of Broadway and the Public Landing.
22
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
It has long been a favorite with travelers on the river and guests from all parts of the South. The internal arrangements are unsurpassed in their elegance and convenience. The requirements of light and ventila- tion are well met, and the prospect upon the river and the Kentucky adjacencies is a splendid one. This house is now conducted by Messrs. Sweny & Drown.
ST. JAMES HOTEL .- This house, which has won in the few years of its existence an enviable reputation, is located on Fourth Street, at the corner of Hammond Street, east of Main Street. This is the only hotel upon this fashionable promenade. Its facilities for the entertainment of guests are admirable, and no house has gained friends more rapidly than this under the popular management of Henry P. Elias, Esq.
WALNUT STREET HOUSE, as its name indicates, is on Walnut Street, at the corner of Gano, between Sixth and Seventh Streets. It covers ten thousand square feet of ground. The dining room is a magnificent apart- ment. The parlors are spacious and elegant, and all the rooms are of convenient size and arrangement. There are few pleasanter places of abode for the stranger in the city. Messrs. Pratt & Davis, its present owners, are gentlemen who thoroughly understand their business. Colonel Pratt was for a long time proprietor of the Spencer House of this city.
MERCHANTS HOTEL .- This house has always been a
23
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
favorite with visitors to Cincinnati. It is located on Fifth Street, east of Main. It is a most eligible and convenient stopping-place for travelers. The. guests ever find in its courteous proprietors, Galleher, Nel- son & Co., gentlemen who are ever ready to contribute to their comfort and enjoyment.
GALT HOUSE .- South-west corner of Sixth and Main.
METROPOLITAN HOTEL .- On the west side of Main Street, below Second.
HENRIE HOUSE .- North side of Third, between Main and Sycamore.
The visitor to Cincinnati is not favorably impressed during the approach to the city. The railroads enter- ing the city by the valley of Millcreek afford passengers some idea of the extent and situation of the city, but the entrance by river, or by the railroads skirting its banks, conveys an unfortunate idea. The abruptly ris- ing hills crowd all improvements close down to the river side, and almost hide the main portion of the city, till, close at hand, the massive fronts rear themselves suddenly into view. The general aspect is that of solid- ity, comfort, and commercial prosperity. Wide, well- paved, clean streets, crossing each other at right angles, invite a further inspection. The substantial, elegant architecture of the mercantile and public buildings has illustration in the engravings presented in this volume.
Once comfortably established in his quarters at the
24
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
hotel, the visitor is at leisure to make his plans, whether in the way of business or pleasure. A subsequent part of this book will furnish the names and locations of the institutions of the city-civil, benevolent, educational, etc. Directions to excursionists will here be given only in a general way.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.