USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > History of the city of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Volume I > Part 89
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Mr. L. H. Zehring taught in the schools in 1867 and is probably the oldest person living who taught in our schools prior to 1870.
The schools of Miamisburg were organized in 1867 according to the law of 1849 and thereby Miamisburg with the territory annexed for school purposes be- came a special district. A board of six members were elected consisting of Rev. Isaac H. Reiter, Rev. Christian Albrecht, Henry Groby, Augustus J. Eminger, Charles R. Allen and Dr. G. A. Gotwald.
The first superintendent designated by that title was Mr. Lemuel O. Foos. He began his term September 2, 1867. His assistants were Miss R. Jennie Lee, Mr. Lewis H. Zehring, Miss Elizabeth L. Folger, Miss Lizzie E. Kuhns, Miss Sarah Karr and Mr. Justus Scheffer who taught German.
The first attempt to have a high school separate from the grades was under the supervision of Mr. Foos in 1867.
The school building, when school opened in 1867 was found to be inadequate.
The total enrollment of pupils in 1867 was four hundred and seventeen. In order to accommodate the increased number of pupils the board built in 1868 the east wing of what is now known as the high school building, at a cost of approxi- mately eight thousand dollars.
The school yard was enclosed and a number of shade trees were planted. Superintendent Foos was succeeded by Mr. Amt.
The first high school class graduated was in 1873.
Music was introduced into the public schools of Miamisburg in 1877.
Francis C. Amt was superintendent from 1869 to 1871, succeeded by W. C. Reeder, who served one year. Mr. Amt was then reelected in 1872 and served until 1876, at a salary of one thousand three hundred dollars per year. He was succeeded by David T. Ramsey who in turn was succeeded by William W. Locke. Mr. Locke served from 1877 to 1879 and was succeeded by Thomas A. Pollock who filled the position for eleven years.
The growth of population in the northeast part of town in 1897 and 1898 demanded that some means be provided for taking care of the pupils in that sec- tion of Miamisburg. The board of education, therefore, decided to build a two room building on east Kercher street that would afford school facilities for the smaller pupils residing north of Sycamore street.
This building is very well constructed, is light and well ventilated.
The total cost of the building, grounds, furniture, etc., was ten thousand dol- lars.
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In 1906 Miamisburg built the beautiful Auditorium building on East Central avenue. This building is modern in every respect. It contains an auditorium that will seat five hundred people, twelve school rooms that will seat forty-two pupils each, cloak rooms, a rest room and play rooms. The building is heated by means of hot air and is fitted out with a system of thermometers that automatically con- trol the temperature of the rooms.
The total cost of the building, grounds, furniture, and so forth, was between sixty-five and seventy thousand dollars.
In the summer of 1909 the interior of the high school building was remodeled. Some of the rooms were fitted out with steel ceilings, and new seats.
The estimated value of the school property of Miamisburg is more than one hundred thousand dollars.
The high school possesses several hundred dollars worth of apparatus suitable for individual work in physics and botany. There is a library belonging to the public schools which contains about two thousand volumes.
This library in the main will be turned over to the public library as soon as that is finished.
The pupils enrolled in the Miamisburg schools number about eight hundred and fifty, of which one hundred and thirty-four are in the high school.
The high school has four teachers who give full time to the work of the high school and one who gives part time to high school work.
The school is on the accredited list of the Ohio State university and at the present time has graduates who are in Ohio State university, Ohio Wesleyan. Miami, Wittenberg and Otterbein, all of whom entered upon certificate.
Mr. J. C. Conway who succeeded Mr. F. G. Shuey as superintendent remained until 1901 and was succeeded by Mr. William McKay Vance. Mr. Vance's term extended from 1901 until 1906 when he was succeeded by W. T. Trump, the present incumbent.
A special teacher is employed to teach music. Mr. H. C. Eldridge, the pres- ent teacher, has held the position for nine years and is one of the most efficient music teachers in the state of Ohio.
One of the most successful departments of the Miamisburg public schools is that of drawing and hand work. Miss Rena M. Salisbury has charge of this de- partment and her work is of a high order.
Manual training benches were purchased in August, 1909, and all necessary tools for bench work. One hundred and fifty boys are doing manual training work twice each week. Mr. J. G. Morgan has charge of the manual training de- partment.
The high school has graduated three hundred and fifty-nine pupils of which number eighty-nine were boys and two hundred and seventy were girls.
Many of these graduates are now filling prominent positions in the business and professional world.
On the whole, the corps of teachers, the equipment, the buildings and grounds. the salaries paid and the personnel of the board of education compare very favor- ably with not only places of the same size but with cities much larger than Miamis- burg.
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The present school board members are : President, Mr. L. H. Zehring ; Clerk, Mr. J. M. Purnell ; Mr. W. H. Albrecht, Mr. C. W. Dodds and Mr. Lee Mitchell. These men are among the foremost business men of Miamisburg and have served on the board of education for a number of years.
CHURCHES.
ST. JACOB'S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH. Lutheranism antedates the laying out of the village of Miamisburg. Over a century ago, a few Lutheran families made the trying and tiresome journey from the rich fields and pros- perous farms of old far-famed Berks county, Pennsylvania, over the rough moun- tains, through miles and miles of almost impenetrable forests, and over bridge- less streams, and settled in and around what was then called, "Hole's Station." From 1804 their number steadily increased by additions from the east.
The Lutheran congregations of Germantown, Stettler church, and St. John's church (generally called Gebhart church), had the first regular Lutheran pas- tor in this region in the person of the Rev. Andrew Simon. The "Ministerium ยท of Pennsylvania," had sent him out as a "traveling missionary," for western Pennsylvania and Ohio in 1808. He labored in the three congregations named, and of necessity, had to pass through "Hole's Station" (now Miamisburg), both on his way to and also on his return from St. John's (Gebhart) church and no doubt he was the first minister to baptize children here and to conduct the funerals of Lutherans, who died here in the sparsely settled community, until he relinquished his labors in 1813.
The Rev. John Caspar Dill, a graduate of the University of Giessen, Germany, called as his successor, began his labors in the fall of 1815. He began the holding of occasional services for the ever-increasing number of Pennsylvania German Lutherans who settled here, and finally introduced regular services when Miam- isburg had been laid out in the year 1818.
The first regular place of conducting the regular services was in the first schoolhouse of Miamisburg, called the "Jacob schoolhouse." This old and historical building converted into a dwelling house, still stands on South Sec- ond street, and for many years has been the home of Mr. John Long.
The services held here were stoutly opposed by some members in the Geb- hart church, east of Miamisburg and some in the Stettler church, west of the village, who wanted the Miamisburgers to unite with them, but they likewise earnestly and stoutly contended that the distance to the St. John's (Gebhart) church was too great and the roads leading there altogether too rough, to go there, and that money being very scarce and they being poor, they could not go to the Stettler church and pay to be ferried over the Miami river. The work at Miamisburg went on, grew and prospered and in 1821 "The Evangelical Luth- eran Congregation of Jacob's schoolhouse" was organized under the leadership and supervision of the Rev. J. C. Dill, who then continued to serve the people for several more years. The first regularly called pastor was the Rev. Henry Heincke, who preached his first sermon as pastor on January 15, 1826, in Ger- man, on I Corinthians, 4:1-2.
ST. JACOB'S LUTHERAN CHURCH OF MIAMISBURG
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From that time on until July 10, 1859, when he suddenly died, he labored faithfully and successfully. He had been a soldier in the historic army of Napol- eon Bonaparte until the historic battle of Waterloo. He then came to the United States and having an excellent literary education, he studied theology under the Rev. J. C. Dill, at Germantown. At Zanesville in 1820, he was licensed to preach and at Lancaster, Ohio, in Trinity week, 1825, he was ordained to the gospel ministry.
The Lutherans and the Reformed, worshiping and working together, a "Union church" was erected. It was a brick edifice, which they together with the old cemetery owned conjointly. The corner stone was laid August 7, 1830, and the sacred edifice was consecrated May 17, 1833. The second regular pas- tor was the Rev. Christopher Albrecht of Circleville, Ohio. He began his labors in January, 1860, and continued as pastor until April, 1883. The Lutherans bought out the Reformed church interests and so retained the old church and its site. The present large and imposing structure was erected during his min- istry. The corner stone was laid August 31, 1861, and on August 28, 1864, the church was consecrated. It stands as a monument to his earnest labors. The Rev. C. Albrecht, the second regular pastor who died January 22, 1887, and the first regular pastor the Rev. H. Heincke, lie buried in the beautiful Hill Grove cemetery, at Miamisburg.
The third regular pastor was the Rev. W. H. Brown, who August 16, 1883, entered upon his duties here and labored on until in 1899. The heavy debt that had been hanging over the congregation was removed during his ministry. The congregation and the Sunday-school grew and the efficient Ladies' Missionary society was organized.
The fourth regular pastor-for the congregation, in its history of over eighty years, has only had four ministers-is the Rev. F. W. E. Peschau, D. D., who was called from Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He entered upon his labors on the first Sunday in March, 1900, and now is rounding out and completing the tenth year of his pastoral labors.
The work of the church has grown in almost every direction. The interior of the parsonage has been entirely renovated and modernized and the interior of the church has undergone an entire renovation at a cost of about six thous- and dollars. New and elegant art glass windows have been put in place.
The Sunday-school has grown to about seven hundred, placing it on the list among the largest English Lutheran Sunday-schools in the state, and the congre- gation's membership roll has been increased to nine hundred.
The St. Jacob's Lutheran church, by virtue of the fact that the other denomi- nations have erected new churches, has become, as it justly deserves to be, "The old historical church-landmark of Miamisburg."
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH. The First Reformed church at Miamisburg, was organized in the spring of 1820, and stood in connection with the congregations of Farmersville, Springboro and St. John's as a charge until 1870. .
The services were conducted in the German and English languages, the church at Miamisburg having services once in two weeks.
The Reformed and Lutheran churches worshipped in the same church build- ing until about the year 1862 or 1863
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The separation was mutually agreed upon.
A new and commodious church was built on the corner of Second street and Linden avenue, which served until the present new church building was erected.
In 1870 the congregations of Farmersville, Springboro and St. John's churches were placed as a separate charge and the church at Miamisburg constituted a charge by itself.
Rev. Dr. I. H. Reiter, who had served the entire charge sixteen years, was chosen the pastor of the church at Miamisburg, March 20, 1870. He served as pastor of the Miamisburg church until 1874.
Rev. William McCaughey succeeded to the pastorate and served until 1881. when Rev. H. M. Herman, D. D., entered upon his long and prosperous pastorate. Many improvements in the church property were made, but it finally became evi- dent that nothing but a new structure would meet the wants of the congregation. At a meeting of the congregation, July 9, 1899, it was decided to build a new church. The first call for funds resulted in a free-will offering of five thousand, six hundred and fifty-one dollars. The erection of the church was begun in 1900. It was completed in August, 1901. The opening of the building for pub- lic worship took place August 25, 1901, the pastor, Rev. H. M. Herman, D. D., by unanimous request, preaching the sermon. June 21, 1903, the church was formally dedicated free from all indebtedness. The cost of the building was twenty-three thousand dollars.
The following pastors have served this congregation from its organization in 1820 : various supplies, 1820 to 1825 ; Rev. David Winters, 1825 : Rev. Jacob Des Combes, 1835; Rev. Elijah Kuhns, 1837; Rev. George Long, 1840; Rev. William R. Zeiber, 1852; Rev. Isaac H. Reiter, D. D., 1854; Rev. William McCaughey, 1875 ; Rev. H. M. Herman, D. D., the present pastor, 1881.
The present pastorate began with one hundred and twenty-four members. The church now numbers five hundred and seventy-three members, with three hundred and seventy-five enrolled in the Sunday-school.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. The first Methodist sermon preached in what is now Miamisburg was preached in 1798 by Rev. John Kobler. About 1832, Rev. John Brooks, a local preacher, preached in a private house, and a class of six members was formed. Later, services were held in the schoolhouse. The first church building erected was a substantial brick building built on Central ave- nue, which was dedicated in 1837. The present church building was begun in 1859 during the pastorate of Rev. Allan T. Thompson. The day before the corner- stone was to be laid, an officer to whom the funds had been entrusted absconded with about eight hundred dollars belonging to the church. By increased subscrip- tions, others made up for the loss. The lecture room was ready for use in 1860. The auditorium was not finished until 1869. Some of the preachers who traveled what was old Franklin circuit, of which previous to 1850 Miamisburg was one of the appointments, were : James B. Finley, George W. Walker, William H. Raper. Michael Marley, W. P. Strickland, Thomas Gorsuch, Dr. Eddy, David Reed, and Dr. Charles Eliot. In 1850 and 1851 there were four preachers on Franklin cir- cuit. In 1852, Franklin and Miamisburg were togather and D. B. Sargent and Samuel T. Creighton were the preachers. In 1853 and 1854, Miamisburg and Springboro were together and Rev. T. A. G. Phillips was the preacher. In 1855,
REFORMED CHURCH OF MIAMISBURG
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Germantown and Miamisburg were together. In 1856, the circuit took the name of the Germantown and Springboro circuit. In 1857, the name became the Red Lion and Germantown circuit. In 1859, Miamisburg and Germantown were con- nected, with A. T. Thompson as pastor. Since 1860, the pastors who have served Miamisburg have been the following: 1860, W. J. Quarry ; 1861, A. W. Tibbals ; 1863; M. G. Purkizer; 1864, George H. Kennedy; 1867, A. U. Beall; 1870, J. P. Shultz ; 1873, M. Dustin; 1876, F. S. Davis; 1879, J. W. Mason; 1880, F. M. Clemans : 1883, S. Weeks; 1886, A. U. Beall; 1889, J. E. H. Sentman ; 1891, M. E. Ketcham; 1894, J. S. Pumphrey ; 1898, J. E. Abrams ; 1903, S. W. Bell; 1906. (nine months), W. L. Boicourt; 1907, Frank G. Mitchell, the present pastor.
The present massive and elaborate stone church was begun in 1902 and com- pleted the following year, the dedicatory services occurring September 20, 1903. The cost of the property as it now stands was not less than forty thousand dollars. The Sunday-school numbers three hundred. The membership of the church is three hundred and eighty.
THE UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH history in Miamisburg reaches back to the coming of Mr. and Mrs. John Kline in 1857. They arrived from Pennsylvania in March, and loyal to their church sought to establish here the same kind of a church home. With some other German friends they asked the German pastor. having charge of a circuit embracing Liberty, Germantown and Brown's Run, to come and preach for them.
This venture was so successful that a brick church was built and dedicated in the fall of the same year. Here the United Brethren people worshipped until June, 1883, when they dedicated their present place of worship.
With the passing away of the old German stock came the need of a service suited to the younger people, so in the centennial year of our nation's history, with eight pioneer members, an English church was organized by Rev. W. K. Albright. At first it formed a part of the Germantown circuit, but in 1882 was established a mission station.
The present church, at the corner of Fourth and Buckeye streets, was built under the pastorate of George W. Arnold, 1882 and 1883, and was dedicated June 3, 1883. The parsonage was erected on the rear end of the church lot by Rev. J. W. Flory, 1891 and 1892, and was moved to its present location on Fourth. street, nearly opposite the church, during the first year of Rev. C. Judy's pas- torate, 1909.
The present membership of the church is one hundred and eighty-six. Its Sunday-school, under the efficient superintendency of W. A. Troxill, is doing a great service for the community. All the departments of the church are normal and growing. The outlook is bright and hopeful.
The following pastors have served the church since the beginning of her English career: William K. Albright, 1876; J. P. Landis, 1877; George W. Arnold, 1879 ; I. T. Hott, 1880; George W. Arnold, 1882; J. D. Holtzinger, 1883; J. W. Bovey, 1884 ; W. J. Mills, 1886; J. K. Whistler, 1887; V. A. Carlton, 1889 ; D. K. Flickinger and F. P. Rosselot, 1890; J. W. Flory, 1891 ; A. Meyer, 1892; T. F. Bushong, 1893 ; W. W. Rymer, 1894; F. H. Bohn, 1896; C. B. Boda, 1898 ;. T. F. Bushong, 1901 ; A. F. Davis, 1904; J. P. Stewart, 1906; Clayton Judy, the present pastor, 1908.
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THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. For more than thirty years after the settlement of Hole's Station, no members of the Catholic church settled here, but in 1834, Mr. Swisler and family, Michael Mayer and family and, four years later, Nicholas Mayer, his brother, came and located permanently. In 1845, George Shoup and family and in 1848, George Becker, Peter Hart and John Kuhn, with their families came. They were all Germans. Not having a church here, they went to Dayton to worship, until 1851, when Rev. Henry Damien Junker of Dayton, celebrated mass at the home of Peter Hart and Mr. Swisler, and from that time, services were held at irregular intervals at the homes of the members. In the fall of 1852, Michael P. Cassily, a zealous Irish Catholic of Cincinnati, donated to the bishop, a two-story brick house and large lot, between Main and Old streets, for the use of the Catholics of this vicinity. The building was fitted up for a church and pastor's residence, by Michael Mayer at his own expense, the chapel being in the second story. The building was dedicated and mass cele- brated by Father Junker, in the fall of 1852, receiving the name of St. Michael's church.
Different priests ministered to the congregation thereafter. Father Man- clire, a native of France, took charge in 1861 and remained until 1873, when Rev. Anton Leitner, a native of Tyrol, Austria, came. He was the first resident pastor, and performed the first baptism for the congregation January 18, 1873. In June, 1877, he was succeeded by Father John F. Kalenberg, who was also in charge of the Franklin church. Prior to that time, very little had been done to improve the church property, owing, perhaps, to the scarcity of funds. Dissat- isfied with the poor church accommodation, Father Kalenberg in 1880, con- cluded to erect an edifice. He immediately began work and on June 6, 1880, the corner stone was laid by Right Rev. Bishop Elder of Cincinnati, who also dedi- cated the building on July 10, 1881, giving it the name of "Immaculate Concep- tion." The structure is of Roman architecture, built of brick with stone trim- mings, seventy-five by thirty-six feet. The interior is handsomely decorated, finely finished with a choir gallery and organ, and will seat four hundred. The congregation at this time numbered about seventy-five families. Father Kalen- berg continued in charge of the congregation until the time of his death. In May, 1893, Father Proepperman took charge of the parish, and was succeeded in 1894, by the present pastor, Father Berding.
ATTORNEYS.
Those representing the legal fraternity are now Hon. W. A. Reiter, Hon. Mahlon Gephart, Hon. J. C. Myers, all three having represented the county in the general assembly.
Mr. Reiter is the son of the late Rev. I. H. Reiter, former pastor of the Reformed church.
Mr. Gephart was reared a few miles south of Miamisburg, and Mr. Myers comes from the northern part of Butler county, where he lived on a farm until he took up the practice of law.
Recently, Mr. A. J. Lusk, now deceased, and Mr. L. S. Crickmore, now of Germantown, practiced the profession here.
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Hon. Carl Shuler maintained an office here for a few years and has now re- moved to Cleveland.
Hon. Adam Clay, one of the leading attorneys of the county, lived here for many years and died about the year 1884.
His son, Amos Clay, a very successful practitioner, died suddenly in the summer of 1896.
Mr. Lee Brumbaugh died while engaged in the practice of the profession here.
Lawyers Turtin and L. C. Gates, who were here for a number of years, removed to find their fortunes in other places.
Hon. Samuel Boltin and his brother, Cornelius Boltin, were among the earlier attorneys of Miamisburg, the former becoming probate judge of the county.
Quite early in the history of the town, lawyers Frederick Fox, James Frey and Benjamin Suddeth, were engaged in the practice here for longer or shorter periods.
PHYSICIANS.
The medical profession is represented in Miamisburg by ten regularly prac- ticing physicians. Dr. Henry Schoenfeld is the senior member of the class and next to him in length of time of practice stands Dr. William Shuler, who served as a member of the state legislature and is now one of the United States pension medical examiners at the National Military Home at Dayton. Dr. Perry Weaver and his son Dr. Burnet Weaver constitute the only co-partnership of physicians in town. Other members of the profession of extensive practice are Dr. C. F. Ginn, a homeopathist, Dr. W. S. Bookwalter, Dr. C. S. Judy, Dr. O. M. McCray and Dr. E. R. Crew. Dr. Charles Hunt, recently located here, has a growing practice.
WEST CARROLLTON.
West Carrollton was platted May 7, 1830, by Moses Smith, Alexander Grimes and H. G. Phillips. The name first used was "Carrollton." The enlarged plat bearing date March 5, 1889, bears the name West Carrollton. The name had been changed because there is another Carrollton in Ohio. The Miami and Erie canal affords excellent water power at this place, there being two locks. A large flouring mill and a distillery were established here about 1835, by Horace and Perry Pease. These were bought in 1864 by the Messrs. Turner, who con- tinted the business until 1872, when they sold out to G. H. Friend, who con- verted the property into paper mills, manufacturing a heavy grade of paper out of straw and other materials for roofing, siding and other purposes.
The industry grew slowly, until pulp mills were established in the eighties. J. H. Friend on becoming associated with his father in the business, had the fulle. t confidence in pulp mills, which have since come to occupy so great a place in the manufacture of paper. In 1892, the capacity of the mills was practically doubled. The mills were much enlarged during the years preceding 1907, when they reached their largest extent. Mr. Robert Burns became the secretary of the company about 1892. The plant is capitalized at one million, five hundred
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thousand dollars. When the recent panic came on, the company was thrown into the hands of a receiver under whose direction it is for the present operated.
In the immediate vicinity of the paper mills is the American Envelope Com- pany, organized in December, 1895, operations beginning three months later. J. H. Friend is the president of the company and H. L. Newell secretary and treasurer. The capital stock is three hundred thousand dollars, one third of which is invested in the Miamisburg paper mill, which was bought by the com- pany about four years ago. The paper mill has a capacity of about twenty tons per day. Aside from using the output of this mill, the envelope company buys extra grades of paper from various manufacturers. The envelope company has grown from the start and is highly prosperous.
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