USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The suburbs of Cincinnati : sketches, historical and descriptive > Part 6
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A little farther on, on the opposite side of the road, is the new cottage erected by F. P. Anderson, and recently sold to N. C. McLean, who will soon remove to it. This is a beautiful, cozy home, complete in all its appointments. The grounds embrace about fourteen acres, and are very desirable.
On the Grandin road is the home of Mrs. Philip Grandin. This is an attractive dwelling, erected in 1860, upon a lot of five acres. Back of this are the premises of William Wood, purchased of William S. Grandin, in 1866. They consist of about sixteen acres of land, bounded by both the Grandin and Torrence roads, and an excellent dwelling, which occupies a fine position, from which glimpses of the river are obtained.
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West of Mr. Wood's property, fronting on Torrence road, Hon. Wm. S. Groesbeck has recently purchased twenty-five acres of woodland, which is covered with a vigorous growth of the hardy timber of this latitude. On this, facing the Ohio river, he proposes to erect an elegant residence of blue limestone. The plans have been completed by the architect, J. W. McLaughlin, and ground has been broken for the foundations.
Nearly opposite Mrs. Grandin's is the residence of William Aubery, with about five acres of land. The old dwelling has been remodeled and improved. The property was purchased about eleven years ago for $3,000, but has increased largely in value.
Near this, William McRoberts has ten acres of land, and a house that has been erected about fifteen years. This property was sold twelve years ago for $10,000, and was purchased eight years afterward, by Mr. McRob- erts, for $30,000.
Adjoining this is the John Myers tract of fifty-five acres, which was pur- chased by W. W. Scarborough in 1867. This is a fine body of land, and, when it comes into market, will furnish beautiful locations for those seeking homes in that locality.
A short distance east is the farm of Joseph Longworth. There being no stock at large in the highways, no fences appear on the road along a portion of these premises, and the green sward comes down to the very roadside. The residence, which occupies a commanding position, is approached by cir- cuitous drives. The shrubbery is grouped in a manner to produce the best effect, and charming objects are on every side. Mr. Longworth has recently added to his dwelling a fine-art gallery, which contains a collection of pic- tures that, for artistic worth, have few equals in the whole country.
On an eligible knoll, east of his own residence, Mr. Longworth has recently erected for his daughter, Mrs. George Ward Nichols, a residence that will bear favorable comparison with any in the suburbs. It is a two- story edifice, constructed of blue limestone, with freestone trimmings. It is amply supplied with tasteful verandas, and has bay windows looking in several directions upon the splendid scenery of that locality. The inside is
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to be elaborately finished with hard woods, and, when completed, the improvement will be the most attractive in East Walnut Hills.
East of Mr. Longworth's is the tasteful residence of E. P. Cranch, erected about two years ago. The edifice is a two-story frame, surrounded by attractive grounds, and enjoying a fine up-river view.
Next is the very comfortable home of A. A. Bennett, a brick dwelling of two stories, surrounded by verandas. The lot embraces seven acres, which are finely embellished with shrubbery and flowers, and well supplied with shade trees.
On the same side of the road, but farther to the east, is the residence of John S. Taylor. The lands of Mr. Taylor, fourteen acres in extent, are singularly attractive. They command a superb view of the river and the surrounding country. Hills, dales, and stream combine to form one of the most lovely and charming landscape views on the Ohio river. The lower parts of Cincinnati, the suspension bridge, the cities of Kentucky, and the charming highlands on the south side of the Ohio, are in full view, both summer and winter. In some aspects, the scenery is equal to any presented upon the Hudson or the Rhine.
A short drive brings the visitor to the end of the Grandin road. Here is the residence of the Hon. P. W. Strader, which occupies a position that has few equals upon the Ohio. Mr. Strader has both an up and down-river view. To one looking eastwardly, the beautiful river is revealed a long distance, the village of Columbia is at his feet, and the whole prospect is one of rare beauty.
Nearly opposite Mr. Taylor, John Cinnamon has purchased an eligible lot and made some preparations for the erection of a tasteful dwelling. The foundations are already prepared, and considerable work has been done toward the improvement and embellishment of the grounds.
Adjoining this, on the same side of the road, is the two-story frame resi- dence of J. W. Sibley. The structure is new, and has an appearance as inviting as any in the village. It is tasteful without being expensive, and
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conveys to the mind an idea of the absolute comfort of home which the palace may neither present nor enjoy.
Immediately west of Mr. Sibley's is the beautiful home of Matthias Harth, who has about four acres of land, and a brick dwelling inclining to the Swiss in its architecture. This is surrounded by a profusion of shrub- bery and evergreens. From Mr. Harth's residence a splendid up-river view is obtained.
The place of Robert Burnet is on the south of the Grandin road, west of Mr. Harth's. Mr. Burnet has ample lands, upon which the residence was erected five years ago, by Capt. W. P. Anderson, who has resided there until quite recently. Like his neighbors, he enjoys a splendid prospect. His location, however, somewhat differs from others, affording, principally, an up-river view, embracing the Ohio, the villages of Columbia and Califor- nia, the mouth of the Little Miami, and Mt. Tusculum, besides a large sweep of rolling lands. His yard is adorned with flowers, and the gardens supplied with the rarest varieties of the strawberry and other fruits. In order to show the increase in the value of lands in this vicinity, it may be remarked here that, adjoining this property, four and a half acres were sold, two and a half years ago, for $5,000. The same tract again changed hands within nine months for $7,500, and in 1868 the last purchaser refused $11,000.
The residence of George M. Hord is one which will engage the attention of every visitor. No expense has been spared in its erection. The build- ing is stately, commodious, and tasteful ; the immediate surroundings beau- tiful. Mr. Hord enjoys, in common with many of his neighbors, the sur- vey of landscapes which are unsurpassed in beauty.
L. B. Harrison owns sixty-three acres to the left of the Grandin road, for which was paid, about nine years ago, $500 per acre. His residence, erected in 1863, is an imposing structure, built of undressed blue limestone, and finished inside with white walnut. The building is stately, roomy, and convenient, and its position has no superior upon the Ohio. With grand old forest trees studding the yard, and an unlimited prospect up and down
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the river, one can scarcely conceive how the location could be made more attractive. Mr. Harrison's premises were, until recently, divided between Cincinnati and East Walnut Hills, the corporation line having passed through his house.
William Hooper has recently purchased of R. R. Springer a tract of fifty acres, upon which stands the former residence of the late Philip Grandin. The house is brick, with porch and colonnade covering the entire front. The landscape, like that from Mr. Hooper's splendid resi- dence in Woodburn, and Mr. Harrison's residence in East Walnut Hills, is superb, taking in, as it does, full views of the suspension bridge, besides the lower part of Cincinnati and portions of Covington and Newport. This place is within the corporate limits of Cincinnati, but is adjacent to East Walnut Hills, and properly belongs to that locality.
There are many pleasant homes still farther on in the direction of Mad- isonville. Two miles from the latter place, where the Marietta and Cincin- nati Railroad crosses the turnpike, is the beautiful little suburb of Oakley, which, extending this way, will have to advance but a short distance to meet East Walnut Hills. Indeed, the time is not remote when the road from Cincinnati to Madisonville will be a continuous village.
In all directions the land lies beautifully, and the fine situations are by no means exhausted, for the whole country is rich in admirable building sites. These will be taken, one by one, until the entire valley through which the Marietta road runs, with the adjacent highlands, shall become a suburb of Cincinnati. This will be hastened by the building of street railways, and the more frequent running of railroad trains for the accommodation of local travel.
The approaches to this locality are the same as those of Woodburn, the main route being by the Lebanon, Montgomery, and Madisonville roads. The Torrence road, which runs from Front street, in Fulton (the Seven- teenth Ward), through an opening in the hills, to the intersection of the Madisonville and Grandin roads, at Mr. Goodman's, has been macadam- ized, and brings East Walnut Hills into immediate connection with the
6
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street railway in the Seventeenth Ward, which, by the road, is about a half mile distant.
Moreover, this suburb is soon to have the benefits of one of the great improvements of the city and county, Columbia avenue, which is to run from the intersection of Water and Third streets, along the slope of the hill as it falls to the river, until reaching Columbia. This avenue will be one hundred feet wide, well macadamized, and will become, as soon as finished, a very popular road, for it will be entirely removed from the rail- roads, and will look down upon the river along its entire length. A part of this projected improvement has been already begun, and will doubtless be pushed to early completion.
The public facilities for reaching the city are the same as those of Wood- burn. Omnibuses run every twenty minutes during the day from the Lin- wood road, which is fully four and a half miles from the court-house. The drives through the village are excellent; the Madisonville, Grandin, and Linwood roads are all of them solid and smooth, and the Torrence road will very soon become so.
East Walnut Hills has no civil authorities other than those of the town- ship. The improvement of the avenues and construction of pavements must, for a time, depend on individual enterprise. But these drawbacks can last only for a limited period, inasmuch as the increase of population and the approach of Cincinnati will render it desirable, if not necessary, for the village to follow the example of Woodburn, and either become a part of the latter village or seek a separate incorporation.
At present East Walnut Hills can scarcely be called a village; it is rather a thickly-settled rural district, remarkable for the beauty of its lands, and rich in attractive building sites. There has been a steady increase in the value of lands in this locality, while the demand has quite kept pace with the augmentation of price.
The locality in general is a desirable one. The lands are sufficiently undulating to furnish almost an unlimited number of building sites, and there are no unpleasant views. In any direction, from these eleva-
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East Walnut Hills.
tions, beautiful landscapes greet the eye and cheer the heart. It is the country, with all its verdure, and freshness, and loveliness, free from every thing that reminds one of the discomforts of a hot, dusty city, and filled with objects calculated to purify the heart, and help it to com- mune with Him who "in wisdom has made them all."
GLENDALE.
EW travelers who have passed over the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad have failed to observe and admire the beauti- ful suburban village, the name of which appears at the head of this chapter.
Located upon grounds that gently rise westwardly from the railroad, with its tasteful homes half hidden by beautiful shrubbery, and an air of comfort and repose that, like a good spirit, seems always present, it has been an object of interest almost as long as trains have carried weary trav- elers over the road.
In 1851, several gentlemen of Cincinnati, appreciating the desirableness of building themselves country homes that should be easy of access, and, at the same time, sufficiently removed from the city to be safe from the encroachments of manufactures and commerce, determined upon founding a suburban village somewhere between Hamilton and this city, on the rail- road then in process of construction, They inspected the entire route from Hamilton down, and finally determined upon the present location.
The following gentlemen were interested in the movement, and became, under the name of the "Glendale Association," the proprietors of the new village :
Messrs. George Carlisle, S. S. L'Hommedieu, Abram M. Taylor, Fenton Lawson, Anthony Harkness, Clement Dietrich, Andrew Gross, Benjamin
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Glendale.
Sterrett, Samuel Fosdick, Henry Clark, Robert Crawford, Ezra Elliott, Marcus Smith, John Young, Wm. Burnet, C. J. Acton, R. B. Bowler, Edmund R. Glenn, John W. Ellis, Lewis Worthington, Joseph W. Tay- lor, George T. Stedman, Wm. B. Moores, Jacob Strader, Eden B. Reeder, Walter Gregory, Enoch Mudge, Isaac D. Glenn, George Crawford, Hon. John C. Wright.
Lands were purchased of Edmund R. Glenn, John Riddle, James Wat- son, and others, embracing altogether nearly 600 acres. About 200 acres were laid off in lots of from one to twenty acres, under the direction of R. C. Phillips, engineer, of this city. These lots were exposed to public sale, with the understanding that the amount realized above the original cost was to be used in the improvement of the avenues, the construction of a lake, parks, etc. The object was to secure such improvement as would perpetuate the property in the hands of responsible and desirable persons. To promote this end, it was expressly understood between the parties that none but good dwellings should be erected.
Improvements began almost immediately. The association very soon erected a hotel, intended as a place of summer resort, which went into operation soon after its completion. This project, however, did not meet the expectation of those interested, and it was soon sold to the Junction Railroad Company. Thence it passed into the possession of the Rev. John Covert, who converted it into the Glendale Female College, now well known as one of our best female educational institutions.
Among those who first erected residences and removed to the village were Messrs. Sterrett, Clark, Lawson, Glenn, Fosdick, and the Crawfords. Fol- lowing these were Messrs. Elliott, Harkness, and others.
DESCRIPTION.
Glendale should rather be considered as a whole than in detail. There are no palatial mansions, no extensive lawns, no long, sweeping graveled drives, such as the visitor sees in some other suburbs. It is rather a collec-
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Suburbs of Cincinnati.
tion of beautiful homes, with ample grounds and profuse shrubbery, approached by circuitous avenues, and distinguished for the air of comfort and retirement that everywhere prevails. You can scarcely say there is one place notable above another, and yet there is a rare combination of pleasant features that holds out strong inducements to those who desire to get entirely away from the busy whirl of the city and enjoy complete repose. There are no towering hills nor immense stretches of valley; but quiet landscapes say to fatigued limbs and wearied minds, " Here is rest."
AVENUES.
Glendale is laid out irregularly. Whichever way the stranger takes, he is constantly impressed with the thought that he has made a mistake, and whatever point he attains is certain to be some one unlooked for. This is the more embarrassing to the visitor, who asks in vain for the names of the avenues that appear neither upon guide-boards, as at Avondale, nor in the minds of the inhabitants, who feel no necessity of troubling themselves con- cerning the mazes of thoroughfares with which time has made them thor- oughly familiar. A better acquaintance, however, removes the annoyance, and a score of visits demonstrates quite clearly how study unravels the most intricate ways.
The avenues are generally sixty feet wide, though Sharon avenue, that runs from east to west through the village, is eighty feet in width. Nearly all are well graveled; the larger number have sidewalks, and not a few have trees that furnish ample shade.
PARKS.
Glendale, too, has three handsome little parks. That is, handsome naturally; for, save the fences that surround them, they are in their primeval condition. The grand old forest trees spread their broad branches over the luxuriant sward, and a half-beaten path marks the route by which
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Glendale.
pedestrians find the nearest way home, or moonlight wanderers saunter forth to enjoy the repose and poetry of the night. Glendale, however, needs no park. Forest trees shade the village; shrubbery is even too abundant; flowers every where regale the sense, and avenues meander through the quiet grounds. It is, indeed, a park itself, needing few additional attractions.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
There is, perhaps, no more encouraging feature connected with the growth of the various suburbs than the attention our suburban citizens pay to the establishment and fostering of public schools. Glendale is no excep- tion in this respect. It has a commodious one-story brick school build- ing, with four separate apartments. There are in attendance about 120 scholars, divided into high, intermediate, and primary departments. The school is under the successful superintendence of Mr. Florien Giaugue.
The course of study is arranged with a view of preparing boys for the Freshman class in college, and the scholars are generally of a good character and regular in attendance.
GLENDALE FEMALE COLLEGE.
This institution is one of the chief features of the village. Though intended originally for a hotel, it was very early diverted to school purposes, and ever since has occupied a prominent position among the female educa- tional institutions of the country. It was founded in 1854 by the Rev. John Covert. In the spring of 1856 it passed into the hands of the Rev. Joseph G. Monfort, D.D., the Rev. Ludlow D. Potter, and the Rev. Samuel S. Potter. The last named continued in the institution until 1860, and Dr. Monfort as late as 1865, since which time the institution has been under the able and successful management of the Rev. Ludlow D. Potter,
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and has graduated classes that have gone into all parts of the country to reflect credit upon the institution, and impart the blessings which educated minds and cultivated hearts are sure to confer.
In the year 1856 the chapel was destroyed by fire, but it was rebuilt in the following autumn. In 1859 additions were made to the building on the north, and the part, originally two, was increased to three stories.
The main building, with the exception of the extension on the north, which contains the dining room and nine music rooms, is one hundred and seventeen feet in length by forty-two feet in width. The extension added to the former makes a total length of one hundred and seventy-seven feet. The edifice is built of brick, on a splendid elevation, with the main approach from Sharon avenue, upon which it is situated. A capacious veranda on the east looks out upon the ample grounds that surround the building, the lower parts of the village, the railroad, and the remote farms that gently swell into hills in the distant east. On the north-east is the chapel, a two-story brick edifice, sixty-eight by forty-five feet, containing a study room in the second story that occupies the full size of the building, and six recitation rooms on the first floor. The main building will comfortably accommodate seventy-five boarding pupils. But this by no means comprises the whole school. About fifty scholars are in regular daily attendance, who reside in Glendale and Springdale, which is adjacent, and in Lockland, Car- thage, and other towns accessible by rail.
The course of study is unusually thorough and complete, and is alike creditable to Mr. Potter, who has elevated the standard of female educa- tion, and to the patrons of the school, who have been able to appreciate the labors and judgment of this sterling and popular educator. Music has been made, for many years, a matter of special attention. An institution in the midst of a quiet suburb, surrounded by the homes of the refined and educated, and removed from the circumstances that frequently embarrass the best-regulated institutions, with a thorough and proper course of study, and competent instructors, could not well enjoy a less success than has for several years distinguished this school.
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Glendale.
The St. Gabriel's (Catholic) School is in connection with the Catholic Church. The rooms, five in number, to the rear of the church, are devoted to the school, which numbers over two hundred scholars. The four teachers are Sisters of Charity. The school is free, and the citizens of Glendale, outside the Catholic Church, hold the institution in such estimation that they contributed thirteen hundred dollars to the erection of the valuable additions made two years ago.
CHURCHES.
The First Presbyterian Church was organized, as an Old School Presby- terian body, November 29, 1855, and is the oldest church organization in Glendale. Its first regular pastor was the Rev. H. A. Tracy. The church is now in charge of the Rev. Wm. H. Babbitt. Ruling Elders-Jacob J. Packer, Hon. Stanley Matthews, Samuel J. Thompson, Esq., and R. K. Brown. The present membership numbers over one hundred. The Sab- bath-school, in charge of Samuel J. Thompson, Esq., has an average attend- ance of one hundred scholars and fifteen teachers, and meets at half-past nine o'clock in the morning.
The present brick edifice, erected ten years ago, is a unique structure, approaching the Swiss in the style of its architecture. It is a quaint build- ing, and well calculated to attract the attention of travelers upon the rail- road near which it is situated. What the exterior lacks in beauty, the inte- rior possesses in neatness and comfort. The room is open to the rafters. The desk is of white walnut, the floors are carpeted, the pews are fin- ished in oak and well upholstered, and the windows constructed of stained glass.
CHRIST CHURCH.
Christ (Episcopal) Church was organized August 6, 1865, by the Rev. J. B. Pratt, and John D. Jones, Sr., and N. C. McLean, wardens ; and Samuel Fosdick, R. M. Shoemaker, R. B. Moore, George W. Jones, Henry
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Holroyd, and John Titus, vestrymen. Services were held in private houses and school-houses until about three years ago, when a small chapel was erected on Sharon avenue. The present rector is the Rev. C. H. Young. The congregation has completed a new edifice on the summit of the hill, south of Sharon avenue, at a cost of twenty thousand dollars. The building is Gothic; a simple nave church, with two transepts, eleven by thirteen feet in the clear-one of the latter intended for the organ and the other the vestry. The material is blue limestone, rock-faced, uncoursed, with freestone dressings to windows, buttresses, and gables. The audience room is thirty by sixty feet, with ceiling of arched and molded timber ribs, springing from buttresses that rise between the windows. The chancel is octagonal, and separated from the main building by an ornamented arch. The side windows are mullion, and of stained glass, while a triple window adorns the front. The building is covered with slate. The spire is ninety feet in hight, fifty feet of which are constructed of stone, and the remainder of timber, with a slate covering. The main entrance to the building is through the base of the tower, while the vestry is reached through a side opening.
This handsome church edifice will accommodate about two hundred and fifty persons, and was occupied by the congregation the first time Sab- bath, May 30, 1869. When finished inside, as it will be, to correspond with the elegance of its exterior, it will be one of the most attractive of our suburban churches. The architects are Anderson & Hannaford, of this city.
CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM.
The Church of the New Jerusalem (Swedenborgian) is unique, and, withal, one of the neatest, most cozy places of worship that can be found in our suburbs. Not that a large outlay has been made upon it, for it is a frame structure and comparatively plain, but that it seems to have been con- structed with a view to elegant simplicity. It occupies a site in the shade of a beautiful forest on Congress avenue, where the grand old trees stand like solemn sentinels to guard it from harm.
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