Transcription contributed by Martie Callihan 26 Oct 2004

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598

There are five post offices in the township, viz., Dodds (at Utica), Samuel F. Kling, Postmaster; Ridgeville, C. H. Eulass, Postmaster; Pekin, William W. Earnhart, Postmaster; Red Lion, William H. Ballard, Postmaster, and Springboro, David Mering, Postmaster. The latter is a money-order office.
The number of farms in the township, as reported to the census enumerator in 1880, was 297; this includes all farms of ten or more acres. There are no very large farms, as in some of the stock-raising counties, this being exclusively an agricultural community.

The three largest land-holders in the township are Benajah Gustin, C. B. O'Dell and B. A. Stokes.

In proportion to the number of miles of public roads in the township, we think but few townships in the State can surpass this in the number of miles of graveled road.

The first free turnpike built in the township was the one leading from Springboro to Ridgeville. In 1840, a toll pike was constructed from Dayton to Lebanon, built but a few years since; that part of it lying in Warren County was purchased by the County Commissioners, as were the roads from Franklin to Waynesville and from Franklin to Lebanon; so that now, toll roads are a thing of the past so far as relates to this township.

The township has never been blessed with railroad communication with the outside world until the year 1881, when the Cincinnati Northern completed a line from Cincinnati to Utica, where it connects with the T., D. & B. road, running thence to Dayton and Toledo.