Warren County Towns And Settlement Histories

A town being "laid out" was the term used when a piece of ground was divided into lots, streets and alleys. A law of the Northwest Territory was passed in 1800, which required the proprietor or proprietors of all towns so laid out to have an accurate plat or map thereof recorded in the recorders office of the county where the same is situated.
The dates that are given in the following do not necessarily reflect the settlement of the locality, nor of the origination of a village, but of the regular survey and the platting of the town. The names or set- tlements of the towns are arranged in alhabetical order. Some have the names of the original proprietors, and number of lots in the original town plat along with some additional information. Many of these locations are just place names in the county. This writer has found information on 79 of these settlements.

• Avalon Heights, (between Lebanon and South Leba- non), 1904. Herbert W. Smith and Florence A. Smith, proprietors--162 lots.
• Beech Grove, 1849, Massie Township. Named for a large Beech Grove where a freewill Baptist Church was located.
• Beedle's Station, 1795. Turtle Creek Township. Named for William Beedle who came with his family in 1795 and built the only block house in Warren County.
• Black Hawk, 1838. Harlan Township-George B. Whitacre and Elisha Barber, proprietors--26 lots. Vacated by order of court in 1879.
• Blue Ball, Franklin Township. A village on the boundary line of Butler and Warren Counties, named after the Blue Ball Tavern which had for its sign a globe painted blue. The road from Red Lion to Middletown, by way of Blue ball, was named Irish Road.
• Butlerville, 1838. Abram B. Butler, proprietor--24 lots. Additions to the town were made in 1839 and 1841.
• Butterworth's, a flag station on the Little Miami Railroad, named after Henry Thomas Butterworth, who resided there.
• Carlisle Station, 1863, Franklin Township. Executor of George Carlisle, deceased, proprietor--30 lots. This town was situated on the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad. The area was first known as the Jersey Settlement when settled by New Jersey pioneers in 1804. It was settled by Arthur Vanderveer, William Barkalow and others from Freehold, New Jersey. James Tapscott gave land for the Tapscott Meeting House in 1814. The name was changed to Carlisle in 1850.
• Comargo, Harlan Township. Presumed to be of Indian origin.
• Corwin, 1845, Wayne Township. John Johnson and Joel W. Johnson, proprietors--13 lots. (Named after ex-Governor Thomas Corwin.)
• Cozaddale, 1871. Harlan Township. John J. Cozad, proprietor--129 lots. ( A post office in Hamilton Township formerly called Dallasburg which was possibly named after George M. Dallas, then vice-president.)
• Cranetown, Clearcreek Township. A settlement of Crane families, located northeast of Pekin.
• Crosswicks, 1821, Wayne Township. James Janney, proprietor--12 lots.
• Deerfield (now South Lebanon), 1795, Union Township. John S. Gano, Benjamin Stites, Sr., Benjamin Stites, Jr., proprietors--144 lots, 29 of which were given to the first settlers for building houses or cabins. This was the first town in Warren County. (Deerfield Township, named from the town, was a large township of Hamilton County in the Northwest Territory and comprised the greater portion of Warren County.)
• Dodds, Clear Creek Township. Changed from Utica when post office was established in 1881. Was a station on the Dayton, Lebanon & Cincinnati Railroad (DL&C). Also had a canning factory, school and church.
• Edgewood, Wayne Township. Located at crossing of the Dayton, Lebanon & Cincinnati Railroad on St. Route 73.
• Edwardsville, 1824, Harlan Township. Edward Thomas, proprietor--42 lots, Vacated in 1868.
• Five Points, Clear Creek Township. Located at the junction of five roads in Clear Creek Township. It was a small settlement of school, blacksmith shop and homes.
• Flat Fork, Massie Township. It was a school and church on Flat Fork Creek.
• Floraville, Turtle Creek Township. South section of Lebanon, so called for many fine flowers grown in the gardens a century ago.
• Fort Ancient Heights, 1896, Washington Township. W. H. Carney, proprietor--78 lots. A Post Office was established on the Little Miami Railroad May 28, 1846, with Thomas C. Nelson Postmaster.
• Foster, Deerfield Township. This was a station on the Little Miami Railroad and the Montgomery Pike, which is also the crossing of the Little Miami by the pike. It was named after the Foster family. Henry Foster built a mill and a hotel on the east side of the river and his son James H. Foster was the leading merchant of this town. The name of the post office was changed three times, first Foster's Crossings, next Fosters and lastly Foster.
• Franklin, 1796. William C. Schenck and Daniel C. Cooper, proprietors. In 1800 William C. Schenck bought out Cooper's interest and became sole proprietor--128 lots with several out lots.
• Fredricksburg, Salem Township. It lies on the north bank of the Little Miami opposite the mouth of Todd's Fork, 1818. Nathaniel Harrell, proprietor--14 lots. This is now part of Morrow.
• Freeport (Oregonia), 1816. Washington Township. Ignatious Brown and Nebo Gaunt, proprietors--27 lots. It lies on the Little Miami River.
• Gainesboro (the site of Kings Mills), 1815, Deerfield Township. Ralph W. Hunt, proprietor--140 lots. Afterward vacated. (This town was probably named after Gen. Edmund P. Gaines, who had distinguished himself in the defense of Fort Erie.)
• Genntown, Turtle Creek Township. Named for Colonel Jethro Genn, who located a short distance northeast of Lebanon.
• Gum Grove, Washington Township. A small settlement named for a neighborhood school located in a grove of gum trees.
• Hageman, Union Township. A station on the C.L.& N. Railroad. A post office called Camp Hageman was established here in 1879, named after Henry Hageman, father of Rev. R.S. Hageman. It was also called Hageman Station.
• Hammell, Washington Township. Located on the Little Miami Railroad opposite Millgrove, 1845. Enoch Hammell, proprietor--17 lots.
• Harveysburg, 1827, Massie Township. William Harvey, proprietor--47 lots.
• Henpeck, Massie Township. Originally called Wellman. Settlement of a dozen lots on Harveysburg-Oregonia Road.
• Hickoryville, Massie Township. Derived name from Hickory grove; located south of Harveyburg.
• Hicks, Wayne Township. Named for Elias Hicks, Quaker.
• Hicks Station, Harlan Township. Named for J. Hicks.
• Hopkinsville, 1808. Named for Colonel John Hopkins.
• Kings Mills, 1893, Deerfield Township. King Powder Company, proprietor--265 lots. (Named after J.W. and A. King, who in 1878 founded the King Powder Company and established this place the Great Western Powder Mills.)
• Kitchener, Clear Creek Township. A station on the Dayton, Lebanon & Cincinnati Railroad at Pekin Road crossing.
• Lebanon, September, 1802. Ichabod Corwin, Silas Hurin, Ephriam Hathaway and Samuel Manning, proprietors--100lots. No outlots. Samuel Manning owned but a small portion of the original town plat. Ichabod B. Halsey was the surveyor. (Named after a mountain range in Syria, famous for its cedars. It was discussed that an Indian name would have been better. However, Lebanon and Mt. Gilead are the only county seats in Ohio bearing Bible names; both are names of mountains and neither town is built on a mountain.)
  Level, Harlan Township. A railroad station and post office in Harlan Township, named from the topography of the locality. First called Windsor. Located about three miles east of Butlerville on the M.&C. R.R.
• Lytle (Raysville), 1855, Wayne Township. M. Mills and other proprietors--22 lots. The place was called Raysville long before it was platted. Lytle was a station on the Dayton, Lebanon, & Cincinnati (D.L.& C.) Railroad. Tradition has it when the post office was established, a number of names were submitted to the Department at Washington and all were rejected. The name Lytle, caught a glance on the label of a shoebox, was then submitted and accepted.
• Maineville, 1850, Hamilton Township. Silas Dudley and Seth G. Tufts, proprietors--69 lots. The place was named long before it was platted. (Named after the State from which many of the early residents had emigrated. First called Yankeetown.)
• Mary Ellen, Union Township. Now a part of south Lebanon.
• Mather's Mill, Washington Township. Settled by David Van Schoyck and Lewis Rees prior to 1807, and sold to Richard Mather unto whose name was given the settlement.
• Merritstown, Clear Creek Township. Established by Caleb and Abram Merritt who built a drain tile factory in 1816. It had a church, school, cabinet maker, and a number of homes.
• Middleboro, 1838, Harlan Township. George Bowman, proprietor--31 lots. On Goshen and Wilmington Pike about five miles northeast of Butlerville
• Millgrove, Union Township. Settled on the Little Miami River. It contained a grist and sawmill, a drygoods store and a paper mill.
• Millsborough, 1804, Salem Township. Settlement on Little Miami River. Later called Stubbstown from Stubbs Mills located there.
• Milthompson, Deerfield Township. A station on the C.L & N. Railroad, named for Milton Thompson.
• Morristown, 1816, Turtle Creek Township. Later called Green Tree from tavern of that name. Located north of Union Village. Joseph Kenan and John Wickersham, proprietors--32 lots. Vacated in 1853.
• Morrow, 1844, Salem Township. William H. Clement, George Keck and Clark Williams, proprietors--49 lots in the original plat; several additions were platted within the next few years. Named after the famous Governor Jeremiah Morrow.
• Mount Holly, 1833, Wayne Township. Jacob Pearson, proprietor--25 lots. Named for Mount Holly, New Jersey.
• Mounts Station, 1795, Salem Township. Settled by William Mounts and others. They built their cabins around a large spring.
• Murdoch, Hamilton Township. Named for Professor James E. Murdoch, Shakesperian actor and reader.
• New Columbia (Pleasant Plain), 1852, Harlan Township. Samuel Craig, proprietor--32 lots.
• Oakland, 1806, Wayne Township. Established by James Murray with 72 lots.
• Olive Branch, 1810, Washington Township. Settled by Joel and Jordan Drake.
• Osceola, 1838, Harlan Township. Lewis Fairchild and Benjamin Baldwin, proprietors--41 lots. Named for an Indian leader.
• Palmyra (Mason), 1815. Major William Mason, proprietor--16 lots. The name was changed from Palmyra to Mason by the Legislature in 1839.
• Pekin, a post office in Clearcreek Township established in 1874. It has been said that this name was first used for the place on a printed program of a school exhibition. At that time school geographies taught that Pekin, China, was the largest city in the world and the same name was chosen for what was supposed to be the smallest.
• Ridgeville, 1814, Clear Creek Township. Fergus McLean, father of Justice John McLean, proprietor--20 lots and three streets. Located on top of a ridge.
• Rossburg, Harlan Township. Named for Enoch A. Ross who started a tannery about 1820. It was a post office from 1833 to 1838.
• Salem (Roachester), 1816. Mahlon Roach and James Roach, proprietors--40 lots.
• Scottsville, a post office near Hageman from 1852 to 1855, named after Gen. Winfield Scott.
• Senior Powder Mills, Washington Township. Made gunpowder during First World War.
• Socialville, in Deerfield Township, was made a post office in 1878. The place, for a time, had been called Mormontown from the conversion of some of its residents to the faith of the Latter Day Saints.
• Shakertown, 1805, Turtle Creek Township. Named because of Shaker settlement. Name later changed to Union Village in 1810. Now known as Otterbein Village.
• Silver Grove, Washington Township. Settlement around a pioneer school and Baptist Church.
• Spences Station, Harlan Township. Named for the Spence family, first settlers.
• Springboro, 1815, Clear Creek Township. Jonathon Wright, proprietor--86 lots.
• Spring Hill, Washington Township. This settlement was located on what was called the Knobs on the Lebanon-Wilmington Road. It was a camp for the Indians. It was established by four or five families including Solomon and Hester Reed.
• Turtle Creek, Turtle Creek Township. The first settlement on the site of the city now called Lebanon.
• Twenty Mile Stand, a post town on the state road from Cincinnati to Chillocothe. A post office was established in 1824 and given its name from a tavern or "stand."
• Unity, Deerfield Township. Settlement around the land given by J.D. Lowe for first burying ground in the township. North of the site of Mason, 1814. Jacob D. Lowe, proprietor--16 lots. Afterward vacated.
• Venable, Clear Creek Township. This was a stop on the Dayton, Lebanon & Cincinnati Railroad. It was named for William Venable in 1856.
• Waynesville, February, 1796. Samuel Heighway, John Smith and Evan Banes, proprietors--88 lots and 19 outlots. The town was laid out into 11 squares which were named and each square contained 8 inlots numbered from 1 to 8. (Named after the famous Anthony Wayne.)
• Westfield (Red Lion), 1817. Absalom Crane, proprietor--36 lots. (This village was named from the sign of an early log cabin; a red lion standing on his hind legs and his fore paws elevated. The first post office was established in 1834 and was named Red Lion.)
• West Woodville, Harlan Township. Settled in both Warren County and Clermont County.
• Zoar, Hamilton Township. Named by German settlers. It was a manufacturing area in the 1800's.

FOOTNOTES: [a place to add additional information that you might want to submit]

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This page created 27 August 2004 and last updated 13 January, 2014
© 2004 Arne H Trelvik  All rights reserved