A Sense of Place

Washington Township is very small, but is important in that it was one of the first four townships created in Montgomery County as this portion of the Northwest Territory became the State of Ohio. The City of Centerville sits on the highest point of the divide between the Little and Great Miami Rivers. Together, they make up the community in which we live. The buildings in the town and township offer us a "meaningful history," one which we can "reach out and touch." Nearly 100 houses, schools, commercial buildings, and one stone barn have been detailed in this book. The authors hope that this book will help you relate to the past and provide you with a "sense of place."

"A Sense of Place" and "A Sense of Community" make a good team. This book is also full of the history of our area, however, it tells that story through the early homes and the people that lived in them. The members of the Landmark Committee that are the authors of this book are; Martha H. Boice, Chairman, Marjorie Clawson, Celia H. Elliott, Denise C. Hedley, Terrence McConville, and Linda J. Meinhardt. The editor, Howard R. Houser, put all of their research together and produced a book that is full of information not only of our community, but of the details of the architecture that was used by the masons and carpenters of the time.

Contents

1. Acknowledgements

2. Preface

3. Historical Notes: The First Inhabitants - The Northwest Ordinance - John Cleves Symmes - The First Settlers - The First Homesteads - The Early Architecture

4. Washington Township Roads: Their Development in the Early 1800s

5. Centerville: The Four Corners - The Nutt Plat - The Robbins Plat

6. Washington Township - The Northeast Quadrant: The Presbyterian Settlement - The Quarrying Industry

7. Washington Township - The Northwest Quadrant: Woodbourne - The Farming Community - The Early Mills and Their Importance

8. Washington Township - The Southwest Quadrant: The Yankee Settlement - The Dayton-Lebanon Pike - Sheehan Road

9. Washington Township - The Southeast Quadrant: The Quakers - Stringtown - The Mills Along the Sugar Creek

10. Appendix

11. Glossary of Architectural Terms

12. Bibliography

13. Index

Enjoy!