Butler County

Cheryl Bauer, Randy McNutt

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2006
• Print ISBN: 9780738541006
• eBook ISBN: 9781439616949
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Settlement in Butler County began when Fort Hamilton was built on the Great Miami River in 1791. For the next century, water shaped the countys fortunes. Settlers built towns, commerce moved on the river, and mills and factories grew up along the Miami and Erie Canal and its hydraulic canals in Hamilton and Middletown. The devastating 1913 flood tested residents resolve and reshaped parts of the landscape. Despite losses caused by the flood, the countys important landmarks remained. The vintage postcards presented here illustrate Butler County life from the days of the fort through the 1950s. A special chapter honors Miami University, which was chartered in 1809. Miami has become a beacon of learning set among the fields and the alma mater of thousands.

Nine

THE GREAT FLOOD

A woman huddles on a makeshift raft, awaiting rescue in downtown Hamilton following the March 1913 flood that ravaged many Miami Valley communities. The storm struck swiftly and violently on March 25, catching many people unaware. Lacking protection, Hamilton flooded as the Great Miami River rose. Butler County residents who lived near the river and its tributaries were as hard hit as many parts of Middletown.

A brave but unidentified photographer stood next to the old Fort Hamilton powder magazine to capture an image of the raging flood as it swirled around the large truss bridge that linked Hamilton’s east and west sides when the rains came on March 25, 1913. In the background is A Street in the Rossville neighborhood. Soon the bridge and the historic magazine would be swept away by the fast-moving river, and Hamilton would be helpless. Such floods had caused havoc in Butler County and Hamilton in 1866 and 1898, but 1913 was the biggest disaster of them all—2,300 buildings destroyed, 300 deaths, and 10,000 left homeless in Hamilton alone. The whole Miami Valley looked like a war zone.

As the river swelled out of its banks, swift current engulfed the iron bridge over the Great Miami River. Notice how the water covered the deck of the bridge just before the collapse occurred.

In the center of downtown Hamilton at Third and High Streets, water burst through the doors and windows of the businesses. People watched helplessly from second-floor windows as debris floated down the street and the water continued to rise. Unless they had a boat, they were in for a long wait.

This is another flood view of High Street at South Third Street. The water entered George Krebs’s clothing store and every other business in the devastated downtown.

On North Third Street in downtown Hamilton, the water poured into the Republican News Building, but that did not stop the editors from doing their job. Stranded printers retreated to the second floor and printed on a manual press. The water was just one foot below them. The only edition missed was March 26.

Looking down on North Second Street on March 25, 1913, the unidentified photographer must have thought he was having a nightmare. Water covered all the streets and alleys. The river town’s worst scenario had come true—flood!

This eerie view was taken from the Rentschler Building, looking north. The expanded river is in the top of the photograph. It appears to roll straight onto the streets of Hamilton, leaving a somber and dark business district.

It took days for rescuers to reach all those who were left stranded by the flood. This card shows rescuers in a rowboat on Hamilton’s High Street on March 26. Cincinnati city po...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• One - ICONS AND LANDMARKS
• Two - THE WORKS
• Three - CHURCHES
• Four - EDUCATION
• Five - COLLEGE DAYS
• Six - LEISURE
• Seven - AT HOME
• Eight - DOWNTOWN AND BEYOND
• Nine - THE GREAT FLOOD
• Ten - SCENIC VIEWS
• BIBLIOGRAPHY