Mt. Washington

The Water Tower

Mt. Washington History

by Chris Luedeker
2004 Photos

Mt.Washington is not your average community. It is a very close town. There are people who know each other but live on opposite sides of the community. It is a friendly town, and it is a great place to live. There are many nice kids in this neighborhood.

Original Corbly Cabin
In the begining a treaty was signed in between Great Britian and the United States of America. It was signed on September of 1783. A man by the name John Cleves Symmes bought over 300,000 acres of land. The land he bought was between the two Miami Rivers. On Color the land near the mouth of the Little Miami River, Major Benjamin Stites of Pennsylvania made a settlement that was called Columbia. This land was bought for about $0.70 an acre. Many pioneers came to Columbia. A pioneer named John Corbly Jr. (a Baptist minister) built a church on the south bank of the south bank of Clough Creek just east of Berkshire Road. He also bought a farm of 400 acres in the north west of the land serveyed. In 1814 the 400 acres became the center of what is now Mt.Washington.

First Post Office
A number of log cabins were built in the township next to Mt. Washington. Some of the log cabins you can still see to this very day. The ones that are still standing are kept up by either their brick contruction or frames. Some of the cabins are not even recognizable to be houses as they once were. On July 2, 1846 the first part of the Corbly farm was sold. There was a two story brick building at the northwest corner of the lot which is now the corner of Beechmont and Corbly. This was the first post office in Mt. Washington.

First School
In 1859 a small school building was ready to be built. It was a two-story building, and the top level was a lodge hall for the Odd Fellows, and the lower level was a school building. The ground level was made up of two rooms. The school was called the Mt. Washington Academy. The school had the equivalent to a high school. It was a private school which took the students from 1st grade to 8th grade. The old school was dedicated in 1860. An addition was built in 1870, and the building became a public school. It remained a public school until it was abandoned for the new building on Mears Avenue in 1933. In 1940 the water tower was completed on the same site.

Stanbery House Today
A man by the name Stanford B. Stanbery bought a beautiful wooded area that later became a park. After he died, his widow sold the house and the 23 acres of land to the Cincinnati Park Board on June 17, 1938. The park was dedicated on July 14, 1940. This park is called Stanbery Park. Now the park has 79 acres. One of the major features that used to be there was a bur oak tree that was knocked over in a wind storm in 1963. When they counted its rings they found that it was about 400 years old.

Suspension Bridge
The first settlers to enter Anderson forded the Little Miami river right about where Elstun road now ends. In 1836, Hamilton and Clermont county built a wooden bridge (might have been a covered bridge) that is right about where Beechmont Ave. crosses now. It was called the Union Bridge because of the effort of both counties. In 1876 a suspension bridge was built to replace the wooden bridge. In 1913 the suspension bridge was destroyed by flood waters. In 1914 a truss bridge was built and used for about 20 years. In 1954 another bridge was built. And again 40 years later another bridge was built. All of the bridges were rebuilt for improvements.

Birney Lane in 1900

Source for history and Black and White photographs:

Stephen B. Smalley. A History of Mt. Washington, A Suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. Mt. Washington Press. Cincinnati, Ohio, 1967

Color Photos: Chris Luedeker and Libby Millard

Photo Tour with New Pictures (2004)

California
Note: Chris Luedeker was a student at Mt. Washington School from 1990 until 1996. In 1997, as a student at Walnut Hills High School, he agreed to come to the computer lab at Mt. Washington on his free time and work on these pages. Chris did all the writing. Libby made the web page.

Originally Created in August, 1997. Updated May, 2004

The Water Tower	Mt. Washington History by Chris Luedeker 2004 Photos
	Mt.Washington is not your average community. It is a very close town. There are people who know each other but live on opposite sides of the community. It is a friendly town, and it is a great place to live. There are many nice kids in this neighborhood.
Original Corbly Cabin	In the begining a treaty was signed in between Great Britian and the United States of America. It was signed on September of 1783. A man by the name John Cleves Symmes bought over 300,000 acres of land. The land he bought was between the two Miami Rivers. On Color the land near the mouth of the Little Miami River, Major Benjamin Stites of Pennsylvania made a settlement that was called Columbia. This land was bought for about $0.70 an acre. Many pioneers came to Columbia. A pioneer named John Corbly Jr. (a Baptist minister) built a church on the south bank of the south bank of Clough Creek just east of Berkshire Road. He also bought a farm of 400 acres in the north west of the land serveyed. In 1814 the 400 acres became the center of what is now Mt.Washington.
First Post Office	A number of log cabins were built in the township next to Mt. Washington. Some of the log cabins you can still see to this very day. The ones that are still standing are kept up by either their brick contruction or frames. Some of the cabins are not even recognizable to be houses as they once were. On July 2, 1846 the first part of the Corbly farm was sold. There was a two story brick building at the northwest corner of the lot which is now the corner of Beechmont and Corbly. This was the first post office in Mt. Washington.
First School	In 1859 a small school building was ready to be built. It was a two-story building, and the top level was a lodge hall for the Odd Fellows, and the lower level was a school building. The ground level was made up of two rooms. The school was called the Mt. Washington Academy. The school had the equivalent to a high school. It was a private school which took the students from 1st grade to 8th grade. The old school was dedicated in 1860. An addition was built in 1870, and the building became a public school. It remained a public school until it was abandoned for the new building on Mears Avenue in 1933. In 1940 the water tower was completed on the same site.
Stanbery House Today	A man by the name Stanford B. Stanbery bought a beautiful wooded area that later became a park. After he died, his widow sold the house and the 23 acres of land to the Cincinnati Park Board on June 17, 1938. The park was dedicated on July 14, 1940. This park is called Stanbery Park. Now the park has 79 acres. One of the major features that used to be there was a bur oak tree that was knocked over in a wind storm in 1963. When they counted its rings they found that it was about 400 years old.
Suspension Bridge	The first settlers to enter Anderson forded the Little Miami river right about where Elstun road now ends. In 1836, Hamilton and Clermont county built a wooden bridge (might have been a covered bridge) that is right about where Beechmont Ave. crosses now. It was called the Union Bridge because of the effort of both counties. In 1876 a suspension bridge was built to replace the wooden bridge. In 1913 the suspension bridge was destroyed by flood waters. In 1914 a truss bridge was built and used for about 20 years. In 1954 another bridge was built. And again 40 years later another bridge was built. All of the bridges were rebuilt for improvements.
Birney Lane in 1900	Source for history and Black and White photographs: Stephen B. Smalley. *A History of Mt. Washington, A Suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio.* Mt. Washington Press. Cincinnati, Ohio, 1967 Color Photos: Chris Luedeker and Libby Millard
Photo Tour with New Pictures (2004) California	Note: Chris Luedeker was a student at Mt. Washington School from 1990 until 1996. In 1997, as a student at Walnut Hills High School, he agreed to come to the computer lab at Mt. Washington on his free time and work on these pages. Chris did all the writing. Libby made the web page.