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Ohio Backroads, Farmersville, OH (2026)

10/13/2013

West Allys historic area is between New Lebanon and Eaton Oh. on Rt 35.
Sharon & I saddled up and headed to West Ally for a day of junking, festival going and eating. Stopped at a couple yard sales on the way, Sharon found a cute pair of Campbell Kids silver spoons that shined up well. Just outside the village we were stuck in a traffic jam, we forgot about the parade that shut down the roads for an hour. After the traffic started moving we found a parking space and started to stroll around. The small downtown contains many well preserved historic buildings. Two of the most interesting are Buckeye Jakes which serves a nice selection of food and drink. Next to it is the Twin Creek Tea Room which serves a yummy lunch and hosts a monthly five course dinner that is excellent. After touring the town we walked to the Oktoberfest The festival was packed with people with lots of vendors selling food and crafts. There was an oompah band, petting corral and a old stream tractor. We had a good time, found a couple treasures, had tasty food and enjoyed beautiful weather. See you next week.

10/09/2013

History part 2
History Continued

In October 1953, a solicitation drive made possible the building of a swimming pool without any outside monetary aid. For many years a Jamboree was held to pay off the debt. Recently the Jamboree has been reinstituted for the pool. Also in October of each year, the Oktoberfest takes over Peace Park for a weekend.

Each year before Christmas, there is "Christmas in the Village." Businesses hold open houses with refreshments, give door prizes, decorate and have special sales. The Town Hall is open with specially decorated trees, craft sales and more. At the edge of Peace Park is Santa Villa which is open two weekends in December with Santa giving donated gifts to young children. Peace Park is also decorated for various seasons of the year.

The village has organizations dedicated to making the area a better place to live, Alpha Kappa Sorority, Coterie Club, Kiwanis and Lions. The James Ryan Post of the American Legion and their auxiliary are also very active. The village has a Masonic Lodge and Eastern Star.

Two buildings in the village are on the National Register. The George Unger home and the old hotel.

There are a number of factories in town, Dayton Chemical, housed in the old traction buildings, has evolved into Rohm & Hass. Rexarc, International began as Sight Feed Generator, Carlisle Engineering, Hardin Industries and Cleary Machine Shop.

At present the village is home to an air conditioning business; auction house; auto repair; bakery; two banks, barber; two beauty shops; building repair; carpet shop; dance studio; two doctors; flower shop; funeral home; furniture restorer; gift shop; two insurance agencies; Laundromat; lumber yard; newspaper; pharmacy; two pizza parlors, one also a carry out; restaurant known county wide for its good food; two service stations/carry outs; Tea Room which has been featured in a book of 99 Ohio Team Rooms.

10/09/2013

This week Sharon and I head to West Alexandra Ohio. Much more to do this week, They are having Octoberfest, annual yard sales, and of course a visit to a local restaurant. Below is a history of the town (in 2 parts)
A SHORT HISTORY OF WEST ALEXANDRIA
By
Mrs. Audrey Gilbert

Although the village of West Alexandria was not incorporated until 1836, there were log cabins here by 1818. They were built at the top of a slope that descended to Twin Creek on the east. It is from this creek that the area is called the Twin Valley.

William Kesling owned the land on the north side of the Cumberland Road and in 1818, William Alexander purchased the land on the south side. Kesling was more interested in farming while Alexander wanted to start a settlement. Each man set off twenty lots on their side of the road and the first lot was sold in 1820.

Village offices are located in the Town Hall once called the Community Hall. This building has served many purposes. The basement has been the site of banquets, skating rink, dances, shooting range, jail, and fire department. Presently the Lions Club meets in the large basement room and schedules any other activities for the area. The main floor was used for plays, a basketball court, theater and now houses the library and Archive. For a time the firemen and then police utilized the stage area but now each have their own buildings.

The first church in town was the Lutheran/Presbyterian (later German Reformed and now United Church of Christ). Later the German Reformed built a church of their own. The Progressive (First) Brethren church moved to town in 1888, the Church of the Brethren in 1934. Since then other churches added are the First Baptist, Pentecostal and Community Christian.

The local churches have formed a group, West Alexandria Churches Organized for Community Action. They have several community services each year. The local Food Bank is located in the basement of the United Church of Christ.

In 1817, the first burial was made in the town cemetery, located just west of the Lutheran Church. Jacob Parker added land behind the church and Jacob Hell added land south of the old cemetery. The cemetery is no longer in use and part of it is now Peace Park.

Just west of the old cemetery was the first school. A larger one was built on East Second Street, and then in 1875 the first school was built on the campus on North Main Street. This was demolished and a larger school built in 1910. In 1995, a new school was erected on a large campus and is named Twin Valley Community School, better known as Twin Valley South.

A fire department was begun in 1900 and at one time had the distinction of having the highest rating for a volunteer group in the State of Ohio. In July 1977, an emergency squad was begun and now they have two ambulances and a full time chief.

In 1886, the railroad came to town. It gave people easier access north and south and was a boon to merchants. It was discontinued and the tracks removed in 1982. The interurban began in 1896 and ran from Dayton. In 1886, the railroad came to town. It gave people easier access north and south and was a boon to merchants. It was discontinued and the tracks removed in 1982. The interurban began in 1896 and ran from Dayton to Richmond. Anyone working for the traction company was to live in the village because their maintenance buildings were here. This led to a great deal of home building about 1900-1904. The traction went out of service in 1936.

The Twin Valley Times newspaper began in 1888. About ten years later it was sold and became the Twin Valley Echo. The Echo was a victim of the depression but a few months later, the Twin Valley News began and is still being issued each week.

Artesian wells supplied water for the new water works in 1898. The sewer system was added in 1937 and the "new" water tower was erected in 1948.

The post office serves three rural mail routes along with its village door-to-door delivery, one of the first villages to have that service.

10/04/2013

The town of Lewisburg is located just north of Interstate 70 in southwest Ohio. Surround by large family farms at one time Lewisburg was the civic center for the area. I was interested in the town because in the past I was told the town contained many antique stores. This is no longer true, only one remains selling antiques and interesting items. Like the antique stores much of the downtown is empty/for sale. The highlight of the visit was the many beautiful preserved older homes bordering the downtown. Just north of town is an impressive school campus and the local farms look to do doing very well. Enjoy the pictures, see you next week

09/30/2013

This weekend Sharon and I head to Lewisburg Ohio. We have not been there before so it will be a new experience for all of us. Attached is a brief history.
Lewisburg was founded soon after Harrison Township was organized in 1816. Although one Zachariah Hole (founder of Miamisburg, Ohio) began the effort, the oldest remaining documentary evidence is that of a record filed by Henry Horn in the county recorder's office in Eaton on September 7, 1818:
“ To all who shall see these presents, greeting:
Know ye, that I , Henry Horn, of Preble County, in the State of Ohio, having laid out a town in the county and State aforesaid, on sections number twenty-seven and twenty-eight, in range three (East), on the southeast and southwest quarters of said sections which the town contains, twenty-eight in-lots, with one street running north, five degrees east, namely: Greenville street; with three streets running parallel with each other and crossing Greenville street at right angeles, namely: Dayton street, Twin street, and Water street. Greenville street and Dayton street are each four rods wide; Water street and Twin street are each two rods wide. There are two alleys crossing Greenville street at right angles, running parallel with Dayton street, and one alley crossing Dayton street at right angles and running parallel with Greenville street, with alleys extending around the town. The alleys are each eight (8) and one-fourth feet wide. The town shall be called Lewisburgh.
In testimony whereof, I have herunto set my hand and seal, this seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord 1818. Henry Horn, [seal] Jacob Werts, Alexander Airman.
”
The community was named for Lewisburg, Virginia (now in West Virginia). In about 1836, pioneer John Mumma founded the community of Euphemia, named for his wife, to the north of Lewisburg on the National Road. The villages officially merged on April 4, 1916, and the combined community retained the name of Lewisburg.[6]

09/29/2013

We had a bite to eat at Laff's whose motto is Warm beer and Louse food. Our breaded wings were excellent and drinks were cold. Laff's is a wonderful corner bar on the edge of the historic district. After eating we headed to the festival. The park was packed with people looking for food. There was all kinds of food sausage, brisket, turkey legs fries, onion ring, pies etc you get the point.On the stage were 3 young ladies just clogging their hearts out to rock and roll music. At night there is live music. Sharon and I had a great time and of course we both had a pretzel. Hope you enjoyed our adventure. see you next week
Larry & Sharon

09/29/2013

Germantown Historic District
For a small town Germantown has a large 4 block historic downtown. Also the streets leading south from downtown have an abundance of old well preserved classic homes. I have tried to capture some of them in my photos.

09/29/2013

Germantown Sept 28th 2013
Part 1 Junking
Sharon & I saddled up the buggy (Ford) and headed to Germantown Oh for a day of Junking (yard Sales), sight seeing dinning, and fun. Well the junking did not go as planned. The little local paper had a page listing for all the houses having sales. We went to the first address there was nothing there for sale. same story at the next four addresses. Long story short the yard sales were last weekend. LOL. It was not a total loss, we found one sale. Sharon purchased a pumpkin head and I got an old farm implement to use as a decoration in one of the flower gardens

09/26/2013

Below is a brief history of Germantown from their web page
History

Germantown, Ohio, located 15 miles Southwest of Dayton, is nestled in the picturesque Twin Creek Valley. The Municipality is part of German Township, which was established in 1803 and was one of the four original townships in Montgomery County when Ohio became a state.

The Municipality itself was permanently established in 1804 by German-speaking settlers from Berks County, Pennsylvania, with only one member, Philip Gunckel, the group’s leader, able to communicate in English. Recognized as the founder of Germantown, it was he who chose the site for a grist mill and who, in 1814, laid out the town plat that still serves as the heart of the Municipality. The Gunckel Town Plat, maintaining many of its original 19th and early 20th century buildings, has been recognized as a Historic District and has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Germantown has undergone many economic changes as distilleries, as well as the cigar industry, both came and went. In 1847 the Mudlick Distillery was established and, with an output of 30 barrels of whiskey a day, was considered the largest in the country for many years. At one time the Municipality housed up to 12 cigar warehouses and five factories, with the to***co industry employing many residents up until the 1970′s.

At present, Germantown businesses are small and friendly, with many being owned by local citizens. The Dupps Company, also locally owned, is known world-wide as one of the largest manufacturers of meat packing and rendering equipment.

09/26/2013

This Saturday Sharon and I will visit Germantown Ohio for the annual Pretzel festival and fall yard sales. Will visit one of their restaurants for lunch and share all the fun with you.

Ohio Backroads

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