MMTCC - Community

The History of Milford - Miami Township, Ohio

Miami Township was named after the Little Miami River and the tribe of Indians who once controlled the area. Originally known as O'Bannon Township - in honor of the county's first surveyor - John O'Bannon, Miami township was one of the county's original townships, established in February of 1801.

The village of Milford was built on a survey belonging to John Nancarrow a Revolutionary War veteran from Virginia. Nancarrow had a grant of 230 acres but never came here. Due to financial difficulties he sold his Milford survey to Phillip Gatch, on Dec. 20, 1802, for $920.00. In 1806 Gatch sold 125 acres to Ambrose Ransom and two days later Ransom sold 64 1/2 acres to John Hageman. John Hageman was the first permanent settler and named this area Hageman's Mills.

Hageman laid out a village of 46 lots. There were three streets parallel to the

river Water St., High St. and Main St. The streets running toward the river were Mill, Cross, (later named for President Garfield), Elm, Locust, and the last was merely known as County Road. County Road ran to the river and connected with the ford across the Little Miami River. The choice lot was No. 1 where the Millcroft now stands. The price was $35.00. Most of the lots sold for the sum of $25.00.

Although Milford's beginnings were religious in nature it was the waterpower that would insure the growth of the community. The first improvement of the water power here was made in 1803 by John Hageman, who put up a small mill. It was rudely built being enclosed with slabs.

Ethan Stone of Cincinnati had an oil mill at Milford soon after 1805, on the mill-race above a small bridge, which was operated until 1817. In this building carding was also done by Rust and Dimmitt, and later, John Eldridge there distilled liquor.

The first postmaster and the first cooper was A.M. Matson, Sr. whose old stone house was built on the corner of Main and Garfield, in 1807. John Losh, who had a few vats in a yard above the Catholic Church, carried the first tannery at Milford on about 1808. It passed into the hands of Daniel McCelland, who greatly increased the capacity, and had in connection a large shoe shop. After John Kugler became the owner, the business was carried on much more extensively for a few years, when the industry was discontinued. The first frame house was built opposite the "brick row" near the present location of the Odd Fellows Hall, and was built about 1809 by a man named McFeeney, who was John Hageman's miller. Sometime about 1810 William Embly had a small distillery where the Jackson Stables stood long after. In 1811, Stephen Madaris erected one of the first brick houses in Milford on High St., opposite the entrance to Riverside Park. Therefore, the "brick row" located on Main St. was in all probability not begun before 1811.

By 1815, John Hageman had departed for Indiana and the name of Milford had come into use. The name Milford itself was given to the town because it was the first safe ford north of the Ohio River across the Little Miami. This ford is a shallow place in the river today, as it was when one had to ford the stream to get to the mill. In 1815 a wooden bridge was planned and completed by 1818. The immediate effect of the bridge on travel was so great that other towns made a stir for bridges. Morgan's Raiders burned the single span Bridge built to replace this one that was swept away by the flood in 1858 on July 15, 1863.

About 1815, Hortshorn and Sanders built the frame of the mill that would survive the better portion of the century. In 1828 Mathis Kugler bought the Mill, mill race and the mansion "now known as the Millcroft" for $12,000. His son, John, took charge and greatly expanded the operation. All the stone buildings on Mill St. and adjacent to it were built by John. The building now housing the Vilardo Agency was the distillery; the building east of it was the corn warehouse.

The long stone building on Main Street was the whiskey warehouse and had the cooperage shop on the second floor. The Milford Library building was built by Kugler about 1835; the first floor was a warehouse, the second floor a public meeting place. The stone used to build the library was collected by John Kugler. A toll was charged to cross the bridge from Clermont to Hamilton County and Kugler, thinking the toll too high, decided to collect these stones from the East Fork to build his own bridge to avoid paying the exorbitant fee. The toll collectors, finding out about a rival span, dropped their toll in order not to lose Kugler and the rest of Milford's business. Thus, with all these stone gathered, Kugler did himself a service and erected these buildings for storage of his distillery and gristmill's products.

History Page 2

Milford Miami Township
Chamber of Commerce
983 Lila Avenue
Milford, Ohio 45150
Phone: (513) 831-2411
Fax: (513) 831-3547

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