The First 25 Years
The history of ATHS
By Roland Lowery 1992.
The week long celebration in Mt. Washington in 1967, marking the 100th anniversary of its incorpration as a village, created a lot of historic interest in many people.
Many shop windows displayed historic artifacts and the Mt. Washington Press featured stories of the past.
A Souvenir Program of the celebration was issued by Mt. Washington 100,the sponsoring organization, carried many tidbits of
the by-gone days.
School teacher and local history buff, Stephen Smalley, wrote three books that year;
1. “A Village is Born”
2. “A History of Mt. Washington”
3. “McCormick Settlement Salem Village”
All were well received and many copies sold.
He, and Marjorie Frame,wife of Dr. Victor Frame commenced to propose the creation of an organization in the area to preserve and perpetuate local history.
Their enthusiasm soon attracted others, so Marge as her friends called her, set up a meeting at her home on Sutton Avenue. Her house was more than a century old and thus added significance to the purpose of the meeting.
About thirty people gathered at the Frame’s in the evening of March 6,1968 with Don Fetzer acting as presiding officer, to discuss the idea and it soon became apparent that there was a desire and need for such a worthy project.
Quickly the discussion turned to the orqanization of a non-profit corporation dedicated to collecting and preserving historic data and artifacts pertaining to, and limited to, Anderson Township, including the communities of California~ Newtown and Mt. Washington, and that the title of the organization be the Anderson Township Historical Society.
The next get together was on April 3rd, at the Cherry Grove McAlpin store.
That meeting made the Society official with the election of officers.Don fetzer was chosen as President; Roland Lowery, Vice President; Ardelle Ertel, Secretary and Ralph Whitehead, Treasurer.
A schedule of annual dues was adopted that set individual dues at $2.00. Family membership to be $5.00. Patron $10.00 and .
Life membership $100.00.
No more historic setting could have been found for the May 12th meeting than the Education Building of the Salem Methodist church. The little,modified structure had been the congregations house of worship until the present building was erected in 1863. It had also been, until 1929, the Fifth District township school.
At this meeting the first trustees were elected. They were James Early, Jean Peters, Jane Goodrich, Grace Little, and Robert Lowery.
The ·first of the Standing Committees were also appointed: Research and History, Steve Smalley; Special Events, Marge Frame; Repository for storage and care of historic items Virginia Croxton.
Late in May the first “news letter” was issued that informed the members of the status of the Society.the officers and Standing Committees, and detailed events.
of Marge Frame said that plans were completed for a walking tour on June 9 1968. It would include sixty one homes and sites more than a century old, within a mile radius of Beechmont and Corbly. She also said that they would be marked with a-small plaque to designate them. In spite of the rain more than 200 “tourists” enjoyed the event.
At the July 5th meeting the Treasurer reported that the membership had grown to 85 members and there was $336.00 in the coffers.
The idea of having, whenever possible, a program of historic nature at the monthly meetings was initiated in September when a speaker from the Miami Purchase Association told of their activities, illustrated by slides. A great variety of interesting and enjoyable programs have been presented about area history, early cultures, life styles, medicine, music, nature and famous people.
On Sunday. October 6. in lieu of the meeting, two bus loads of members made a tour of historic homes and sites in the township. Marge Frame and Jean Williamson were tour guides, giving descriptions of the places visited.
The February 5th, 1969 session was the conclusion of the first year of the existence of the Society. The Treasurer stated that there was a balance of $592.13
It was deemed appropriate that the March meeting should include a covered dish supper to celebrate the first anniversary of the Anderson
Township Historical Society.
Sixty-six members and fourteen guests were on hand for the event on March 5, 1969 in the Salem church facility.
Since the church was not charging for use of the hall it was suggested that a suitable marker be erected at the church to commemorate its founding. With the approval of the church Trustees the Ohio Historical Society was asked to help in designating the church as an Ohio Historic Site. An appropriation of $200 was made to help in the cost of a bronze marker. With appropriate ceremonies the plaque was installed on October 5, 1969.
The Society continued holding the membership meetings there, with a few exceptions. until December, 1978, and made cash donations in lieu of rent each year .
Starting in January, 1970, the monthly sessions were held in Fellowship Hall of the Mt. Washinaton Presbyterian Church, which also became the scene of the March Annual Dinner and election of officers, with as many as 180 in attendance.
It became a “tradition” to have a picnic in July, usually at the Log House and some sort of excursion in August, instead of regular meetings.
The Purchase and Restoration of the Miller-Leuser Log House
When the Board o Trustees met in May 1970 they learned the society might be able to purchase the Leuser log house built in 1796 by Ichabod Benton Miller on Clough Pike.
A committee was appointed to begin negotiations for the purchase with the Leuser heirs. After a number of meetings the two parties agreed on a purchase price of $5,000 for the house and 1 acre of land. The membership unanimously approved the contract.
Money raising efforts were quickly started . The first, on October 24, 1970, was a “Country Store”, held on the lawn of the Fifth Third Bank in Mt. Washington. The sale of many varied and donated items resulted in $885 being put into a Log House Fund.
Letters were sent to the members asking for pledges to the Fund and the response was swift and generous.
The purchase agreement was signed on December 29th and the deed, transferring the Log House, the barn, the corn crib and the “shed” to the Anderson Township Historical Society was dated February 3, 1971.
A special notice was sent to all members to inform them of the closure and invite them to visit their new property on the 21st and 22nd of March, and asking for volunteers to help prepare it for use.
There was much work to be done with the property, and many willing hands pitched in. Weed removal, grass cutting, shrubbery trimming and other yard work.
The interior of the house required removal of layers of linoleum from the floors and many layers of wallpaper from the walls of the middle room. There was a wooden center wall in that room which was also removed. The stone fireplace in the front room had been bricked up so that an oil burning
room had been bricked up so that an oil burning heater could be installed. When the bricks were taken out the original stone fire place was revealed.