Mad River Road

Last updated

Mad River Road was the first overland route between Dayton, Ohio and Cincinnati, Ohio. It was cut by Daniel C. Cooper in 1795 to provide access to the new town of Dayton and the "Mad River Country" northeast and north of Dayton. It was located at the mouth of the Mad River in the Symmes Purchase. The survey, entered into the record by Cooper and Dr. John Hole, extended Harmer's Trace north from near Cunningham's Station on the Mill Creek to the mouth of the Mad River, establishing the earliest road between Cincinnati and Dayton. Cooper, a surveyor and miller, was instrumental in the early settlement of Dayton, and Dr. Hole, the first physician in Montgomery County, established his cabin in 1796 near the now-extinct town of Woodburne on Mad River Road.

"Be it remembered that pursuant to an order of Court to Daniel Cooper, Daniel Griffing and John Hole on a petition of more than twelve citizens of the County aforesaid, the following survey of a road in the said County was made and reported, to wit: Beginning at Cunningham's Station, thence along the old road four miles and a half, thence North eleven miles, thence North twenty-five degrees East thirteen miles; thence North forty degrees East three miles and a quarter, thence North three miles and a half, thence North ten degrees West one mile and a quarter to the road leading from Hamilton to Dayton town, at the mouth of Mad river, the whole distance being thirty eight miles and three fourths of a mile." (1797 Survey for part of Mad River Road recorded in the Hamilton County, Ohio, Road Book B-1.)

The five-mile segment between David Road in Kettering, Ohio and State Route 725 in Centerville, Ohio that runs through Washington Township is the last remaining traceable portion retaining the original name and following the original route. It is still in daily use more than 200 years later.

Related Research Articles

Fairfield, Ohio City in Ohio, United States

Fairfield is a suburban city located in both Butler and Hamilton counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. Fairfield is located approximately 25 miles north of Cincinnati and is situated on the east bank of the Great Miami River. The population was 42,510 at the 2010 census. Incorporated in 1955 from portions of Fairfield Township, it includes the former hamlets of Symmes Corner, Fair Play, Furmandale, and Stockton. The Fairfield City School District is one of the largest in Ohio and serves both the City of Fairfield and Fairfield Township.

Warren County, Ohio County in Ohio, United States

Warren County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 242,337. Its county seat is Lebanon. The county is one of Ohio’s most affluent, with the county median income the highest of Ohio’s 88 counties. The county was created on May 1, 1803 from Hamilton County; it is named for Dr. Joseph Warren, a hero of the Revolution who sent Paul Revere and the overlooked William Dawes on their famous rides and who died at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Warren County is part of the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Columbia Township, Hamilton County, Ohio Township in Ohio, United States

Columbia Township is one of the twelve townships of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The 2010 census found 4,532 people in the township. Originally one of Ohio's largest townships by area at its inception in 1791, it gradually shrank to one of the smallest by the early 1950s.

Great Miami River

The Great Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 160 miles (260 km) long, in southwestern Ohio and Indiana in the United States. The Great Miami originates at the man-made Indian Lake and flows south through the cities of Sidney, Piqua, Troy, Dayton, Middletown and Hamilton.

Little Miami River River in the United States of America

The Little Miami River is a Class I tributary of the Ohio River that flows 111 miles (179 km) through five counties in southwestern Ohio in the United States. The Little Miami joins the Ohio River east of Cincinnati. It forms parts of the borders between Hamilton and Clermont counties and between Hamilton and Warren counties. The Little Miami River is one of 156 American rivers designated by the U.S. Congress or the Secretary of the Interior as a National Wild and Scenic River and lends its name to the adjacent Little Miami Scenic Trail.

The Little Miami Railroad was a railway of southwestern Ohio, running from the eastern side of Cincinnati to Springfield, Ohio. By merging with the Columbus and Xenia Railroad in 1853, it created the first through-rail route from the important manufacturing city of Cincinnati to the state capital, Columbus. In this period, railroads were important for creating connections between the important waterways of the Great Lakes and the Ohio River, which were major transportation routes for products to other markets.

Miami Valley

The Miami Valley is the land area surrounding the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio, USA, and includes the Little Miami, Mad, and Stillwater rivers as well. Geographically, it includes Dayton, Springfield, Middletown, Hamilton, and other communities. The name is derived from the Miami Indians.

Lemon Township, Butler County, Ohio Township in Ohio, United States

Lemon Township is one of thirteen townships in Butler County, Ohio, United States. Located in the northeastern part of the county, it includes most of the city of Monroe. It had a population of 13,875 at the 2010 census. It is the only Lemon Township statewide.

Liberty Township, Butler County, Ohio Township in Ohio, United States

Liberty Township is an affluent suburb of Cincinnati located in Butler County, Ohio. It is one of thirteen townships in Butler County, Ohio, United States. It is located on the east-central part of the county, just south of the city of Monroe. With an area of about 29 square miles (75 km2) it is smallest of the thirteen townships but one of the fastest-growing areas in southwest Ohio, having a population of 37,259 at the 2010 census, up from 22,819 in 2000 and just 9,249 in 1990. It was named for Liberty, Pennsylvania, at the suggestion of John Morrow, a resident in the township at the time of its formation in 1803 who was the brother of Ohio Governor Jeremiah Morrow, after his hometown. The first settler was John Nelson, who arrived in 1796, seven years before Ohio became a state. It is one of 25 Liberty Townships statewide.

Fairfield Township, Butler County, Ohio Township in Ohio, United States

Fairfield Township, one of thirteen townships in Butler County, Ohio, United States, is located in the south central portion of the county. It had a population of 21,373 at the 2010 census, up from 15,571 in 2000, but down sharply from 49,353 in 1990 because of the withdrawal of the city of Fairfield in 1994 and annexations from Fairfield and Hamilton. Before annexations by the cities of Hamilton and Fairfield, it had an area of about 50 square miles (130 km2).

St. Clair Township, Butler County, Ohio Township in Ohio, United States

St. Clair Township, one of thirteen townships in Butler County, Ohio, United States, consists of three disconnected pieces located along the Great Miami River in central Butler County. It had a population of 6,908 at the 2010 census, down from 7,336 in 2000. Exclusive of the village of New Miami and the southern part of the village of Seven Mile, which lie within its borders, the unincorporated portion of St. Clair Township had 4,404 inhabitants in 2010.

Wayne Township, Butler County, Ohio Township in Ohio, United States

Wayne Township, one of thirteen townships in the county, is located in north-central Butler County, Ohio, United States between Trenton and Oxford. It had a total population of 4,443 at the 2010 census, up from 4,252 in 2000. Exclusive of the two incorporated villages in the township, Jacksonburg and Seven Mile, Wayne Township had a population of 3,884 in 2010. It has an area of 36.6 square miles (94.9 km2), comprising one whole survey township in the Congress Lands.

Morgan Township, Butler County, Ohio Township in Ohio, United States

Morgan Township, one of thirteen townships in the county, is located in the southwestern corner of Butler County, Ohio, United States, on the state line with Indiana. It had a population of 5,515 at the 2010 census, up from 5,328 in 2000. There are no incorporated places in the township. Unincorporated places there include Alert, Okeana, Macedonia, and Shandon. It comprised one full survey township in the first range of the Congress Lands and has an area of 36.8 square miles (95.3 km2).

Hanover Township, Butler County, Ohio Township in Ohio, United States

Hanover Township, one of thirteen townships in the county, is located in west-central Butler County, Ohio, United States, midway between Hamilton and Oxford. It had a population of 8,311 as of the 2010 census, up from 7,878 in 2000. It is named for Hanover County, Virginia, where the early settlers originated. Statewide, other Hanover Townships are located in Ashland, Columbiana, and Licking counties.

Mad River (Ohio)

The Mad River is a stream located in the west central part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It flows 66 miles (106 km) from Logan County to downtown Dayton, where it meets the Great Miami River. The stream flows southwest from its source near Campbell Hill through West Liberty, along U.S. Route 68 west of Urbana, past Springfield, then along Ohio State Route 4 into Dayton. The stream's confluence with the Great Miami River is in Deeds Park.

Port Union, Ohio

Port Union is an unincorporated community in western West Chester Township, Butler County, Ohio, United States on State Route 747 about three miles north of Springdale and three miles southeast of Hamilton. The town was laid out in 1827 by William Elliott alongside the turning basin for the Miami and Erie Canal and was about midway between Crescentville and Hamilton on the canal. It was originally known as McMaken's Bridge, but took the name its township.. The Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad later laid tracks through Port Union.

Ohio State Route 4 Highway in Ohio

State Route 4, formerly known as Inter-county Highway 4 until 1921 and State Highway 4 in 1922, is a major north–south state highway in Ohio. It is the fifth longest state route in Ohio. Its southern terminus is at U.S. Route 42 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 6 in Sandusky, Ohio. Its path is nearly ruler-straight for many miles. Some portions of the route are still marked as Dixie Highway. The northern portion was constructed by the Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike Company, see Turnpike Lands.

Daniel C. Cooper

Daniel C. Cooper was an American surveyor, farmer, miller and political leader.

Israel Ludlow was a government surveyor who helped found Cincinnati, Dayton and Hamilton in southwest Ohio.

Cincinnati Township is a paper township and former civil township in south-central Hamilton County, Ohio. Originally one of Ohio's largest townships by area at its inception in 1791, it was abolished in 1834 when the City of Cincinnati became coextensive with it through annexation. Since then, it has remained solely as a paper township.