Tuesday, February 02, 1999
Little-known burgs listed
Warren Co. booklet tells how tiny towns got started
BY RANDY McNUTT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON — The lost towns of Warren County contrast sharply with the “found” ones — Mason, Springboro, Lebanon and others more recently discovered by suburban pioneers.
The lost towns, communities that never developed or were abandoned for larger settlements, can be found in Place Names of Warren County, Ohio, published by the Warren County Genealogical Society.
The booklet features other landmarks and towns — large, small, Lilliputian. The publication is an attempt by leaders in Ohio's second-fastest-growing county to remember its historic past.
“There are a lot of crossroad 'burgs — or hamlets, as they were called in the 1800s — that still exist in Warren County,” said Bob Ware of the county's Regional Planning Commission. “Their names are interesting and they're on the map.”
Warren County — with an estimated population of 140,000 — still has its share of odd places, such as Red Lion, Senior Powder Mills and Socialville.
Chuck Griffen of Mason, a member of the genealogical society, said the booklet contains unusual information and provides a connection to past generations.
“We don't have a lot of exposure so people don't know about our publication,” he said. “But at the Columbus genealogy show, it re ceived a pretty good response. People like the odd names. And the thing is cheap. What can you buy for $2 anymore?”
The booklet explains how Red Lion was named: “Originally called Westfield by Abner Crane, who platted it in 1817 ... the Red Lion Tavern became so well known that common usage called for change of name. Post office established Feb. 2, 1834, with John S. Todd, postmaster.”
Today, the old tavern is gone, but Red Lion lives between Lebanon and Franklin. It is at the intersection of Ohio 122, 123 and 741, offering plenty of traffic and a few businesses, including the busy Mom's Restaurant.
Inside, coffee mugs and dollar bills hang from the ceil ing. Autographed photos of country music stars Vince Gill, Jeannie C. Riley, Diamond Rio and others decorate the tiny lobby.
“Many of our customers are farmers,” said Tamie Green, 25, daughter of owner Hilda Ratliff. “They talk about farming a lot. A whole lot.”
Other old Warren County towns aren't as busy. In fact, they're not even towns anymore.
“The open space was so vast in the 1800s,” Mr. Ware said. “You needed a town between you and the county seat. Any one of the little towns (in the book) could have mushroomed into a Lebanon or Morrow or Mason. But most of them didn't. In fact, you can drive through the majority of them and nev er know you went through them.
“Some were named for a general store or a person or a church. Back then, names meant something. But now, most are forgotten.”
That is, except by the historians and genealogists who savor names such as Hicks Station in Harlan Township, Gum Grove in Washington Township and Green Tree in Turtlecreek Township.
Or Palmyra, founded in Deerfield Township by Maj. William Mason in 1815 and later renamed Mason.
Lucy Gorsuch, curator of Mason's Alverta Green Museum, said the local historical society still receives inquiries about Palmyra from Mr. Mason's descendants.
Mr. Griffen said people enjoy seeing the reprinted town-name booklet.
“We added a couple of places, including Flat Iron and New Burlington,” he said. “We had to update the book because things changed. Flat Iron in Clear Creek Township was named because the road converged into the shape of a flat iron.
“And New Burlington, in Wayne Township, was destroyed when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the Caesar Creek reservoir in the late 1970s.”
That leaves a few dozen others, including Osceola and Black Hawk, little Harlan Township communities named for American Indian leaders but ignored today.
“They will stay that way forever,” Mr. Griffen said.
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