Chillicothe, Ohio

The "First Capitol District" of Chillicothe is one of the coolest areas of any town in Ohio. Rich in history and culture, it has a lot to offer tourists and townfolk alike. I got to talk to someone who operated a tool repair company on this street and he was giving me a lot of history. One of the things I found to be interesting is the "undeground". A system of tunnels under the old city ties it all together. What was the main purpose? What was it eventually used for? That's going to take some looking into.

Urbana City Schools

Urbana High School was mentioned in the previous posts and I thought it only fitting to display a photo. This is not the original building, it caught fire and burned to the ground. In the mid to late 1890's they began building the new High School. I had their first year book in my possession and then turned it over to the school, believing that it may have been the only one left. After donating it to them they discovered one or two other copies but not in as good condition.

If I remember correctly, it was 1902 - which had the first class that attended High School all four years in the Castle.

The Castle is still in use today as part of the Junior High complex. It's rooms are small, the halls and staircases are narrow, but the community values the beautful structure more than the convenience and practicallity of a modern building.

It has been my suggestion that they remove everything but the shell, and install a library, offices and conference rooms, redone in a practical way but similuating the period in which it was built.

Urbana, Ohio

On the circle, in the square where Ohio State Routes 68 and 36 intersect, there is a statue of a veteran of the war between the states. In the backgound stands the 19th Century, Douglas Hotel.


It appears as though the statue is watching the traffic on the circle.


Urbana, Ohio citizens are for the most part interested in preserving their identity. They want to preserve the Douglas, they want to preserve the old High School that was built in 1899, and they want to preserve an iron fence in front of the South Elementary School, which is identical to the fence in front of the graveyard - the one across the road from where Simon Kenton is buried.


There's a lot to be said for preservation. It gives the community a strong sense of who they are and where they've come from.

Tipp City

Here are the remnants of a sign for "The ENCORE" where they offered short orders and fine foods. Gem City Ice Cream that was made in nearby Dayton, was featured here in this Tipp City restaurant.

Tipp City used to be called Tippecanoe City, named after William Henry Harrison who won the battle of Tippecanoe in Indiana. Harrison was called Tippecanoe to identify him with his victory as he ran for President of the United States.

Dayton is called the Gem City, partly because a famous poet and writer named Paul Lawrence Dunbar wrote a poem about Dayton and called it the Gem City. It stuck.

Tipp is an historic town, located along the Miami Erie Canal in the southern most portion of Miami County.

The Miami River flows southerly on the East side of Tipp City through some very furtile flood planes. Interstate 75 also runs through Tipp on the West Side. Just a little further West is the Dixie Highway, which was called US 25 before the construction of the Interstate System.

This canal lock is located on the North side of St. Rt. 571 just East of the downtown area. It is fascinating that these locks were in use up until just a hundred years ago carrying farm produce to the markets from Lake Erie to the Ohio River.
The railroad that was built on the towpath of the canal had been moved to higher ground, but is one of the few rails still in operation with freight trains speeding through this small Ohio town several times each day and night.

The General Store

A couple is out for walk on a cool Sunday afternoon. They pass by Landis General Store on State Route 48 in Covington. Of course the store is closed, following the traditions of the community.