Settlement in Butler County began when Fort Hamilton was built on the Great Miami River in 1791. For the next century, water shaped the county's fortunes. Settlers built towns, commerce moved on the river, and mills and factories grew up along the Miami and Erie Canal and its hydraulic canals in Hamilton and Middletown. The devastating 1913 flood tested residents' resolve and reshaped parts of the landscape. Despite losses caused by the flood, the county's important landmarks remained. The...

Captivating portraits of extraordinary individualsFamous Buckeyes are recognized by practically everyone. They range from presidents and inventors to aviators and astronauts. But other important Ohioans have been unfairly forgotten over the years. To find them, the authors of Unforgettable Ohioans dug beneath the layer of well-known names to discover a cache of remarkable individuals whose lives had significant national or international impact. They won’t ...

Founded by an adventurer and named for a Revolutionary War hero, Van Wert County has seen plenty of excitement since 1821. The transformation from Native American camps and swampland to thriving farms and businesses happened rapidly. Vintage postcards printed between the 1870s and 1950s capture moments of work and leisure, civic pride, and private celebration. Take a look at life in the ever-evolving county seat, and then stroll down the main streets of the communities that have contribute...

Founded as Fort Hamilton in 1791, the City of Hamilton was settled by pioneers and immigrants and was forged in steel by her talented workers and craftsmen. Factory owners became wealthy and built magnificent homes along Dayton Street. Hamilton prospered and became known as the "Greatest Little Industrial City of Its Kind in the World," home to Mosler Safe Co., Ford Motor Co., Beckett Papers, and many others. Following World War II, some factories closed their doors or moved away, but Hami...

Founded in 1805, Union Village began as a religious and communal experiment. Eventually it became one of America's largest and most productive Shaker communities, its members achieving many firsts in education, equality, music, horticulture, and animal husbandry. Their unique faith influenced every aspect of their lives, from making furniture to raising children. They welcomed the leading figures of the period, including Native American chiefs, politicians, and abolitionists, while they co...

Revolutionary War veterans began buying land in the Madeira area in the 1790s. Family farms and orchards blossomed throughout the rural landscape for the first six decades. The coming of the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad and establishment of a freight station in 1866 precipitated the community�s creation and gave it the name Madeira, chosen for the surname of the rail line�s treasurer. Public schools, churches, and small businesses developed to serve a flourishing new population. Madeir...

Lake Minnetonka is renowned for its natural beauty as well as the prominent people it has attracted to its shores as a historic site of grand hotels, steamboats, and wealthy visitors from around the world, and as the home of the legendary Excelsior Amusement Park. But did you know that early European settlers to the region faced conditions so dire that they named an outlet of the lake “Purgatory Creek”? Or that a ginseng boom brought slaves to Wayzata to harvest the plant’s roots? Many kno...

“It is a meditation on Chicago’s old soul . . . a witty, seductive, live-wire and greatly entertaining dark comedy that you just don’t want to end.” –Chicago Tribune“Superior Donuts is a soulful play, full of humor and humanity… drawn with deep affection. Letts is a writer whose words are alive with poignancy and wit.” – David Rooney, Variety“A source of comic bliss.” – Charles McNulty, Los Angeles TimesSuperior Donuts ta...

In "Stories of Ohio," William Dean Howells masterfully encapsulates the essence of life in mid-19th century America, specifically within his native Ohio. Through a series of vivid narratives, Howells employs a realist literary style that emphasizes everyday experiences and the nuanced complexities of social interactions. His keen observations and attention to regional details serve not only to evoke the landscape and culture of Ohio but also to position the state as a microcosm of American...

The first Finnish immigrants arrived in Red Wing in 1864, the vanguard of thousands who eventually and resolutely placed Minnesota second among the states in terms of Finnish population. Today we may recognize Minnesota's "Finnishness" in the popular sauna, in the characteristic tenacity known as sisu, or in place names and cultural markers that link to homeland. The newest contribution to the People of Minnesota series traces the Finns' migration to the state, particularly its northeaster...

In summer 1862, Minnesotans found themselves fighting interconnected wars—the first against the rebellious Southern states, and the second an internal war against the Sioux. While the Civil War was more important to the future of the United States, the Dakota War of 1862 proved far more destructive to the people of Minnesota—both whites and American Indians. It led to U.S. military action against the Sioux, divided the Dakotas over whether to fight or not, and left hundreds of white settle...

A look at how the Wisconsin lumber industry and the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory contributed to Allied efforts in World War II.Wisconsin's trees heard "Timber" during World War II, as the forest products industry of the Badger State played a key role in the Allied aerial campaign. It was Wisconsin that provided the material for the De Havilland Mosquito, known as the "Timber Terror," while the CG-4A battle-ready gliders, cloaked in stealthy silence, carried the 8...