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THE township of Symmes occupies the extreme
northeastern part of Hamilton county, of which it is one
of the smaller subdivisions. IT adjoins Sycamore
township on the west and Columbia on the south; the
Little Miami river separates it from Clermont county,
and on the north the adjacent county is Warren.
The township was originally included in Sycamore, and
its separate organization occurred about he year 1825.
Its extreme length from north to south, seven miles, is
attained along the western boundary; the extreme width
is four miles, along the northern boundary.
VILLAGES.
Camp Dennison is one of the most historic points in
the valley of the Little Miami. It was originally
selected by Gen. Scott as the location of an army
hospital, and at the outbreak of the war of the
Rebellion its survey as a military camp was done under
the supervision of Gen. Rosecrans. The camp
extended from the river to the hills, and from the
Miamiville bridge to a point a mile below the present
southern limit of the village. The camp was
regularly laid out; it had a system of water
distribution, comprising a pumping engine, reservoir,
and service mains; since the abandonment of the camp the
lead pipe that composed these mains has been excavated
in many places.
The first settlement here was a hamlet called Germany,
situated in the southeastern part of the village.
It comprised grist, paper, and saw mills, a distillery,
a large general store, shoemaker and blacksmith shops,
all owned and operated by Matthias Kugler.
Operations were suspended prior to the outbreak of the
war, during which the engines of this establishment were
utilized in pumping water for the camp reservoir.
The entire site of the village before the war was
comprised in a farm of 160 acres owned by Nimrod
Price. That part of the plat between the
railroad and the river was subdivided by Elijah
Campbell, and subsequent subdivision have been made
by Hermann & Browneyes, William Beard and
Nimrod Price. The village began its history
under the most gratifying auspices; lots were eagerly
purchased at high prices, and a place of some size and
importance seemed immediately assured. These
expectations, however, have not as yet been realized.
Camp Dennison is a village of about three hundred
inhabitants, with two stores and one church, Methodist
Episcopal. The post office designation was once
changed to Grand Valley, but the change was never
recognized by the railroad authorities. It is
certainly appropriate that a name of such historic
interest should continue to apply to the locality to
which it naturally belongs.
West
Loveland, by the census of
1890, had a population of 392. It is incorporated
with the village of Loveland, which enjoys the unique
distinction of being situated in three counties -
Clermont, Warren, and Hamilton. That part west of
the Little Miami river was originally embraced in the
Ferguson farm, forty-six acres of which were purchased
in 1872 by
Dr. N. W. Bishop. He was once subdivided the
entire tract, and offered the lots at public sale April
28, 1872. The bridge across the river was then
approaching completion, and the property was regarded
with great favor. About half of the property has
been improved. It is purely a place of residence.
There are two churches, African Methodist and Baptist.
Loveland is at the limit of suburban travel on the
Little Miami and Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern
railroads, enjoying this respect exceptional facilities.
Symmes
was well known for many years
before the opening of the railroad as the location of
the company mills. These comprised grist, saw, and
carding mills, and were largely patronized by the
inhabitants of an extensive territory. The village
was platted by James Pollock in 1817 and received
as its first designation at derived abbreviation of the
founder's name - Polktown. "The Company Mill,"
however was much more frequently applied to it.
Remington,
a place of some local business importance, is situated
on the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern railroad, twenty
miles from Cincinnati. It is the location of a
Christian Church.
Sixteen
Mile Stand, as its name
indicates, is a hamlet on the Montgomery pike sixteen
miles from Cincinnati. A German Lutheran church is
situated in the vicinity.
CHURCHES.
Sycamore United Presbyterian Church -
Members of the Associated Reformed church were among the
early settlers of the Miami valleys. Jeremiah
Morrow
came to this country in 1795, and, probably at his
suggestion, the synod was requested to furnish them with
preaching. Rev. Matthew Henderson was sent
in 1797, Rev. David Proudfit in 1798, and Rev.
Robert Warwick in 1799. Under Mr. Warwick's
leadership a church, called Mill Creek, was organized.
Jeremiah Morrow and James Burns were the
first elders, and Joseph McKnight, and John
Becket were added to the session soon after the
organization. A church edifice was built near
Glendale. About 1800 a division occurred, and
those adhering to the Associate Reformed faith moved the
place of worship to a point on Sycamore creek, fourteen
miles east of Cincinnati. The present church
edifice was built in 1847. The pastors have been
Revs. Robert Warwick 1799 - ; David Risk,
1807-16; John Graham, 1830-34; Peter Monfort,
1836-45; Henry Allen, 1846-55; R. K.
Campbell, 1856-65; H. Y. Lieper, 1867-69;
James H. Elliott, 1870-80; S. A. Buck, 1880-83;
R. S. McClanahan,1887-90, and A. S. Bailey,
1893 -. Sycamore United Presbyterian church is a
landmark in the religious history of this locality.
The Remington Christian Church was
originally a stone building, subsequently converted into
a mill and now occupied as a dwelling. The present
church edifice was erected under the pastorate of
Rev. Ullery.
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