We're changing our name and streamlining our focus, we really hope you'll enjoy the new www.BeavercreekLiving.com!

We love lists!!  Discover our new 'Beavercreek Book Of Lists', (Positive and otherwise!) as contributed by our readers!

The Dayton region is linking to a nationwide network of bicycle routes, the first in Ohio designated as U.S. Bike Route 50 from the Indiana border in Preble County to Steubenville on the WV border.

There are numerous stories of haunting in Beavercreek; one takes place just to the northeast of here! If heading to the former town of Byron, Trebein road is haunted by the ghost of a woman who was flung from her carriage after it hit a rock and died (on her wedding day). Her father and fiancée dug up the rock and tossed it to the side of the road where it remains today. She is seen wearing her white wedding dress, often near the time of her anniversary or birthday. Some believe that if you stop and she touches you that you will become old and she will be young and beautiful again. We’ll avoid the area to help preserve your youth – just in case!

Share your stories below!

We’ll be heading south, but it’s interesting to note that at the slight left jog in the road on the west side of Beaver Valley Road at 2533 was the Howard wagon shop in 1855. Later, in 1874, the land was owned by Sam Cosler. The land east of Beaver Valley is now known as the Siebenthaler Nursery. Please turn right and head south on Beaver Valley.

If you’re able, pause for a moment at the stop sign at Beaver Valley Road.  If you look across the fields before you, was once a 153 acre tract designated as Ohio School Lands.  The school there was once presided over by Amos Quinn – an amiable man not to be crossed by any rebelliousness of his pupils.  It was customary during Christmas time for students to bar the school’s door, keeping the teacher out until they could compel a “treat” out of him.

Once, the boys barred Quinn from the building, after exhaustive attempts to enter doors and windows, he climbed to the roof and began tearing clapboards from the schoolhouse.  The noise attracted the attention on the locals, who gathered to watch.  Upon dropping to the floor, he was seized and securely bound until he was glad to surrender the apples and cider he had procured from a neighbor for his pupils.  The temporarily suspended course of education was then allowed to resume as intended!

Continue east on Kemp Road through two 90° curves.  The rural land in this area was settled by the Ferguson, Stewart, Gerlaugh, Ankeney and Tobias Families and later some was purchased by the Howard, Greene and Bates’.  Near the second set of 90° curves are several large-tract estate lots.

On the left is the 80+ acre ‘Russ Property’ that was the homestead of local businessman and philanthropist Fritz Russ.  He donated his land to Greene County, it's now known as the 'Russ Nature Reserve'.

The Narrows Reserve is along the Little Miami River is before you at the intersection and offers fantastic hiking through both riverbank and meadow environments.    The bridge on your left was originally a long, covered bridge over the Little Miami River.  The covered bridge was located just south of the existing bridge and crossed much closer to the river.

• Indian Ripple Bridge Indian Ripple Bridge
• Indian Ripple Covered Bridge Painting Indian Ripple Covered Bridge Painting
• Indian Ripple Covered Bridge Indian Ripple Covered Bridge
• Indian 'Riffle' Road Bridge Indian 'Riffle' Road Bridge
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Note the uniqueness and charm of the architecture as you turn right and head through town!  Alpha Church, on the east side of Alpha Road, was established in 1872 with our old friend Daniel Overholser, Sr. being a founder and early supporter.

In the past few years, the church has undergone extensive restoration with great attention paid to the tradition of it's founding.

The church is now a campus of the Beavercreek Church of the Nazarene.  We'd like to extend a 'thank you' for their willingness to allow the Alpha Historic Society to maintain their archives in the lower level of the church!

• Alpha Church Restoration 1 Alpha Church Restoration 1
• Alpha Church Restoration 2 Alpha Church Restoration 2
• Alpha Church Restoration 3 Alpha Church Restoration 3
• Vacation Bible School Vacation Bible School
• Vacation Bible School 1922 Vacation Bible School 1922
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Next door to the Lone Pine was a supper club that was popular with local couples.  In the mid-late 1940's it was a member's only establishment known as the Midnight Sun that allegedly offered some less-than-legal casino gaming.  Stories have been shared that once or twice a year the Midnight Sun would be visited by the county law for an 'off-the-books' tax collection.  In the 1950's it was open to the public as the Alpha Supper Club.

The building later played host to the VFW until they built across the street, and reportedly the Alpha Baptist Church held services there until their building on Beaver Valley Road was complete.

In the image, the road just visible ot the right of the image is Beaver Valley Road heading north from Dayton-Xenia.  Looks like someone heading westbound on Dayton-Xenia struggled with the turn a bit, taking out a section of staves from the picket fence... more than one person has suggested it was likely Wendell 'Wendy' Marshall.

• Cyphers Marshall Accident Cyphers Marshall Accident
• Midnight Sun Ad 1 Midnight Sun Ad 1
• Midnight Sun Ad 2 Midnight Sun Ad 2
• Midnight Sun Ad 3 Midnight Sun Ad 3
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Life throughout Beavercreek Township during the latter nineteenth century was very agrarian, even in an urban metropolis like Alpha!  While many families were very self-sufficient, growing their own crops and raising their own livestock, this was a transitional period for American capitalism.  There was no 'free lunch', even amongst friends and family!  From Daniel Overholser's writings, we've learned how different interpersonal relationships were:

• When invited to a friend's home for dinner, guests left a proportionate share of the cost of the meal for their hosts - typically $.75 to $1.50 per couple.
• If borrowing a neighbor's wagon to haul a load of fence rails from the sawmill, a rental fee was paid.
• Trading and bartering was commonplace, but written notes were exchanged upon incurring the debt, and destroyed upon satisfying it.

Familes certainly looked out for their own, but the church and community received a great deal of attention as well:

• During the Civil War, communities were able to raise 'subsciptions', which were essentially early war bonds.  When reaching their township quota, families within were exempt from sending their youth to support the war effort.  Often the entire town would show up at the Alpha or Xenia train stations to greet returning soldiers.
• Church wasn't a Sunday only activity.  It was common to attend Bible study at the member's church, as well as to travel to local kindred churches.  There was certainly more than a fair share of rivalry amongst churches 150 years ago as well!
• More recently, fire struck the Beaver Grill - many from the community gathered lumber and converged on the site to begin the rebuilding of the local icon.

One of Beavercreek's greatest attributes even today is our sense of community!  When one of our residents suffers a loss or tragedy, we rise up to support them.

Daniel Overholser owned and farmed the land on the south side of Dayton-Xenia, additional parcels owned by the Ankeney, Shank and Ferguson families amongst others.  Thanks to the generosity of Evesta Overholser-Stewart, formerly known as Billie, we'll be able to share personal, first-hand accounts of daily life during the latter 19th century... stay tuned!

Research is underway and will be posted soon!

• Cedar Lane #1 Cedar Lane #1
• Cedar Lane #2 Cedar Lane #2
• Daniel Overholser, Sr. Daniel Overholser, Sr.
• Rachel Overholser Rachel Overholser
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When you reach the stop sign at Factory Road, you are facing the location of The Harbine Industrial Complex.  Please turn north and pull into the RV and boat storage parking lot.  In 1828 John Harbine (also spelled Harbein) and his new bride, Hettie Herr, traveled by wagon from Maryland to Beavercreek Township with what money they had nailed under the axle for safe keeping from highway robbery.  He purchased the 180 acre farm of Owen Davis, the first settler of Greene County.  As a business entrepreneur, John began constructing his mill complex during the same period as he built his residence. The grist mill, saw mill and distillery [the core of the Harbine Industrial Complex] were operating on Beaver Creek by 1832.

On the image above, you can see where the Beaver Creek was split to utilize a mill race, a regulated channel of water to power the water wheels of the mills.  The square under the P in Alpha represents the Harbine home, surrounded by a fruit orchard.  Between the mill race and Factory Road are 9 dots representing worker housing for the laborers to live in.

The worker housing has become of particular interest due to proposed highway modifications.  An archeaological firm was retained to do ground penetrating radar to locate the remnants of the homes as well as any evidence of the lifestyle the occupants led.

Recollections have been passed down referring to John Harbine Jr. walking the worker housing with a hand basket containing a pistol to collect rent.

In researching our tour, we learned a couple names that were attached to the Harbine worker housing including 'Shorty' Brown.  In May of 2015 we met with Mr. Bill Brown, a longtime resident of the Alpha area and son of Marvin 'Shorty' Brown.

Bill's parents lived in the worker housing when he was born.  He explained that there were three of the homes remaining at his earliest recollection, with one burning to the ground while he was young.  Bill described the worker housing as follows:

• Four rooms - Kitchen, Living Room and two bedrooms
• Wood plank flooring over a crawl space
• Heat provided by a coal stove in the Living Room
• Meals were prepared on a wood-fired stove in the Kitchen
• Exterior was lap-board siding with tin roofs
• Interior walls were plaster-on-lath
• No interior plumbing

Bill recalled that the only water came from an outside well with a hand pump.  There was one 'privy', or outhouse, for  every two homes.  They were located east of the buildings toward the creek.  Bill's mother would heat stones on the kitchen stove, wrap them in towels and place in their beds to warm them in the winter.

In looking at the map, the Brown's lived in the second home from the north.  Kiff Karns, he said, lived in the home next door.

• Resemblance Resemblance
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The Little Beaver Creek parallels on the south side of the bypass and crosses to the north side just west of the I-675 underpass.  In the 1870’s this area was owned by John Coy on the west and Daniel Shoup on the east.

This section of road roughly follows the former route of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) railway.  This was a narrower gauge rail, meaning the tracks were closer together.  Nearby were the tracks that accommodated the Dayton and Xenia Traction line, the second generation of trolley cars that ran from Xenia into Preble County as well as from Dayton to Troy and Springfield.

• Area Growth Area Growth
• B&O Railroad Medallion B&O Railroad Medallion
• John Coy John Coy
• Jed's and the Mouse That Roared Jed's and the Mouse That Roared
• Whiskey Train Whiskey Train
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Are you as SICK of the stink bug invasion of Beavercreek as we are?!  HATE THEM!!  I think we were all hoping that our miserable winter would have taken care of them... but research and reality is proving that to not be the case.  Rob Venette, a Forest Service Research Biologist reports that temperatures must reach -20°F to even faze them (nor the dreaded Emerald Ash Borer).  So what we've experienced is a little correction that may have thinned their ranks, but as the warm weather returns - so are they.

So what can you do?

We have a GREAT FUTURE in Beavercreek, short term and on the horizon!  Spirits are high, new businesses and restaurants are opening, homes are selling and our community is booming!  We're looking forward to a number of exciting projects...

Community

• The McAfee Sports Center - Two generations of youth have learned the joy of athletics through Beavercreek Stars basketball at Henley Hall.