The City's road crews are primed and ready for the upcoming winter season - here's what to expect, and how you can help...

William Shakespeare never visited Beavercreek, but if he had - I he'd surely have loved it... and even found his way around!

Not so many years ago, North Fairfield Road was merely a two-lane blacktop dividing farm lands on either side.

North Fairfield Road used to be known as the Bellbrook-Fairfield Pike and continued due north at approximately Cross Creek Court with two 90° bends, the western bend still exists at Old North Fairfield Road behind Heartland - Beavercreek Nursing and Rehabilitation.

'Unconfirmed reports' state that it was indeed possible to roll the tires off the rims of a '65 Mustang and to repeatedly spin-out a '66 Corvette on the S-curves!

Hanes Road didn’t exist in 1874, it eventually tracked north along the property line of the 217 acre farm of Jonathan Hanes on the east and a 137 acre tract owned by Moses M. Shoup, on the west.

Throughout the years many businesses have called these shopping centers home: G.D. Ritzy’s, Cap’n Bogey’s, Mr. Gatti's, Beavercreek Cinema, Bud Frantz’s Fairfield Inn, Char-Burger, Scottie’s, Imperial Grocer, and many, many, many more.

The southeast corner has changed quite dramatically.  The Kroger, which originally faced Dayton-Xenia Road, was demolished and now faces North Fairfield Road.

In the late 1970's a bar named The Mouse That Roared was located at the west end of the strip center.  It was allegedly quite the meat market!  As the story goes, a major entertainment complex in the Orlando, Florida area didn't appreciate The Mouse's representation of their major rodent character being inebriated in a cocktail glass on their sign!  A graphic of their two rodents doing the popular 70's dance 'The bump' on the side of their supply van was more than W.D. could take.  The Mouse was ultimately sued... so much for creative marketing!

Later, the location re-opened as Wolfie's - another bar / dance club.  In the interest of maintaining a G-rating on the site, we'll defer on sharing Wolfie's stories...

• Cap'n Bogeys Cap'n Bogeys
• Cap'n Bogeys Lobby Cap'n Bogeys Lobby
• Friendlys Friendlys
• Wolfie's Matchbook Wolfie's Matchbook
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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'.

Turn left onto Factory Road.  Beyond the sanitary plant and just past Colonial Parkway was the location of John Harbine’s oil mill.  Here they would mill and press flax seed to make linseed oil, primarily used in the manufacture of early paints and stains.  The flax seed residue would be pressed into cakes as fuel to burn.

It is believed the Oil Mill was located far south of town due to the strong odors emitted during the milling process.  Looking closer at a high-res version of the image, one can see a man upon a buckboard wagon being drawn by 1-2 horses and another man nearby.

The 1855 Map shows the mill as being west of Factory Road, so the image would have been taken from the north looking toward Indian Ripple Road.  The terrain in the image, possibly falling toward the Little Miami River, suggests the picture was taken from near Indian Ripple Road looking north.  Comment below...

• Harbine's Oil Mill Harbine's Oil Mill
• Factory Road Wash Out Factory Road Wash Out
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The Dayton and Xenia Turnpike was built  as a turnpike from Dayton to Alpha, some time about 1858, and was later completed to Xenia. This road was built by a joint stock company, and was kept in repair by collections made in the common way of the time, at toll gates on the road.

As you head east on Dayton-Xenia Road, this is an appropriate place to further discuss the earlier trolley system, the People’s Railway commenced operation in the late 1890’s. This mass transit system didn’t utilize rural tracks like the Traction did, it used rail lines right down Dayton-Xenia Road, which was compacted gravel at the time. In 1932, the Dayton Street Railway had a disastrous fire in their car barn on Lorain Avenue, destroying most of their streetcars. With tracks also in bad shape, and the great depression at full strength, the streetcar companies began converting to quiet and more popular electric busses in metro Dayton, phasing out all nine rural routes, including the Dayton and Xenia Traction Company. Beavercreek city engineers report that they were still removing rails during re-paving projects as late as the 1990’s.

In the image above, the transit car is heading east on Dayton-Xenia Road approaching Meadow Drive.  The slope in the road to the left of the image is the westbound grade toward Beavercreek High School.

Local entertainment at the time centered on either the church or benevolent organizations, like the Knights of Pythias.  The first K of P lodge was near the southwest corner of North Fairfield and Dayton-Xenia Roads in Zimmerman.  In 1899, the trustees bought a half acre of land just south of Dayton-Xenia Road on Factory Road from Daniel Overholser.  When construction was nearly complete, a strong wind blew the building completely down.  The community re-built and dedicated the building on June 6, 1900.

The building was used by the community and school district for years, eventually becoming known as the Alpha Opera House.  Progress consumed this building, but the K of P continues and enjoys their more modern building on Factory Road!

• Duncan Oil Duncan Oil
• P & H Lumber P & H Lumber
• Peoples Rail Peoples Rail
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The following was written by Joan Baxter, historical columnist for the Xenia Gazette

Dayton-Xenia traction line

By Joan Baxter

Last week I shared information about the Springfield-Xenia traction line. Before reliable roads and automobiles, the traction line was a wonderful means of travel between cities particularly in southwestern Ohio. By means of transferring, one could travel with some ease to nearby towns and cities at a minimum expense. This was especially helpful for those with jobs which were some distance from home as well as for students desiring to attend area universities.

Actually there was considerable competition for the Xenia to Dayton route. Two transit line companies began operation at nearly the same time with slightly different routes. It was a race to see which privately owned franchise could get there first.

Rapid Transit company constructed the tracks along Linden Avenue in Dayton, which, when entering Beavercreek becomes Dayton-Xenia Road. The transit car crossed the Little Miami River on its own bridge, passed by Lucas Grove (now Kil Kare) on the north side of the railroad tracks then to Fairground Road and finally onto North Detroit Street and on downtown. The first run of the Rapid Transit Company was on Dec. 9, 1899.

Cars departed from the court house in Xenia at 7 a.m. and thereafter on every hour for Smithville Road. The last car of the day left the court house at 9 p.m. Upon arriving in Dayton, ample and comfortable transfer was available at no charge to the Fifth Street line. For the reverse trip, the first car would leave Smithville Road at 8 a.m. heading for Xenia, while the last left at 10 p.m.

The Gazette reported on Dec. 11, 1899 “The Rapid Transit Co. had cars running on schedule since yesterday and carried a large number of passengers to Dayton and return. Since the large traction cars have been put in operation it livens up Detroit Street wonderfully and gives us quite a citified air and when the other traction line is put in operation on Main Street there will be cars coming and going about all times in the day.” Obviously this was a most welcome means of transportation for Xenia residents.

The Dayton-Xenia traction which became operational on Dec. 15, 1899, was located a little further south. Leaving from Watervliet Ave, in Dayton, the track turned onto Patterson Road, then at North Fairfield Road in Beavercreek. From there the train veered east to run along the south side of the railroad tracks. The tracks passed Lucas Grove, then onto Lucas Hill near the intersection of Hawkins Road, continuing into Xenia on Dayton Ave. and West Main St. Both companies enjoyed faithful passengers for a few years, but in time, the need for two transit lines between the cities seemed unnecessary.

In an article in the Dayton Journal dated March 25, 1901, “The Dayton & Xenia Traction Company and the Rapid Transit Company, both of which have operated electric lines between this city and Xenia, have passed into the control of the Dayton & Xenia Transit Company.” It was anticipated that few changes would be made with the new company.

The line was not without problems such as the accident on Feb. 4, 1901. The motorman and conductor were the only passengers when the motorman left the traction car to be sure there was clear passage for crossing the railroad track. Seeing no train, he proceeded across the track, but a malfunction caused the trolley to be stuck on the track when the train came around the bend. No one was seriously injured.

All good things must come to an end it is said, and so it was with the traction line. An ad In the newspaper read “IMPORTANT NOTICE: Electric railway services between Dayton and Xenia will be permanently abandoned and the last cars will operate on Saturday Sept. 25, 1937.”

Mr. Fitzwater had the honor of piloting the last car after 54 years of unbroken service as a motorman. The last car left Xenia at 7 p.m. It was a fitting honor for him because he was also the first motorman to operate a car on a regular schedule between Dayton and Xenia when the company introduced traction services on Feb. 3, 1900.

Affectionately known to his friends as “Fitz,” he stated that he had to “exaggerate” his age when he applied for his first railroad job. He applied in 1883 as a “teen aged youth” for a job as a “horse” car driver for a company in Springfield. He was not quite 20, but got the job because he said he was 21.

In his long career, he piloted traction cars more than two million miles without a single serious accident and without a day off for illness. He wistfully remembered Sunday trips when the cars were loaded to capacity and patrons clung to the steps and even overflowed onto the platform. When the traction linewas no longer in use, the company did not neglect its former passengers.

The traction car made its last run on Sept. 25, 1937, and the following Monday it was announced that “hourly bus service will be maintained daily between Dayton and Xenia except Sunday. Sunday bus service ran every two hours. The name of the new company was similar to the old. It was known as the Dayton-Xenia Motor Bus Company.

Thus ended an era of transportation which has mostly been forgotten, but those who enjoyed reliable and inexpensive transportation in the early portion of the 20th Century will recall the transit with great pleasure.

Joan Baxter is a local resident and long-time weekly historical columnist.