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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As you approach the intersection of Dayton-Xenia Road on Factory Road, an early-1900’s icon sat upon the corner on your right - the Beaver Grill.  Although started years earlier, the restaurant experienced real growth after its expansion from a simple pool hall in 1928.  The menu was simple.  Sandwiches, soup, soft drinks, coffee and candy were available.  The Beaver Grill was a popular spot for BHS students to sneak to during lunch and the gracious, but business minded owners never seemed to know the Truant Officer's telephone number.

Many stories circulate about the Beaver Grill.  Once Elber Shoup, a regular, became so fed up with the burnt toast that he went behind the counter, unplugged the toaster and threw it into the middle of Factory Road.  Then owner Whitey Marshall got REALLY upset and was throwing a tantrum about it.  Unbeknownst to him, Elber had already purchased a brand new toaster and presented it to Whitey once his face had reached a more appropriate shade of red.

Through the tragedy of fire, the death of founder Hugh Marshall and numerous subsequent owners, the Beaver Grill survived until 1982 when the location was sold.

The building was demolished in 1986 so that the intersection could be improved.  A loosely organized “Club” involving plenty of coffee and tall tales frequented the Grill, their meeting place known as the Liar’s Table as they always occupied the same spot.  The table reportedly made its way to different locations after the Beaver Grill closed – and rumor has it familiar faces continue to enjoy coffee and the now-even-grander stories at various places around town!

The Liar's Table has found a new home at Irongate Realtors on Kemp Road in their 'Beaver Grill' meeting space - I hear you can request it for the closing of your real estate transactions!

• Ladies of the Beaver Grill Ladies of the Beaver Grill
• The Beaver Grill The Beaver Grill
• The Beaver Grill The Beaver Grill
• Beaver Grill Yearbook Ad Beaver Grill Yearbook Ad
• The Liar's Table The Liar's Table
• The Beaver Grill The Beaver Grill
• Marshall Brother Wrecking Marshall Brother Wrecking
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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.

Make a right out of the parking lot, heading north.  Crossing the highway on Factory Road brings you upon the location of another local tragedy.  

March 18, 1959 eight girl scouts eight Girl Scout and their two leaders were killed in a collision with a train. On March 18, 1959 the troop went to the Xenia Library to work on a badge. They were on their way back, crossing the railroad which intersected Factory Road when their car was hit by a freight train. All eight girls and the two adults died from the collision. The girls were in 6th grade all but one of them were twelve years old, one was eleven. This website contains pictures of a newspaper article from the crash http://www.rarenewspapers.com/view/574515.

The girls Sharon White, Paulnetta Randall, Ann North, Patricia Lipinski, Cynthia Moorman, Ann Wilvert, Linda Ward, Connie LaPrise, and the leaders Mrs. Jeanette Randall, Mrs. Lucille White are remembered today at Angels Pass. Angles Pass is a memorial park on Factory Road. There is a memorial stone placed next to a flag pole at the center of the park. There are eight benches circling the stone, one for each girl in the troop. The park is connected to the Creekside Bike Trail, which was converted to a bike path from a railroad track. This was the same railroad track that the train that hit the girls was traveling.

The accident was made worse by the fact that it could have been prevented if the crossing had contained flasher signs. The school board had pushed for the flashers in order to prevent a crash such as this earlier but had not gotten them. The tracks were later made into a bike path, which provides a safe way for people to bike across the area.

On March 29th 2009 a memorial ceremony was held for the girls and leaders at Angels Pass. Family and friends of the girls gathered along with many current girl scouts to honor the lives of the girls who were lost.

Memorial Site

The eight young ladies, all sixth graders from the BHS class of 1965: 

• Sharon White
• Paulnetta Randall
• Ann North
• Patricia Lipinski
• Cynthia Moorman
• Ann Wilvert
• Linda Ward
• Connie LaPrise

The two scout leaders:

• Mrs. Jeanette Randall
• Mrs. Lucille White

• Beavercreek Community Park Beavercreek Community Park
• Beavercreek Community Park Beavercreek Community Park
• Memorial To The Ten Lives Lost Memorial To The Ten Lives Lost
• Newspaper Article Newspaper Article
• Photo Of Car Photo Of Car
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It's difficult to recognize the impact that a largely vacant piece of property has had on the development and growth of a community.  This area has numerous large-scale projects planned over the next decade, including the possible installation of a cloverleaf-style access to US-35.  Progress destroys the physical history, as it did when the mills and structures of the Harbine Industrial Complex was torn down, but the memory and appreciation for what was remains.

Today when we think of an industrial complex, it's typically a massive operation of concrete, steel and glass.  We've worked hard to collect images of the Harbine Industrial Complex to share what life and labor was like in the mid to late seventeenth century in Alpha, and ultimately Beavercreek Ohio.

• Alpha Mill Alpha Mill
• Bridge Abutment Bridge Abutment
• Harbine Mill Harbine Mill
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In 1868, Harbine retired from his remaining business pursuits turning all the family business operations over to his sons Jacob, Daniel, and Frank. With John’s death in 1873 ownership of his large land holdings and businesses passed to his sons. Jacob Harbine eventually gained control of the Harbine Industrial Complex and lived with his widowed sister and her children in the Harbine House.

We'll be learning much more about John Harbine, his family, home and business ventures in the pages to come.  He was truly the 'Founding Father of Alpha' and had a hand in most of the businesses in town... and even laying out the plat map for the town as well!

In 1888, a fire consumed a large portion of the complex including the grist mill, two of the worker cottages, the corn cribs and part of the distillery.  The timber construction allowed the fire to spread quickly and fiercely.  Locals were running a bucket brigade as well dipping their carpeting into the mill race and placing them on the roofs to prevent embers from catching more buildings on fire. This was not only their town, but their livelihood.

Ironically (or not), there was a HUGE rally of the Prohibition Party that very day in Columbus... and then the distillery caught fire.  Since we love a 120+ year old conspiracy, we're looking into it!

Thelma Barth-Tindall wrote: "Mother always stopped when we took a walk to see Aunty Page, a dear old colored woman, who lived in the little cabin with the big willow tree in front of it.  One time she had some pies coolin in the window and Gus was driving cattle.  One cow got nosey and knocked a pie down and Aunty chased Gus up the road."

• John Harbine Obituary John Harbine Obituary
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In 1855, Harbine retired from his mills, turning the operations over to his sons, in order to concentrate on real estate investments in other mills, including woolen, cotton and linseed mills throughout Greene County, as well as constructing a grain warehouse in Xenia. During this same period hog pens, a warehouse and a tobacco house were added to the Harbine Industrial Complex along Beaver Creek. He also built an oil mill on Beaver Creek with updated machinery, and switching from waterpower to steam power.

Rumor has it the Harbine’s also manufactured munitions for the Mexican-American and Civil Wars in one of the mills.  If you walk back to the Big Beaver Creek, you’ll find a couple of remnants of the area’s unique history!  The stone wall across the creek was an abutment for the Alpha-Bellbrook Road covered bridge that once crossed here.  You’ll also notice large, scattered granite river boulders that were once part of the aforementioned Alpha Mill Dam!

Often, you'd have found pigs raised near distilleries.  Alpha was no exception.  There was an old tollgate house on Alpha-Shakertown Road as it came into town from the west.  Having been abandoned long prior to the prime of the Industrial Complex, the cellar of the building was opened on one side and a pen constructed to raise hogs.  Apparently the Harbine Hogs, as we'll refer to them, were so delicious due to their diet of dried whiskey mash that nearly all of them were sold to restaurants in New Orleans.  The hogs were driven to Cincinnati and then onto New Orleans via Ohio River flatboats.

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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This is the location of an infamous Greene County murder by the previously mentioned Charles Justice.

On September 16, 1910, John Shoup heard a commotion in the chicken house and sent William Shoup into the far end to flush out what he thought was a fox. They encountered a man whose description resembled Justice trying to steal their livestock. The thief fired three shots, one which killed John Shoup. According to testimony at the trial, Justice calmly picked up the bag of chickens and walked away. After many hours they finally caught up with him. Everybody was out looking. He was convicted of first degree murder on November 3, 1910 in the Greene County Court of Common Pleas.

Several hours before his scheduled execution, a long knife was found in Justice’s cell. He stated that he intended to use it on the guard who strapped him into the electric chair. Two other prisoners who were housed with him asked to be moved because they feared that he would kill them as well. His last words were “I am not guilty of the crime for which you are killing me.” Charles Justice was executed at 12:05 AM on October 27, 1911, the 38th person executed by the State of Ohio. No friends or relatives claimed his body and it was given to a medical school in Columbus.

An urban legend exists that the man who invented the electric chair was executed in it. This was attributed to Charles Justice. He was, in fact, incarcerated at the Ohio Penitentiary when “Old Sparky” was built to serve as a more humane form of execution than the gallows. A scrapbook entitled, “The Electrocution Book” was donated to the Ohio Historical Society in 1983 that was compiled by employees of the state’s prison system. In an undated article within called “The Electric Chair”, Richard J. Jemison states that a prisoner named Charles Justice helped build the chair and was later executed in it. Historical accounts state that Charles did not build the electric chair, but he was executed in it. Additional research suggests that while working in the prison’s tin shop, he fabricated metal clamps that replaced the leather straps for better performance. Charles is buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio.

The approaching curve was the location of the Shoemake Dairy Farm. Concrete remnants of the feed house can be seen on the north side of the curve and in the autumn/winter, you can find a silo hidden in the trees.

• Charles Justice Out Of Luck Charles Justice Out Of Luck
• Shoemake Dairy Shoemake Dairy
• Headstone of John Shoup Headstone of John Shoup
• Erroneous News Article Erroneous News Article
• News Clipping 2 News Clipping 2
• News Clipping 3 News Clipping 3
• Old Sparky Old Sparky
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