Some Excerpts Taken From "THE HISTORY OF CAMP DENNISON, OHIO 1796-1956" BY Mary Rahn Sloan
The Secrest Monument
The Secrest Monument is the large granite monument on SR 126 at the southern end of town. It stands on a triangular plot of ground maintained by Symmes Township.
The idea of this monument was from Jacob Secrest of Cincinnati. He was a former commander of the Department of Ohio, G.A.R. and former vice commander-in-chief of the national organization. This organization no longer exist.
In October 1930 Mr. Secrest was instrumental in soliciting and acquiring contributions for the monument. The plot of ground was donated by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
On October 2, 1932 the monument was unveiled. A flagpole was donated by Marcia Buckingham, with a plaque, at this time. This later rusted and was replaced. A third replacement pole was installed in the year 2001. A bronze tablet on the face of the monument contains a list of organizations that were either mustered in or mustered out of the Camp. There is also a board with information on Camp Dennison.
The Granite Improvement Company
This company was a gravel pit that excavated in what is now the Indian
Hill Rifle Range. They used the material from here for use on building
the railroad.
The Post Office
The Post Office was at one time in the old railroad depot, at some time it was
moved to the house at 7872 Clement St.. Then was transferred to 10053 Cunningham
Rd and back to the Clement St location before being moved to it's last location
on SR 126. While at this location it has gone through 6 different owners and
closed in the 1990's. While at the SR126 location the post office shared the
building with a general store, a ceramic shop, and a couple of restaurants. It
currently is the new home of American Cornhole.
The General Store
The General Store was first located on the southeast corner of Singleton
Ln and Lincoln Rd. This building was demolished in 2001.
The Mt. Olive Baptist Church (The Mount)
The Mt. Olive Baptist Church was established on May 5, 1888. The first church was built below the hill, south of the cemetery and across Glendale-Milford Rd.. This church burned in 1894 or 1895 and a larger church was erected on Campbell Street in 1896. Mr. George Walton mortgaged his home in order to pay for the construction of this church. It is the church in use today.
The first meeting of the Methodist Society in Camp, was held in the cabin of Henry Stroman in 1806. It is believed that this church was an outgrowth of the Milford Church. After 1806 church services were held in private homes, the Kugler School House on Kugler Mill Road, and various other places.
The Gas Station
The one and only full service gas station to ever exist in town was located on the
Southwest corner of Campbell Av. And SR 126. Gas was sold at Knicely's general
store and the Post Office building on SR126 for a period of time. The Ohio Gravel Company The Ohio Gravel Company opened in Camp in 1946. It changed
ownership a few
time. It is now owned by the Village of Indian Hill..
Wes Rahn had the foresight to recognize the historical value of the
property he owned (the Kugler House and the frame house between it and
the Waldschmidt) and made provisions for it's long-term maintenance and
use. He sold the property to the Ohio Society of the DAR with the provision
that he could live in the "little stone house" for the rest of his life.
The frame house became available to house a caretaker and family to maintain
the combined properties; If it weren't for his purchase of the properties
in the early 1900's, and his subsequent renovations and additions to house
his family, both structures probably would've long since fallen to unrecoverable
disrepair. The stone house in particular was in a sad state when he bought
it, unoccupied with no heat other than the original fire place(s). After
termites destroyed the foundation beams of the frame house, he devised
a way to jack the house up, scavanged a huge timber from an unused barn/corn
crib across the road and installed it underneath the house, where it still
is supporting the structure.
The
Schoolhouse Restaurant
The Camp Dennison School was built in 1864 after the conclusion of the Civil War and was occupied as a school from 1870-1952 as part of the Hamilton County School District It was on of the first two room, two story brick schools built in the Midwest. In 1939 the school was remodeled by the WPA adding steam heating, indoor bathrooms, water fountains, and enlarging the windows to let in more light. On the first floor were the classrooms. Grades 1-4 were in the now kitchen and grades 5-8 were in the current dining room. The second story contained the principal's office (now used as our bar for special events), and the Auditorium/Theater stage/Gym (now used for special events). The last class graduated from The Camp Dennison School in 1952 and future students were directed to the newely built Drake School in the present Indian Hill School District.
At the close of the school Dravo Gravel Company purchased the property to demolish the building and mine gravel. The state declined this idea because of the proximity to SR126. The school then became office space for Dravo until 1961. The property was then purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Miller with the idea of opening a restaurant. The Miller family still own and operate The Schoolhouse Restaurant to this day.
The Knicely General Store
Built soon after the Civil War, is still much the same as when the store closed in the 1940's. The building sits on the North East corner of Lincoln Road and Clement Street. It's future is in limbo but we hope to save this important part of our history.
The Blue Flame Cafe
A bar that sat on the North East corner of SR126
and Ulrich Avenue. The building burned down in the 1970's and is now an empty
lot.