Spread Eagle Tavern--Conrey, James D., House

Maryland. To that marriage were born two children, one of whom is now living, the wife of George Jackson, a resident of Lebanon. Major Elliott settled upon his present place in 1824. It was then entirely wild. He put up a log cabin, cleared up the place, and rapidly improved it. He bought the land from General William Henry Harrison, afterward President. He put up a hewed-log house, and remained there until building a brick one about 1840. The major was long active in military affairs, having command of the regiment in Butler County in 1837. On the making of the turnpike from Cincinnati to Dayton, he was elected director, and has been annually elected ever since. He has been township trustee for many years. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has been for many years, and is one of the leading laymen of the denomination. He is frequently called upon to make addresses before Sunday-schools and temperance societies. He has been president of the Pioneer Association of Warren and Butler Counties, and is an active and esteemed member of that body. Although eighty-two years of age, his bodily strength is still considerable, and his mental faculties unweakened. For many of the recollections embodied in these pages we are indebted to him.

Passage source: A History and Biographical Cyclopædia of Butler County, Ohio : with Illustrations and Sketches of Its Representative Men and Pioneers, published 1882.

Gano is a small place on the southern portion of the township, on the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railroad, and is a station built since that road was put through, by Charles Gano, of Cincinnati. This was in 1874. In 1879 Mr. Charles Gano, Jr., built a large flouring-mill and did a fine business, but unfortunately the mill took fire soon after it was erected and burned down. The ambition of the village tempered down after the loss of the grain trade incident to this event, and Maudville was left thenceforth as cock of the walk. A- well one hundred and twelve feet deep was dug near this mill for water, but gas was discovered and from that time to this it oozes up in great quantity. This gas was conducted by a pipe into the mill and was used for drying the wheat; it probably comes from the decomposed matter of the drift below, and is odorless. Mr. C. L. Gano owns a beautiful residence in this place.

Passage source: A History and Biographical Cyclopædia of Butler County, Ohio : with Illustrations and Sketches of Its Representative Men and Pioneers, published 1882.

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Read the whole chapter on West Chester Township - 16,981 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.