Columbia Township

Columbia Township, founded in 1791, was named after Columbia, the first settlement in the Township which was located on the Ohio River in the vicinity of Lunken Airport. Columbia Township was reduced in size in 1803 when Butler County was established to the north. The establishment of Spencer, Symmes, and Sycamore Townships further reduced the Town... ship's size. Madisonville, founded in 1809, was the first significant settlement in the Township. Early development in the Township was encouraged by the construction of Wooster Road and Montgomery Road in the 1820's and by the construction and extension of several railroad lines beginning in the 1840's. The railroad lines also prompted the founding of two commuter communities, Madeira and Terrace Park. Prior to 1860, much of Columbia Township was sparsely populated with farming as the predominate economic activity. The Civil War saw the founding of Camp Dennison by the U. S. Army. The camp, which covered over 500 acres, was located next to the Little Miami River and adjacent to the railroad. Over 50,000 soldiers passed through the camp during the war. Madisonville became the first incorporated village in the Township in 1876 and was followed by Norwood (1881), Pleasant Ridge (1891), and Terrace Park (1893). Housing and businesses grew in these areas with the extension of streetcar lines from 1890 and 1910. Between 1911 and 1914 Madisonville, Pleasant Ridge, Oakley, and Kennedy Heights were annexed by Cincinnati. The rise of widespread private automobile ownership, starting in the 1920's, pushed development further out into the Township and made land on steeper terrain accessible. Large areas of farmland were converted to housing, industry, and commercial development. Mariemont, founded in 1922 as a model community, was one of the first communities designed for the automobile. Columbia Parkway was completed in 1938, which spurred development in the southwest part of the Township. Indian Hill and Mariemont were incorporated as villages in 1941 as part of a strategy ...Read More