If you’ve ever spent any amount of time around West Chester, Ohio, you’ve likely come across the villages that dot our map and perhaps wondered about their origins.
Activity in the main villages actually predates the official establishment of Union Township, which occurred June 2, 1823. Village names mostly stayed the same. Today, you’ll find references to (Olde) West Chester, Gano, Maud, Pisgah, Port Union and Tylersville.
The villages sprang up in the early 19th century, forming city centers out of and in between vast swaths of farmland covering much of Union Township in the 1800s and early 1900s. Each village developed its own charm and character, largely dependent upon its physical location within our border. Many of our founding families, earliest residents and first stakeholders chose to make their living here, building homes and businesses throughout these six original small towns.
United under the banner of Union Township, the villages all had unique ways of life. They flourished in much the same way as our greater Township flourishes today – propelled forward over a period of decades by factors like population growth, jobs and opportunity, advancements in technology and development of the land.
There were homes and places of worship, schools and grocery stores, mills and factories, tan yards and blacksmith shops, hotels and dance halls, taverns and inns, canal ports and railroad depots. At one time or another, every village even had its own U.S. Post Office branch.
Then, like today, access to transportation was key. Our community is fortunate to be planted in fertile soil, rooted along main arteries of travel between major cities Cincinnati and Dayton. First stamped out by herds of American bison, the trails took shape under foot of indigenous peoples hunting game. Dirt roads of yesteryear, traversed by horse-and-wagon when conditions allowed, evolved into gravel byways, paved turnpikes and numbered highways. The Miami and Erie Canal cut a portion of its path through our southwest corner and, later, railroad tracks carved up broad sections of the land. By the 1960s, the Interstate Highway System was up and running straight through the heart of West Chester.
Today, West Chester is largely accessible via three I-75 interchanges that, thanks to a system of interconnected roadways built over years, feeds all corners of the Township and its beloved villages.
These village names continue to exist on maps and even some signage due to the fact that West Chester remains a township and neither the entirety, nor parts of, the community have been incorporated as a city.
(Olde) West Chester
In 1817, Hezekiah Smith, a Baptist minister, acquired 64 acres of land and platted the Town of Mechanicsburgh in the area known today as Olde West Chester. The village was officially recorded at the Butler County Courthouse on March 8, 1817. It’s located in the center of the Township’s 35-square-mile border along what’s today the Cincinnati-Dayton Road corridor. Hezekiah Smith named it for the mechanics who aided farmers in the area. Before settlement, it was called “Hogtown.” On October 2, 1826, the name changed to West Chester to match that of our community’s first Post Office, established just east of the town two years earlier. (Olde) West Chester is the first and oldest village of Union Township, home of the first church and many of the first businesses outside of the agriculture industry. The village name became so synonymous with our place in southwest Ohio that, around the turn of the 21st century, residents decided to ditch “Union” altogether and voted to officially “claim the name” of West Chester Township in 2000.
Tylersville
In 1842, Daniel Pocock platted Tylersville on 400 acres of his farm property. The village of Tylersville is located northwest of (Olde) West Chester, in the area of what’s today the intersection of Tylersville and Lesourdsville West Chester roads. Naming is credited to John Sullivan, who chose it as an homage to President John Tyler, the tenth President of the United States who assumed the high office in 1841. In the late 19th century and into the early 1900s, inhabitants also knew this area by the nickname “Pug” or “Pug Muncy.” Legend has it that an African American gentleman by the name of Pug Muncy lived in a log cabin there sometime in the 1800s. Pug Muncy, it’s said, was well-known and well-respected for generously sharing his fine well water. In her book, “A History of Union Township, Butler County, Ohio,” Virginia Shewalter writes, “The following is only conjecture, but perhaps when questions like, ‘Where are you going?’ or ‘Where do we get water?’ were asked, the answer was usually ‘Pug’s’ or ‘Pug Muncy’s.’”
Port Union
Port Union became an official village when it was platted by William W. Elliott on or about March 5, 1859. The area was first called “McMaken’s Bridge” for Joseph McMaken, who is considered the first pioneer of Union Township. Joseph McMaken built his log cabin home and moved to the area of what’s today the confluence of Rialto, West Chester and Beckett roads in December 1795. Starting in 1826, the Miami and Erie Canal was built through this southwest corner of Union Township. The town was home to a canal port, hence the village’s name Port Union – a place where canal boats could be loaded/unloaded and even turned around, if necessary. William W. Elliott, a church and civic leader who became instrumental in the development and improvement of roads and infrastructure throughout Union Township, purchased his property about three years before platting Port Union. He later served as a township trustee and helped build the Cincinnati-Dayton Turnpike as a superintendent for 50 years.
Maud
Richard Maud platted the village of Maud on April 29, 1873, inspired by the opening of the Dayton Shortline Railroad the fall prior. Maud is located northeast of (Olde) West Chester, near the intersection of what’s today Tylersville and Cincinnati-Dayton roads. Like many of the villages, people lived and worked here well before it was officially established. Maud was first called “Shoemaker,” for reasons unknown. Richard Maud – son of John and Hannah (Young) Maud, who came to Union Township from England in the 1830s – saw an opportunity to capitalize on his family’s farmland, as it was located near the railroad and Gregory’s Creek. Maud developed into a residential and railway community, with its own train depot, “the grand station,” and a roundhouse. In 1911, the railroad tracks were moved slightly east, where they’re located today, the roundhouse was removed and a new train station was built called “Mauds.” The sign on the station added the "s" on the end and, it’s said, this led people who lived in the area to refer to the whole town as Mauds or Mauds Station. But on maps and official documents used mainly by visitors, the village remained spelled Maud. According to legend, residents of the early 20th century could distinguish locals from outsiders by listening to how they pronounced the village’s name.
Gano
Gano was formed just 13 days after Maud was recorded at the Butler County Courthouse. Husband and wife Charles L. and Jane Gano platted the village on May 12, 1873. Gano is located about 2 miles due south of (Olde) West Chester. The Ganos came to Union Township around 1861 and lived in a home they inherited on farmland, initially owned by the pioneering Montanye family, in the southeastern portion of Union Township. When the Dayton Short Line Railroad was built, the Ganos bought an additional 100 acres of land October 25, 1872 for the purpose of developing a railway town. Gano was modeled after the nearby suburb of Glendale, Ohio – settled in 1855 – where Jane’s family was from and where Charles Gano once made his home. Gano had its own train depot in the early days, like its sister village Maud to the north. The railroad bridge at the entrance/exit of the Gano neighborhood today was constructed in 1911, at the same time the railroad tracks were shifted east to their present location.
Pisgah
The village of Pisgah wasn’t officially platted until 1924, but was active long before then. Pisgah is located east of Olde West Chester along what’s today Cincinnati-Columbus Road (Route 42). In the 1800s, this road was used as a buffalo trail, a military route and a turnpike. In 1812, William Belch bought farmland – initially owned by two of the areas earliest settlers, John Van Hise and Isaac Paxton – where he kept a hotel or stagecoach stop called the Belch House for about two decades. William Belch is credited for naming the area Pisgah because, it’s said, the topography likely reminded him of a biblical reference to Mt. Pisgah in Moab – a mountain offering a commanding view of the desert and West Palestine and the place where Moses was told to go to visit the Promised Land. Pisgah, Ohio is elevated about 970 feet, the highest altitude of any place between Cincinnati and Columbus.
“Foundations” is a series of stories recounting momentous occasions in West Chester, Ohio history. Subscribe to the COMMUNITY REPORT e-newsletter and visit www.WestChesterOH.org/200 to learn more about Township history as we celebrate our 200th birthday bicentennial anniversary.