Introduction:

Butler County has a rich and diverse history.  Within its borders are both cities and small rural settlements, differing religious and ethnic groups, small businesses and large manufacturers.  The goal of this project is to survey the life of the community from a historical perspective by looking at its themes and components: business and industry, education, religion, recreation, transportation, events, organizations and community landmarks.  These aspects of every day life colored the experiences of those who called Butler County home.

The site is divided into two main components.  The links on the left side of the main page provide the viewer with a condensed virtual tour of a number of the communities within the county.  Only a fraction of the photographs and information included in the web site are available on these pages.  The links on the right side of the page are arranged by category.  Using this option, the viewer is able to choose immediately between hundreds of businesses, schools, churches, organizations, landmarks, and events.

It is hoped that this project will spark interest in local history for local residents, former residents, and those who may have never lived in the county but whose roots are here.  It is believed that this site will also be of special interest to county educators and their students who pursue local history projects.

The project was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Ohio Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  The web pages that compose this site were authored by David Endres, a student of history at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio.  The project was under the supervision of Marjorie Brown, Curator and Director of the Butler County Museum.

The majority of the source material used in the development of the site is housed in the Butler County Historical Society's archives. Among the sources consulted were photographs, postcards, manuscripts, newspapers, and other published material. 
In addition, material was solicited from libraries, historical societies, and private collections.

Contributors of material include:
 

Middletown Historical Society P.O. Box 312 Middletown, Ohio 45042	Morgan Township Historical Society	Smith Library of Regional History 15 South College Ave.  Oxford, Ohio 45056
Trenton Historical Society 17-A East State Street Trenton, Ohio 45067	West Chester Historical Society  (formerly the Union Township Historical Society)	West Chester Township
Hamilton City School District	Diane Kuhlmann Beaty	Alice O'Connor Kuhlmann

Feedback:

Those with questions or comments are encouraged to include these as part of the comment forum.  Follow the link from the site's main page.

Contact Information:

Made possible, in part, by a grant from the Ohio Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities