Crosby Township, Hamilton County, Ohio
Encyclopedia
Crosby Township is one of the twelve townships
of Hamilton County
, Ohio
, United States
. The 2000 census
found 2,748 people in the township.
No municipalities are located in Crosby Township.
The township's total area is 20 sq mi (52 km²). The terrain rises in a series of hills from the Great Miami River in the southeast and the becomes more regular in the north and west. As of 1990, only 9% of the township's land had been developed for suburban use, while 60% was agricultural and 27% remained wooded. Most of the extensive County Park, Miami Whitewater Forest, is located in Crosby Township.
The township retains much of its original area and rural character.
New Baltimore, formed in 1819 by Samuel Pottinger, is situated on the Miami River about five miles southeast of New Haven. In July 1863, Morgan's Raid
ers used a ford at New Baltimore to cross the Miami River.
New Haven was platted as a village by Joab Comstock in 1815. In the 19th century the village had a post office, but was known as Preston. This was necessary since there was already a New Haven
in Huron County, Ohio
, and the name was assigned by the first postmaster, Alexander Preston Cavender.
, the organization's fourth and last village in Ohio. Starting with 18 members and 20 acres (81,000 m²), the community eventually grew to over 125 members and occupied 1,400 acres (5.7 km²), and it remained an active community until it was abandoned in 1916 as a part of the general decline of the sect. Today the village's Shaker Cemetery is maintained by the township trustees and is open to the public; while most of the settlement's buildings remain along Oxford Road, they are all privately owned.
. Difficulties with local Indians contributed to this delay.
Joab Comstock was the first settler. He came from New Haven, Connecticut
in 1801 and purchased several sections leading up from the banks of the Great Miami River
. The township was organized in 1803.
A singular element of Crosby Township's role in history is related to the pacifist beliefs of the Shakers
and some of their neighbors. During the Civil War
, a subscription fund was raised and held by the township clerk, with the funds used to pay a bounty to a volunteer to replace any drafted subscriber. When the war and the draft ended in 1865, the remaining $1,200 was used to erect the frame building that has served as the Crosby Township Hall ever since.
and was used to refine uranium
isotopes needed for the first atom bomb.
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
of Hamilton County
Hamilton County, Ohio
As of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
found 2,748 people in the township.
Geography
Located in the northwestern part of the county, it borders the following townships:- Ross Township, Butler CountyRoss Township, Butler County, OhioRoss Township, one of thirteen townships in the county, is located in south-central Butler County, Ohio, United States, southwest of the city of Hamilton. The population was 6,448 in 2000, up from 6,383 in 1990; 5,886 of this total lived in the unincorporated portions of the township...
- northeast - Colerain TownshipColerain Township, Hamilton County, OhioColerain Township is one of the twelve townships of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 60,144 people in the township, more than in any other township in Ohio.-Geography:...
- east - Harrison TownshipHarrison Township, Hamilton County, OhioHarrison Township is one of the twelve townships of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 12,469 people in the township, 4,982 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
- south - Whitewater TownshipWhitewater Township, Hamilton County, OhioWhitewater Township is one of the twelve townships of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,564 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
- west - Morgan Township, Butler CountyMorgan Township, Butler County, OhioMorgan Township, one of thirteen townships in the county, is located in the southwestern corner of Butler County, Ohio, United States, on the state line with Indiana. It had a population of 5,328 in 2000, up from 4,972 in 1990. There are no incorporated places in the township. Unincorporated...
- northwest
No municipalities are located in Crosby Township.
The township's total area is 20 sq mi (52 km²). The terrain rises in a series of hills from the Great Miami River in the southeast and the becomes more regular in the north and west. As of 1990, only 9% of the township's land had been developed for suburban use, while 60% was agricultural and 27% remained wooded. Most of the extensive County Park, Miami Whitewater Forest, is located in Crosby Township.
The township retains much of its original area and rural character.
Settlements
While there are no formally organized villages in the township, there have been three settlements: New Baltimore, New Haven, and Whitewater Shaker Village.New Baltimore, formed in 1819 by Samuel Pottinger, is situated on the Miami River about five miles southeast of New Haven. In July 1863, Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid
Morgan's Raid was a highly publicized incursion by Confederate cavalry into the Northern states of Indiana and Ohio during the American Civil War. The raid took place from June 11–July 26, 1863, and is named for the commander of the Confederates, Brig. Gen...
ers used a ford at New Baltimore to cross the Miami River.
New Haven was platted as a village by Joab Comstock in 1815. In the 19th century the village had a post office, but was known as Preston. This was necessary since there was already a New Haven
New Haven, Ohio
New Haven is a census-designated place in central New Haven Township, Huron County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44850. It lies at the intersection of U.S...
in Huron County, Ohio
Huron County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 59,487 people, 22,307 households, and 16,217 families residing in the county. The population density was 121 people per square mile . There were 23,594 housing units at an average density of 48 per square mile...
, and the name was assigned by the first postmaster, Alexander Preston Cavender.
Whitewater Shaker Village
In 1824 settlement was accelerated by the founding of Whitewater Shaker Village as a commune of the ShakersShakers
The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, is a religious sect originally thought to be a development of the Religious Society of Friends...
, the organization's fourth and last village in Ohio. Starting with 18 members and 20 acres (81,000 m²), the community eventually grew to over 125 members and occupied 1,400 acres (5.7 km²), and it remained an active community until it was abandoned in 1916 as a part of the general decline of the sect. Today the village's Shaker Cemetery is maintained by the township trustees and is open to the public; while most of the settlement's buildings remain along Oxford Road, they are all privately owned.
Name
Named for the wife of the first settler, it is the only Crosby Township statewide.History
The lands in Crosby Township were opened later and more slowly than its southern neighbors. While good land remained for sale in the more accessible townships there was little incentive to move this far away from the Ohio RiverOhio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. Difficulties with local Indians contributed to this delay.
Joab Comstock was the first settler. He came from New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
in 1801 and purchased several sections leading up from the banks of the Great Miami River
Great Miami River
The Great Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southwestern Ohio in the United States...
. The township was organized in 1803.
A singular element of Crosby Township's role in history is related to the pacifist beliefs of the Shakers
Shakers
The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, is a religious sect originally thought to be a development of the Religious Society of Friends...
and some of their neighbors. During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, a subscription fund was raised and held by the township clerk, with the funds used to pay a bounty to a volunteer to replace any drafted subscriber. When the war and the draft ended in 1865, the remaining $1,200 was used to erect the frame building that has served as the Crosby Township Hall ever since.
Government
The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer, who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.Fernald
A major issue in the township is the ongoing activity related to the clean-up of the Fernald plant site, which was built during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was used to refine uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
isotopes needed for the first atom bomb.