Piqua, Ohio
Encyclopedia
Piqua is a city in Miami County
, Ohio
, United States
. The population was 20,738 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Dayton
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
Piqua was one of the cities that experienced severe flooding during the Great Dayton Flood
of 1913.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 10.9 square miles (28.2 km²), of which, 10.7 square miles (27.7 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (2.19%) is water.
The Great Miami River
runs through Piqua. The area at the south end of town on the east side of the river is known as Shawnee.
of 2000, there were 20,738 people, 8,263 households, and 5,585 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,939.2 people per square mile (749.0/km²). There were 8,886 housing units at an average density of 830.9 per square mile (320.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.21% White, 3.38% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.27% from other races
, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.
There were 8,263 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples
living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,681, and the median income for a family was $41,804. Males had a median income of $31,808 versus $22,241 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $18,719. About 9.6% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
located a mile northeast of the present city at the Great Miami River
's intersection with Loramie Creek
.
Piqua started out as two separate communities, Upper Piqua and Lower Piqua in 1780 becoming one community by 1800.
Rossville (since incorporated into Piqua) was the first local African-American settlement after the Randolph slaves were freed following the passing of John Randolph in 1833. The Rossville neighborhood and Randolph cemetery are located on the northeast side of the river off North County Road 25-A.
Piqua was home to the first municipally-operated nuclear power plant
, Piqua Nuclear Generating Station
, in operation from 1962 to 1966 earning its short lived nickname "The Atomic City." This facility was a major demonstration failure and the Atomic Energy Commission bought out the contract with the City of Piqua, for an early contract termination. During this period a name brand automotive battery, the "Piqua Atomic Power Plant" was manufactured and marketed locally.
Piqua is believed to be a reference to the Shawnee Indian phrase:
"Othath-He-Waugh-Pe-Qua" translated as "He has risen from the ashes!"
The phrase is mentioned in a painting of a Native American rising up above the flames before a tribe of onlookers in a state of amazement.
The painting is on public display inside the main office of Unity National Bank, the former Third Savings and Loan Association in downtown Piqua.
Piqua's Shawnee Native American history became the namesake for the community of Shawnee, founded in 1797 which is bordered on the east side of the river adjacent to downtown and the former Pennsylvania Railroad
corridor later used by the merged Penn Central Transportation
and subsequently by Conrail. Shawnee has also long since been incorporated into Piqua. The Piqua High School Indians athletic teams also took its inspiration from its local Native American history.
Piqua has two Main Streets, the one being north and southbound along Miami County Road 25-A(the former U.S. Highway 25, also known as the Dixie Highway
) the other running east through Shawnee. U.S. 36 also runs through much of the city, cutting the town almost directly in half. Main and Ash Streets (U.S. 36) converge in Piqua's downtown. Also running through downtown is the east to west Conrail corridor which was originally the Pennsylvania Railroad
two-track throughway which was abandoned in 1985. A section of it became a bike trail in the summer of 2001 now known as Linear Park. The remaining rail line serving Piqua is the north and southbound Baltimore and Ohio line now operated by CSX Transportation
(CSXT).
A long downtown fixture, the Orr-Statler Building at the corner of Main and High Streets, was erected in 1891. For many years it housed the now defunct Fort Piqua Hotel which closed in the 1980s.The building also provided a temporary home for Piqua National Bank which later moved to a newer building in 1929. That section of the building is now home to Joe Thoma and Sons Jewelers. Other local merchants have also located their businesses in the building over the years. After years of disrepair and neglect, the building underwent a massive and long awaited major interior renovation. After two years of work, the building became the home of Piqua's public library. The renovated building was renamed and rededicated, and is now known as Fort Piqua Plaza.
.Piqua is also home to the Upper Valley Joint Vocational School. Piqua is also home to several private schools, including Piqua Catholic School, the Piqua Seventh Day Adventist School, and the Nicholas School.
Piqua schools compete in the Greater Western Ohio Conference (GWOC) North Division (Piqua, Troy, Trotwood, Vandalia, Sidney). Piqua High School's rivals are the Trojans from Troy, Ohio
, a community about five miles (8 km) south. The following sports are available at Piqua High School: Football, Men's/Women's Basketball, Men's/Women's Soccer, Men's/Women's Tennis, Volleyball, Bowling, Golf, Baseball, Softball, Men's/Women's Cross Country, Track and Field, Wrestling, Swimming, Cheerleading, Show Choir, and Gymnastics. Piqua High School Show Choir "The Company" won numerous Grand Championships. The Piqua High School football team was also named the Division II state champions for the 2006 season.
. The new building, the Regional Center of Excellence (RCE), is an academic and student life center. The RCE houses classrooms, seminar rooms, library/learning center, cybercafe, and a multi-function lobby.
The Regional Center of Excellence won an AIA Ohio Honor award.
The college has satellite locations in Darke County
and in Tipp City
.
In the late 1890s, Southwest Ohio was the heart of the US flaxseed growing area, and there were as many as 13 linseed oil
mills in Piqua, where the flaxseed was "crushed" to extract the vegetable oil, named linseed oil. The flax fiber was used for cloth and paper, and the oil was used for a variety of industrial uses. The name linoleum
comes from the linseed oil which is the binder. One of the vegetable oil mills in Piqua burned down—a common fate for wooden buildings soaked with vegetable oil—and the owner, American Linseed Oil Company, dispatched Alfred Willard French, their Chief Engineer, from Brooklyn, New York, to organize and supervise the rebuilding of the oil mill.
During the rebuilding of the linseed oil mill, French included a machine he had invented and patented in 1898, a "cake trimmer", and purchased the most modern equipment then available. He met the leading citizens of Piqua. They were impressed with this engineer, who had graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in only three years, and had entrepreneurial spirit; they decided to invest in a new company he wanted to start. The French Oil Mill Machinery Company was founded 25 May 1900, with French as president, to make "improved oil mill machinery". By 1905 the company was exporting its patented and rugged vegetable oil mill extraction machinery all around the world. Today, the company has customers in over 80 countries, still serving the vegetable oil extraction market (to press such seeds as soybeans, cottonseed, rapeseed, canola, and many others). In addition, the company is a world leader in synthetic rubber dewatering and drying machinery, and in hydraulic molding presses for rubber, thermoplastic and composite materials.
The city also was a major center of underwear production during the late 19th century and much of the 20th century. A yearly Outdoor Underwear Festival was held downtown from 1988 until shortly after the demise and demolition of the factory owned by Medalist-Allen A, a direct descendant of the Atlas Underwear Company. Originally the festival had a serious historical focus, but in later years it attracted adventurous types from surrounding towns, and Piqua residents discouraged their own children from attending. Heritage Green Park now occupies the former Medalist factory site.
The Meteor Motor Car Company (later the Miller-Meteor division of Richmond, Indiana
-based school bus manufacturer Wayne Corporation) had a brief run as an independent record label and phonograph manufacturer in the 1920s. Afterward, Miller-Meteor produced ambulances and hearses before closing down in 1979.
The Piqua Coca-Cola
Bottling Company was located on the downtown square at the northeast corner of Main and High streets. It produced its signature product along with Sprite
, Tab
and Fresca
in glass bottles for the Upper Miami Valley while metal canned versions were shipped in from a plant in Speeedway, Indiana. It was later purchased by the Dayton Coca-Cola Bottling Company in the mid 1970s. However,the increased demand for Coke products in two liter plastic bottles and cans led to the aging local plant's unfeasibility,hence its eventual demise and was closed down and razed by the end of the decade. A newer bottling plant now exists in Huber Heights
.A statue of pilot Don Gentile now stands at the site of the defunct plant.
The Val Decker Packing Company, which operated until 1981 was a local producer of hams, hot dogs, other meats and lard under the tagline "Piquality." The large red steel cans which contained the lard product is now a much sought-after collector's item. The building which housed the meat packing plant was renovated in 1987 and is now home to the Piqua Board of Education and several small businesses.
Due to the prosperity of past industry in the city of Piqua, much of the area surrounding downtown contains large mansions and homes. Most notable is the Leo Flesh Mansion, built in the Chateauesque
style, it looms over many of the surrounding buildings in the neighborhood. IT is also known as the "Old Library". The "new library" is the Fort Piqua Hotel on High Street. Within the Hotel is Winans Chocolates and Coffee.
Piqua's shopping mall, Miami Valley Centre, opened in 1988 and was renovated in the mid '90s. Its anchor stores include JC Penney, Elder Beerman, and Sears. Miami Valley Crossing (formerly Piqua East Mall, opened in 1970) was redesigned and updated in the late 1990s as a plaza with anchor stores, Big Lots
, Wal-Mart
, Jo-Ann Fabrics, El Sombrero Restaurant, and The Home Depot
.
George and Harold, from Dav Pilkey
's Captain Underpants
series live in Piqua, Ohio. Dav chose Piqua because they had an "Underwear Festival" there every year. It seemed like the perfect place!
Miami County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 98,868 people, 38,437 households, and 27,943 families residing in the county. The population density was 243 people per square mile . There were 40,554 housing units at an average density of 100 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 population was 20,738 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Greater Dayton
The Dayton metropolitan area is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Ohio, behind the largest, Greater Cincinnati, Greater Cleveland, and Greater Columbus.-Definitions:...
.
Piqua was one of the cities that experienced severe flooding during the Great Dayton Flood
Great Dayton Flood
The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 flooded Dayton, Ohio, and the surrounding area with water from the Great Miami River, causing the greatest natural disaster in Ohio history...
of 1913.
Geography
Piqua is located at 40°8′51"N 84°14′53"W (40.147474, -84.247968).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 10.9 square miles (28.2 km²), of which, 10.7 square miles (27.7 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (2.19%) is water.
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...
runs through Piqua. The area at the south end of town on the east side of the river is known as Shawnee.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 20,738 people, 8,263 households, and 5,585 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,939.2 people per square mile (749.0/km²). There were 8,886 housing units at an average density of 830.9 per square mile (320.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.21% White, 3.38% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.27% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.
There were 8,263 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,681, and the median income for a family was $41,804. Males had a median income of $31,808 versus $22,241 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $18,719. About 9.6% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
History
Although officially incorporated in 1807, Piqua's history dates back to a previous settlement in 1747 called Fort PickawillanyPickawillany
Pickawillany was a Miami Indian village located on the current site of the city of Piqua, Ohio, in the United States.It was created in 1748 by La Demoiselle, a Miami chief, and was destroyed by the French and their Indian allies under Charles Langlade in June 1752...
located a mile northeast of the present city at 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...
's intersection with Loramie Creek
Loramie Creek
Loramie Creek is a tributary of the Great Miami River in western Ohio in the United States. Via the Great Miami and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of...
.
Piqua started out as two separate communities, Upper Piqua and Lower Piqua in 1780 becoming one community by 1800.
Rossville (since incorporated into Piqua) was the first local African-American settlement after the Randolph slaves were freed following the passing of John Randolph in 1833. The Rossville neighborhood and Randolph cemetery are located on the northeast side of the river off North County Road 25-A.
Piqua was home to the first municipally-operated nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
, Piqua Nuclear Generating Station
Piqua Nuclear Generating Station
The Piqua Nuclear Power Facility was a nuclear power plant which operated just outside the southern city limits of Piqua, Ohio in the United States. The plant contained a 45.5-megawatt organically cooled and moderated nuclear reactor...
, in operation from 1962 to 1966 earning its short lived nickname "The Atomic City." This facility was a major demonstration failure and the Atomic Energy Commission bought out the contract with the City of Piqua, for an early contract termination. During this period a name brand automotive battery, the "Piqua Atomic Power Plant" was manufactured and marketed locally.
Piqua is believed to be a reference to the Shawnee Indian phrase:
"Othath-He-Waugh-Pe-Qua" translated as "He has risen from the ashes!"
The phrase is mentioned in a painting of a Native American rising up above the flames before a tribe of onlookers in a state of amazement.
The painting is on public display inside the main office of Unity National Bank, the former Third Savings and Loan Association in downtown Piqua.
Piqua's Shawnee Native American history became the namesake for the community of Shawnee, founded in 1797 which is bordered on the east side of the river adjacent to downtown and the former Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
corridor later used by the merged Penn Central Transportation
Penn Central Transportation
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American railroad company that operated from 1968 until 1976. It was created by the merger on February 1, 1968, of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad...
and subsequently by Conrail. Shawnee has also long since been incorporated into Piqua. The Piqua High School Indians athletic teams also took its inspiration from its local Native American history.
Piqua has two Main Streets, the one being north and southbound along Miami County Road 25-A(the former U.S. Highway 25, also known as the Dixie Highway
Dixie Highway
The Dixie Highway was a United States automobile highway, first planned in 1914 to connect the US Midwest with the Southern United States. It was part of the National Auto Trail system, and grew out of an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final result is better understood as a small network of...
) the other running east through Shawnee. U.S. 36 also runs through much of the city, cutting the town almost directly in half. Main and Ash Streets (U.S. 36) converge in Piqua's downtown. Also running through downtown is the east to west Conrail corridor which was originally the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
two-track throughway which was abandoned in 1985. A section of it became a bike trail in the summer of 2001 now known as Linear Park. The remaining rail line serving Piqua is the north and southbound Baltimore and Ohio line now operated by CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
(CSXT).
A long downtown fixture, the Orr-Statler Building at the corner of Main and High Streets, was erected in 1891. For many years it housed the now defunct Fort Piqua Hotel which closed in the 1980s.The building also provided a temporary home for Piqua National Bank which later moved to a newer building in 1929. That section of the building is now home to Joe Thoma and Sons Jewelers. Other local merchants have also located their businesses in the building over the years. After years of disrepair and neglect, the building underwent a massive and long awaited major interior renovation. After two years of work, the building became the home of Piqua's public library. The renovated building was renamed and rededicated, and is now known as Fort Piqua Plaza.
Schools
The Piqua City School District operates four elementary schools, three middle schools, a junior high school, and Piqua High SchoolPiqua High School
Piqua High School is a public high school in Piqua, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Piqua City Schools district. Their nickname is the Indians. Their colors are Red and Blue. Their main rival is the Troy Trojans, but their other rivalry is Sidney Yellow Jackets. Grades range from 9th to...
.Piqua is also home to the Upper Valley Joint Vocational School. Piqua is also home to several private schools, including Piqua Catholic School, the Piqua Seventh Day Adventist School, and the Nicholas School.
Piqua schools compete in the Greater Western Ohio Conference (GWOC) North Division (Piqua, Troy, Trotwood, Vandalia, Sidney). Piqua High School's rivals are the Trojans from Troy, Ohio
Troy, Ohio
* - Sports :In addition to Troy High School athletics, Troy is home to the Miami Valley Silverbacks indoor football team of the Continental Indoor Football League....
, a community about five miles (8 km) south. The following sports are available at Piqua High School: Football, Men's/Women's Basketball, Men's/Women's Soccer, Men's/Women's Tennis, Volleyball, Bowling, Golf, Baseball, Softball, Men's/Women's Cross Country, Track and Field, Wrestling, Swimming, Cheerleading, Show Choir, and Gymnastics. Piqua High School Show Choir "The Company" won numerous Grand Championships. The Piqua High School football team was also named the Division II state champions for the 2006 season.
Colleges
Piqua is home to Edison Community College. Edison opened a new, 35671 square feet (3,313.9 m²) addition to its campus during 2007, completed by The Collaborative Inc., architects, landscape architects and interior designers in ToledoToledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
. The new building, the Regional Center of Excellence (RCE), is an academic and student life center. The RCE houses classrooms, seminar rooms, library/learning center, cybercafe, and a multi-function lobby.
The Regional Center of Excellence won an AIA Ohio Honor award.
The college has satellite locations in Darke County
Darke County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 53,309 people, 20,419 households, and 14,905 families residing in the county. The population density was 89 people per square mile . There were 21,583 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile...
and in Tipp City
Tipp City, Ohio
Tipp City is a city in Miami County, Ohio, United States. The population was 9,689 at the 2010 census. Formerly known as Tippecanoe, and then Tippecanoe City, this town was renamed to Tipp City in 1938 because another town in Ohio was likewise named Tippecanoe...
.
Notable residents
- Matt Finkes - linebackerLinebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for Ohio StateOhio State UniversityThe Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
and the New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Don Gentile - World War II ace
- Terri HemmertTerri HemmertTerri Hemmert is an American radio personality, musicologist, and instructor at Columbia College Chicago. She is a long-term presence at WXRT-FM in Chicago, Illinois where she became the first female drive time host for a rock music station in the Chicago radio market...
- Chicago area disc jockey at WXRT-FM - Kristin KingKristin KingKristin King is an American ice hockey player. She won a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 2002.-External links:**...
- player on the bronze medal winning Ladies' U.S. Hockey team at the 2006 Winter Olympics2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter... - Bill LearBill LearWilliam Powell Lear was an American inventor and businessman. He is best known for founding the Lear Jet Corporation, a manufacturer of business jets...
- inventor and businessman, founder of Lear JetLear JetLearjet is a manufacturer of business jets for civilian and military use. It was founded in the late 1950s by William Powell Lear as Swiss American Aviation Corporation. Learjet is now a subsidiary of Bombardier and marketed as the "Bombardier Learjet Family".-History:The Learjet started life as an...
and inventor of the 8-track cartridge - William McCulloch - lawyer and member of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Mills BrothersMills BrothersThe Mills Brothers, sometimes billed as The Four Mills Brothers, were an American jazz and pop vocal quartet of the 20th century who made more than 2,000 recordings that combined sold more than 50 million copies, and garnered at least three dozen gold records...
- jazz musicians, inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of FameVocal Group Hall of FameThe Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....
in 1998 - Quinn PitcockQuinn PitcockQuinn Michael Pitcock is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
- former starting defensive tackle for the Ohio State UniversityOhio State Buckeyes footballThe Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
football team and retired member of the Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League .... - William H. PitsenbargerWilliam H. PitsenbargerWilliam Hart Pitsenbarger was a United States Air Force Pararescueman who gave his life aiding and defending a unit of soldiers pinned down by an enemy assault in Vietnam. He was initially posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, which was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor...
- posthumous Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
awardee - Brandon SaineBrandon SaineBrandon Croft Saine is an American football running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Ohio State University. He played high school football and ran track for the Piqua Indians...
- 2006 Ohio Mr. Football AwardMr. Football Award (Ohio)The Mr. Football Award has been given out annually since 1987 to the player voted by the Associated Press to be the best high school football player in the state of Ohio...
winner and running back for The Ohio State UniversityOhio State Buckeyes footballThe Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
football team. Now with the Green Bay Packers. - Hiram Y. SmithHiram Y. SmithHiram Ypsilanti Smith was a nineteenth century Republican politician, lawyer and clerk from Iowa. For three months, he represented Iowa's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, after winning election to serve out the term of John A. Kasson following Kasson's appointment...
- lawyer and U.S. Representative from IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New... - Robert M. Widney - founding father of the University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
- James P. WisecupJames P. WisecupJames P. "Phil" Wisecup is a Vice Admiral and Naval Inspector General of the United States Navy.-Family and education:The son of James and Bettye Ruth Bach Wisecup, Phil Wisecup is a 1977 graduate of the United States Naval Academy...
- Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy - Patrick ZircherPatrick ZircherPatrick Zircher is an American comic book artist and penciller.-Biography:Zircher's early career as an illustrator in the genre began with production of several completed works for Villains and Vigilantes, Champions and other pen and paper role-playing games as well as early stints with...
- illustrator of Marvel and DC comic books
Economy
The city of Piqua is home of Hartzell Propeller, the leading producer of small aircraft propellers in the world. Evenflo of Piqua (formerly Questor Juvenile Furniture) is the leading manufacturer of infant and toddler car seats and has become one of Piqua's leading employers and industries.In the late 1890s, Southwest Ohio was the heart of the US flaxseed growing area, and there were as many as 13 linseed oil
Linseed oil
Linseed oil, also known as flaxseed oil, is a clear to yellowish oil obtained from the dried ripe seeds of the flax plant . The oil is obtained by cold pressing, sometimes followed by solvent extraction...
mills in Piqua, where the flaxseed was "crushed" to extract the vegetable oil, named linseed oil. The flax fiber was used for cloth and paper, and the oil was used for a variety of industrial uses. The name linoleum
Linoleum
Linoleum is a floor covering made from renewable materials such as solidified linseed oil , pine rosin, ground cork dust, wood flour, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most commonly on a burlap or canvas backing; pigments are often added to the materials.The finest linoleum floors,...
comes from the linseed oil which is the binder. One of the vegetable oil mills in Piqua burned down—a common fate for wooden buildings soaked with vegetable oil—and the owner, American Linseed Oil Company, dispatched Alfred Willard French, their Chief Engineer, from Brooklyn, New York, to organize and supervise the rebuilding of the oil mill.
During the rebuilding of the linseed oil mill, French included a machine he had invented and patented in 1898, a "cake trimmer", and purchased the most modern equipment then available. He met the leading citizens of Piqua. They were impressed with this engineer, who had graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in only three years, and had entrepreneurial spirit; they decided to invest in a new company he wanted to start. The French Oil Mill Machinery Company was founded 25 May 1900, with French as president, to make "improved oil mill machinery". By 1905 the company was exporting its patented and rugged vegetable oil mill extraction machinery all around the world. Today, the company has customers in over 80 countries, still serving the vegetable oil extraction market (to press such seeds as soybeans, cottonseed, rapeseed, canola, and many others). In addition, the company is a world leader in synthetic rubber dewatering and drying machinery, and in hydraulic molding presses for rubber, thermoplastic and composite materials.
The city also was a major center of underwear production during the late 19th century and much of the 20th century. A yearly Outdoor Underwear Festival was held downtown from 1988 until shortly after the demise and demolition of the factory owned by Medalist-Allen A, a direct descendant of the Atlas Underwear Company. Originally the festival had a serious historical focus, but in later years it attracted adventurous types from surrounding towns, and Piqua residents discouraged their own children from attending. Heritage Green Park now occupies the former Medalist factory site.
The Meteor Motor Car Company (later the Miller-Meteor division of Richmond, Indiana
Richmond, Indiana
Richmond is a city largely within Wayne Township, Wayne County, in east central Indiana, United States, which borders Ohio. The city also includes the Richmond Municipal Airport, which is in Boston Township and separated from the rest of the city...
-based school bus manufacturer Wayne Corporation) had a brief run as an independent record label and phonograph manufacturer in the 1920s. Afterward, Miller-Meteor produced ambulances and hearses before closing down in 1979.
The Piqua Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
Bottling Company was located on the downtown square at the northeast corner of Main and High streets. It produced its signature product along with Sprite
Sprite (soft drink)
Sprite is a transparent, lemon-lime flavored , caffeine free soft drink, produced by the Coca-Cola Company. It was introduced in the United States in 1961. This was Coke's response to the popularity of 7 Up, which had begun as "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda" in 1929...
, Tab
Tab (soft drink)
Tab, stylized as TaB, is a diet cola soft drink produced by the Coca-Cola Company, first introduced in 1963. The soda was created by Coca Cola after the successful sales and marketing of Diet Rite cola, owned by The Royal Crown Company; previously, Diet Rite had been the only sugarless soda on the...
and Fresca
Fresca
Fresca is a citrus diet soft drink made by The Coca-Cola Company. First introduced in the United States in 1966, the drink is now sold throughout the American continent...
in glass bottles for the Upper Miami Valley while metal canned versions were shipped in from a plant in Speeedway, Indiana. It was later purchased by the Dayton Coca-Cola Bottling Company in the mid 1970s. However,the increased demand for Coke products in two liter plastic bottles and cans led to the aging local plant's unfeasibility,hence its eventual demise and was closed down and razed by the end of the decade. A newer bottling plant now exists in Huber Heights
Huber Heights, Ohio
Huber Heights is a city in Montgomery, Miami, and Greene Counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. Huber Heights's motto is "America's largest community of brick homes." The city is named for Charles Huber, the developer who constructed a number of the houses that would later comprise the city. Suburban...
.A statue of pilot Don Gentile now stands at the site of the defunct plant.
The Val Decker Packing Company, which operated until 1981 was a local producer of hams, hot dogs, other meats and lard under the tagline "Piquality." The large red steel cans which contained the lard product is now a much sought-after collector's item. The building which housed the meat packing plant was renovated in 1987 and is now home to the Piqua Board of Education and several small businesses.
Due to the prosperity of past industry in the city of Piqua, much of the area surrounding downtown contains large mansions and homes. Most notable is the Leo Flesh Mansion, built in the Chateauesque
Châteauesque
Châteauesque is one of several terms, including Francis I style, and, in Canada, the Château Style, that refer to a revival architectural style based on the French Renaissance architecture of the monumental French country homes built in the Loire Valley from the late fifteenth century to the...
style, it looms over many of the surrounding buildings in the neighborhood. IT is also known as the "Old Library". The "new library" is the Fort Piqua Hotel on High Street. Within the Hotel is Winans Chocolates and Coffee.
Piqua's shopping mall, Miami Valley Centre, opened in 1988 and was renovated in the mid '90s. Its anchor stores include JC Penney, Elder Beerman, and Sears. Miami Valley Crossing (formerly Piqua East Mall, opened in 1970) was redesigned and updated in the late 1990s as a plaza with anchor stores, Big Lots
Big Lots
Big Lots, Inc. is a Fortune 500 retail corporation with annual revenues well over $4 billion.Its department stores focus mainly on selling closeout and overstock merchandise. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio, USA and currently operates over 1,400 stores in 47 states...
, Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, Jo-Ann Fabrics, El Sombrero Restaurant, and The Home Depot
The Home Depot
The Home Depot is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services.The Home Depot operates 2,248 big-box format stores across the United States , Canada , Mexico and China, with a 12-store chain...
.
George and Harold, from Dav Pilkey
Dav Pilkey
David "Dav" Pilkey was born on March 4, 1966, is a popular author and illustrator of children's literature. Dav Pilkey is best known as the author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants book series. He also uses the pen names, George Beard and Harold Hutchins...
's Captain Underpants
Captain Underpants
Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey is a series of American children's books about two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, and the aptly named superhero they accidentally create by hypnotizing their principal, Mr. Benny Krupp...
series live in Piqua, Ohio. Dav chose Piqua because they had an "Underwear Festival" there every year. It seemed like the perfect place!