Woodsdale Is Missing

By Randy McNutt

Ghost towns are plentiful in Ohio. Their stories and history add to the Buckeye State’s culture and lore.

 
In Butler County’s Madison Township, near Trenton, lies one of the more lively ghost towns, a place named Woodsdale. It was once the home of Amish-Mennonites, a resort, and a paper mill.

These days, the town consists of a large electric-generating plant and the Chrisholm Farmstead, operated by the Friends of Chrisholm Farmstead and the Butler County MetroParks. Christian Augspurger led the area’s early Amish-Mennonites to Butler County from Alsace in 1829, and settled in what was then a rural area. A year later, he started a farm and built a stone farmhouse. From there he welcomed more Amish immigrants and helped them on their westward journey. When Augspurger died in 1848, a son, Samuel, inherited the farm. In the 1860s he joined with the Beckett Paper Co. of Hamilton in starting a paper mill in the Amish area, creating a town called Woodsdale. It was named after a county founder and leader, Thomas Woods. Soon it became a growing town with 100 residents and several businesses, a school, and a post office. It continued to grow until the paper mill’s fortunes reversed.

In 1874, the Augspurger farmhouse burned. Samuel replaced it with a brick house a year later. This is the same house that stands on the farm today.

In the late 1800s, people came to Woodsdale Island, located between the Ohio-Erie Canal and the Great Miami River. It became a popular resort until a fire destroyed a major building about 1900. After that, few people had reason to visit Woodsdale, and the town was nearly forgotten by many people in the county.

 

In the 1980s, the Trenton and Ohio historical societies began to dream of acquiring the Augspurger farm, with its huge barn and farmhouse. The house had become run-down rental property, but worth restoring. When the Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co. bought the property in 1989 to build a generating plant, the company donated the farm to the nonprofit groups.

Today, volunteers continue to improve the 259-acre farm and its buildings. Last year, volunteers of the Friends of Chrisholm planted a garden at the rear of the farmhouse. They have continued to work on the garden this year. They call it the Friends Memorial Garden. “There are no pesticides used in this garden, and it is an easy way to teach organics, composting, and other sustainable practices,” said Judy Shillinglaw, a master gardener and volunteer.

Other goals of Friends of Chrisholm for 2011 include: reduce energy costs, help MetroParks as it develops a strategic plan for the site, obtain grants for various projects on site, and help pay for the Doris L. Page Internship program.

Approval of a MetroParks operating levy last fall “means that Chrisholm will continue to remain open to the public, and allow for needed improvement to be made at the park,” said Laura Konnert, president of Friends of Chrisholm.

She said the group will continue to work with MetroParks to determine how to improve the farmhouse’s heating and cooling system—and save on other costs.

Meanwhile, visitors continue to come to the Farmstead for the annual This Old Farm Days celebration, held over Labor Day weekend. On Sept. 11, a Civil War quilt presentation and house tour will be held at the old brick home.

Randy McNutt is the author of twenty books, including two about Ohio ghost towns and regional history—“Ghosts” and “Lost Ohio.” He lives in Hamilton.