Heading out of Trotwood, Air Hill was the next stop on the Dayton and Western.  Not much is left, but its a pleasant country drive....

 

we get to Airhill by following the "midwest grid" of country roads south and west and north of Trotwood

 

..this is all thats left of a rural villiage or locality called Post Town

 

 

 

exurban ribbon/intermittent development along country roads

 

 

 

 

A word here about Sycamore State Park, which probably no one has heard of.  This was going to be the Newfields new town, part of a "new towns" program sort of copied after the British example.  I think only one of these ever really happened, Jonathan, near Minneapolis.  Newfields was going to be the Dayton new town, to be developed by the Huber interests.  Land was aquired but something happened, and nothing was ever built.  The land became Sycamore State Park, which acts as sort of a greenbelt between Trotwood and Brookville.

 

These roads pass through Sycamore State Park, which partly surrounds Airhill.

 

 

 

Getting closer....

 

...and we are there.  Nothing there except two or three houses, including this big white double at the railroad crossing..

 

 

 

bikepath and Airhill House.  I can see this as a bed and breakfast catering to cyclists...???

 

 

Airhill "Station"

 

 

Sycamore State Park..mostly dead fields and woodlots....

 

Bikepath to Trotwood.

 

 

..and northwest to Brookville, which will be our next stop.

 

...on to Brookville...

 

 

 

Interesting. I wonder if that big house might have been a railroad hotel; lots of towns had them, sometimes in conjunction with a livery stable.

 

If they eventually extend the trail into Dayton, it could breathe some life into those villages with restaurants and B&Bs and a civilized, non-overwhelming tourist trade.

Looks like a place for peace and quiet!